Craig Taubman

08/20/2026

Some Jewels simply speak for themselves. This is one of them.

BELONGING

DR. DAVID MCCARTY-CAPLAN

When I was twelve, I started introducing myself in Jewish spaces by saying, “Hi! My name is David, and I’m the only Colombian-adopted Jew you will ever meet.”

I truly felt like the only one. Born in Bogotá and adopted at birth into a white Jewish American family, I was raised without any racial mirrors to prepare me for life as a Jew of color.

What I quickly learned was that I was not what people expected Jewishness to look like. In white Jewish settings, I faced uncomfortable microaggressions: “Why are you here?” or “Those are your parents? So you’re not really Jewish.”

All while navigating the profound loss of being disconnected from my lineage and culture of origin. Persistently feeling not Jewish enough. Not white enough. Not Latino enough.

My introduction was a defense mechanism; a preemptive strike to disarm others and make light of how out of place I felt. Worried about everyone else's comfort, I buried my sadness and made a joke of who I was.

As a grown-up, discovering how wrong I was, has made all the difference. There are so many Jews of color and adopted Jews with similar stories of isolation. Finding my people has been transformative, and I have never felt more connected to my Jewish identity.

So today, I work to understand diverse Jewish experiences and build inclusive communities of belonging so future generations of Jews like me never have to feel alone, and be part of a thriving Jewish future.

David McCarty-Caplan is a social work professor and founder of Shades of Belonging, which explores experiences of Jewish adoptees of color. davidmccartycaplan.com

Craig Taubman Julia Caplan

ELUL 8 · DAY 8 of 29 · AUGUST 19, 2026 BELONGINGDR. DAVID MCCARTY-CAPLANWhen I was twelve, I started introducing myself in Jewish spaces by saying, “Hi! My name is David, and I’m the only Colombian-adopted Jew you will ever meet.”I truly felt like the only one. Born in Bogotá and adopted at...

08/19/2026

— drugs, alcohol, compulsions — is something people don’t like to talk about. We hide it. We’re embarrassed by it. I’ve used alcohol to excess in my own life, and I know the shame that can come with it. We see weakness and failure where there can be extraordinary strength and courage. The author of this Jewel is one of the , strongest, and most resilient people I know. Before you them, know their story.

TWELVE STEPS ANONYMOUS
People probably look at me and think it was a straight path to where I am now – to my life as a loving father and devoted husband, with a successful career. They probably think it was somewhat inevitable – raised by loving parents, a straight-A student at prestigious schools.
But the truth is I was flailing for many years after college and was headed to disaster. I was suffering from depression, compulsions, and couldn’t maintain a healthy long-term relationship well into my 30s.
I was about to destroy another relationship when my girlfriend at the time confronted me for my growing distance. I fearfully admitted something was wrong with me. The miracle: she didn’t leave me. She appreciated my honesty and recommended I try a 12-step group. I did – and the breakthroughs came quickly. I was able to sustain a healthy romantic relationship with my girlfriend – and we soon got married and had children.
Whereas before I had run from responsibilities, I miraculously was now able to take them on - usually with joy. My life continues to be enriched – and from the outside, people probably think it’s because of luck and hard work. That’s a small fraction of the truth. The foundation for all of it is daily work to connect to God. To ask for guidance from God and have the courage to follow that inspiration when I receive it. When I do that, my life – and my ability to live it fully and joyously – continues to expand in miraculous ways.
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Anonymous is a TV writer, producer, happy husband, and father.

08/17/2026

Meet Sarah Tuttle-Singer, one of the beautiful voices contributing to this year’s . Sarah has a gift for finding the sacred in the real stuff of life—the questions, the contradictions, the tenderness, and the messy stuff.

SARAH TUTTLE-SINGER THE UNSEEN

A few weeks ago, a gas explosion tore through my home in Jerusalem. I survived. My neighbor did not. Since then, I’ve discovered something uncomfortable about judgment.

People imagine resilience as something loud. They expect certainty, opinions, strength. They see the articles I write or the photographs I post and assume they know me. They imagine that because I can tell stories, I have somehow mastered my own.

What they don’t see is that a loud bang can still make my body forget that I’m safe. They don’t see me freezing in crowds. They don’t see me catching my breath when I smell smoke, suddenly overwhelmed by a memory I never invited back. Trauma has a way of arriving without a knock.

I used to think healing meant becoming who I was before. Now I think it means learning to carry what happened without letting it harden me. Trauma has made me gentler with other people’s invisible battles.

The impatient cashier may have buried someone that morning. The man who snaps at a stranger may not have slept in weeks. The woman smiling at everyone may have spent the night crying. The teenager who seems angry may simply be afraid.

I still believe in accountability. I still believe we should expect better of one another. But before I decide who someone is, I try to remember how much of every life is hidden beneath the surface. The greatest lesson Jerusalem has ever taught me is that every stone has another layer beneath it. So do people.

Perhaps that is the beginning of compassion: not pretending we know another person’s story but approaching them with enough humility to realize we almost never do.

Sarah Tuttle-Singer has spent years telling the stories of Jerusalem. She has written about its alleyways and rooftops, its hidden rooms and ancient stones, its neighbors and strangers, its beauty

08/17/2026

MY ABUELITA'S GOD. Mijal Bitton
Growing up, I was cast early and cast well: the rabbi's daughter. The good girl. The one who knew the prayers, who could tell you right from wrong before you'd finished asking. I wore the part like a coat made to fit. I still do, mostly. Put me in front of a room, ask me to inspire, and I will give you every impression of a woman who has it figured out.
But can I tell you a secret? The verses that come easiest to me, that always feel true on my lips, have never been the certain ones. They're the broken ones. King David got there first: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:19). The Kotzker Rebbe said it with fewer words: there is nothing so whole as a broken heart.
I believe in commitment. I'm 100% in. But certainty is another matter. I am not the woman who resolved the questions. I am the woman who keeps choosing commitment, morning after morning. My faith isn't a destination I've reached. It's a relationship. I pray to my Abuelita’s God, which is to say: when my relationship with God falters, my faith in her faith holds me up.
So no, I don't have it all worked out. What I have is commitment — and a conviction that our broken and mended and broken-again hearts are not the obstacle to a life with God.
They're the way to it. Www.jewelsofelul.com
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Mijal Bitton is a scholar, writer, and Rosh Kehilla of the Downtown Minyan in New York. thedowntownminyan.com

Anne Frank LA The Sanctuary At Pico Union. Jewels of Elul Afshine Emrani Jewels of Elul

The Downtown Minyan is a vibrant, warm, innovative and growing Jewish community intent on cultivating purpose-driven Jewish living for millennials in the 21st century.

08/16/2026

Eitan Bernath started cooking on television at 11 and went on to become a chef, author, television personality and digital creator reaching millions around the world. Along the way, Eitan’s learned a lot about being seen—and being judged.
MORE THAN PIXELS Eitan Bernath

After twelve years of putting myself out there on the internet, I’ve received hate comments and cruel messages from strangers around the world. Sometimes it’s antisemitism. Sometimes it’s about my appearance, my voice. Do I love my voice? No, not really. But if I didn't like someone else's voice, I would never even think to voice that to them.
I’m often asked how I deal with it and whether being inundated with that negativity affects me. The honest answer is that, over time, I’ve developed a thick skin, but more importantly, a deep empathy for the very people who direct their negativity toward me.
Most of the time, I don’t respond. But when I do, I’ll often write, “I hope you’re having a nice day!” or send them a random compliment.
It tends to catch people off guard. Typically, I’ll receive a reply saying, “Oh my God! I didn’t think you would see this. I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I wrote that. I love your videos.” The last line always makes me chuckle.
Empathy doesn’t excuse cruelty, but I’ve learned that a stranger’s mean comment is rarely, if ever, about you. The comment reveals something about what the commenter is going through—their own insecurities.
Sometimes all it takes is one kind response.
In that moment, I stop being pixels on a screen in an endless feed and become a fellow human being.



Eitan Bernath — Chef, television personality, and digital creator inspiring millions through food, culture, and storytelling. eitanbernath.com

08/15/2026

In the ’80s, I led a performing group for teens in Los Angeles. Turns out, this really great, shy kid was part of the group. This is Guy Raz’s story! — We think we know people. Then we hear their story.

People are surprised to learn that I'm an introvert.

I host podcasts heard by millions, speak to audiences of thousands, and appear on television. But none of those things come naturally to me. I've never been the person who walks into a room and commands attention. At a party, I'm more likely to spend the evening talking to one person than circulating. Small talk has always felt awkward.

When I began my career as a journalist at 21, I wasn't choosing a profession—I was looking for a way to push against my nature. I discovered that a notebook or microphone gave me permission to approach people. It offered a purpose larger than my insecurities. I wasn't trying to be interesting; I was trying to understand someone else.

I realized that listening was a kind of superpower. Not the passive kind where you're waiting for your turn to speak, but active listening: asking questions, paying close attention, following the thread of another person's ideas. Curiosity became stronger than self-consciousness.

After more than 30 years of interviewing people from every background, I've come to believe that listening is one of the purest expressions of respect. You don't have to agree with someone to make them feel seen. Giving another person your attention affirms their dignity.

I've learned that genuine listening changes the listener. It's difficult to ask someone about their life, hopes, failures, or fears without developing empathy for them. My introversion didn't hold me back. It became the foundation for the most valuable skill I've ever developed—and one that has shaped not only my career, but the way I try to move through the world.
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Guy Raz is the host and creator podcasts including How I Built This and Wow in the WorldWorld. GuyRaz.com

Anne Frank LA The Sanctuary At Pico Union Jewels of Elul


Www.jewelsofelul.com

08/14/2026

“I was introduced to the world before I could introduce myself.
Before I could speak, there were headlines. Before there were conversations, there were conclusions. I spent much of my life answering for an account I had never given...”

This past June, Ashley Laverne Jackson stood at the mikvah. Read the rest of Ashley’s story below.

08/13/2026

Afshine and I were once close friends. Then politics—or, more accurately, our judgment of each other—got in the way. For a long time, we didn't speak.

When I chose Before You Judge Me as this year's theme, I knew I had to reach out. His first words back: “Love you brother.”

A long silence. Three words of love.

Maybe that's where this journey begins—not by asking ourselves not to judge, but by refusing to let judgment be the end of our curiosity.

Thank you, Afshine, for being willing to begin again with me.

Afshine Emrani The Sanctuary At Pico Union Anne Frank LA

08/12/2026

ELUL 0 · DAY 0 of 29 · AUGUST 11, 2026

WELCOMECRAIG TAUBMAN

Twenty-four years ago, I knew nothing about Elul. I had gone to Hebrew school, Camp Ramah, studied in Israel, and knew the melodies and prayers. But when Cantor Eva Robbins asked me to write a song for Elul based on Psalm 27, I smiled, nodded…and had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

I was captivated by the idea of 29 days devoted to reflection and renewal. What if I invited 29 people to each share one reflection? And with that, Jewels of Elul was born. I thought it would be a one-time project. I was wrong.

Over twenty-four years, Jewels of Elul became one of my greatest teachers. Hundreds of people taught me that truth doesn’t belong to one denomination, political party, religion, or generation. As Maimonides wrote, “Accept the truth from whoever says it.”

This year’s theme, Before You Judge Me, grew from that lesson. To see is not to know. To judge is to turn what we see into what we believe we know. But between seeing and knowing, there is a sacred space—where curiosity, compassion, and listening live.

Each story invites us into that sacred space—to listen before deciding what we think we know. My hope is that we do the same with the people in our own lives.

And live compassion in that space.

INTRODUCTION RABBI DAVID WOLPE

Our world is rigged for judgment. A single sentence or image on social media is enough to tell us — is this your team?

One of the reasons I love novels is that to immerse yourself in the story of another is to hold judgment, to watch the twists and struggles of another soul, and recognize that what you are is only one way to be.

Here are 29 stories. Some will be told by people with whom you identify. Others may challenge, unsettle, even anger you.

The Midrash tells us that when the Torah was given it was like a mirror: it reflected each distinct human soul. I hope these pages offer something similar. You may catch glimpses of yourself in very different lives, and those parts of you may be stirred.

Before you judge, listen. Before you condemn, understand.

JEWEL START TOMORROW!
DON’T MISS A SINGLE DAY!
WWW.JEWELSOFELUL.COM

Join me. Open the Door. Explore what’s new. After more than a decade leading the Pico Union Project, I’ve stepped away from the day-to-day leadership of the organization Louise and I founded. It was time for a new chapter. Together, we transformed the oldest synagogue building in Los Angeles int...

08/11/2026

If you haven’t signed up for Jewels of Elul yet, I really hope you will. This year’s contributors are extraordinary—their voices are wise, surprising, personal and deeply human.

THESE ARE JEWELS NOT TO BE MISSED!

One reflection each day throughout Elul. A few quiet minutes to pause, reflect, and perhaps see something—or someone—a little differently and it's FREE!