Alissa Thomas-Newborn, at The Blogs

Alissa Thomas-Newborn

Oct 4, 2025, 9:00 AM

Thirsty Souls, Israeli Teens, Hostages, and YK

Ben Tzur, a young Israeli musician, has a song that is particularly popular right now. It’s called נשמות צמאות, “Thirsty Souls.” On the Israeli news channel Kan 11, one secular mother explained that she and her friends were worried...

Sep 26, 2025, 8:58 AM

A New Lens for Teshuvah: Repairing a Sefer Torah

This Rosh Hashanah at Congregation Netivot Shalom in Teaneck, NJ, one of the sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls) we read from was new to our community, a repaired sefer Torah. As the sofer (scribe), Rabbi Rephael Hirsch, was repairing it, he...

Oct 8, 2024, 6:37 PM

The Voices of 5784’s Shofar

This piece was originally given as a Rosh Hashanah drasha at Netivot Shalom in Teaneck, NJ. The piercing cry of the shofar gives voice to our deepest longings and vulnerabilities and calls us to return to Hashem. The rabbis attributed...

May 1, 2024, 4:26 PM

The Most Hope I’ve Felt in 6 Months

The Korban Pesach (Passover sacrifice) was to be consumed as no other korban was: בְּבַ֤יִת אֶחָד֙ יֵֽאָכֵ֔ל, “It must be eaten in one house,” לֹֽא־תוֹצִ֧יא מִן־הַבַּ֛יִת מִן־הַבָּשָׂ֖ר ח֑וּצָה, “You shall not take any of the meat out of the...

Dec 21, 2023, 7:32 AM

Being a Jew in Teaneck right now

“Yosef recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him.” וַיַּכֵּ֥ר יוֹסֵ֖ף אֶת־אֶחָ֑יו וְהֵ֖ם לֹ֥א הִכִּרֻֽהוּ, How can this be? Chazal and almost all of the meforshim teach that the reason they couldn’t recognize Yosef was because he now had...

Oct 20, 2023, 4:49 PM

Hamas destroys, Israel creates: Parshat Bereishit

One week. Seven days. It took God one week to create the world. And in one week, Hamas has threatened to destroy it. In many ways they have already– they destroyed countless souls who were each a world unto...

About Me

Rabbanit Alissa is the Rabbanit at Congregation Netivot Shalom in Teaneck, NJ and the president of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. She is a hospital chaplain in New York City and a past JOFA Devorah Scholar.