Karen Wolfers Rapaport, at The Blogs

Oct 9, 2025, 6:05 PM

The Etrog, the Willow, and My Mother’s Legacy

Imagine a luminous scene—a levaya, a funeral, for a radiant soul. The body, once the vessel of a vibrant life, is laid to rest in a serene cemetery beneath towering Northwest conifers, wrapped in green hug, tended with care....

Oct 12, 2023, 10:17 PM

Echoes from the Battlefield: Lessons from the Lubavitcher Rebbe

On Shabbat Simchat Torah morning, I woke up on a spiritual high. After all our nation, despite its differences, had just emerged from the high holidays. On that day, the Israeli sky was crisp, clear, and full of New...

Jul 27, 2023, 2:32 PM

The Bittersweet Paradox of Tisha B’Av

Praying, fasting and mourning the Temple's destruction on the Ninth of Av, Tisha B'Av. (Leeor Bronis/Times of Israel)

Life is bittersweet. As Jews, we understand this at our core. Our genetic blueprint is primed to understand this paradox. We understand historical, collective, and personal waves of delicious triumphs, blended with harsh and acerbic defeats. But still, isn’t this paradox...

Oct 3, 2022, 12:06 PM

The Ten Days of Repentance: An Inspired Space

When you hear the word “vacuum,” what comes to mind? Merriam-Webster defines a vacuum as “a space absolutely devoid of matter”. But this leads to some misunderstanding because Aristotle was right – nature abhors a vacuum. (1) Nothing always contains something. What...

Dec 16, 2020, 6:33 PM

Chanukah and Shabbat Candles – Creating Peace to be Ready for War

Did you know that according to Rambam, one who lacks the money to buy Chanukah lights should sell something, or if necessary, borrow candles, in order to light the candles and fulfill the mitzvah? This Halacha highlights the importance of the...

Sep 18, 2020, 3:05 PM

Co-creating on Rosh Hashanah

It’s Rosh Hashanah, happy birthday Adam and Eve. The first man and woman were born on this most mighty and unique day. G-d created a multitude of life forms, but on this day, we celebrate the most powerful creation of...

Mar 20, 2020, 12:28 PM

Corona Lessons from a Double Torah Portion

Nothing in the Torah is for naught. The Jewish nation doesn't believe in serendipity and happenstance. Everything, everyone, and every parsha has its place. In this weeks parsha, Vayak’hel and Pekudei join together for a single reading. This is not...

Oct 10, 2016, 5:15 PM

Yom Kippur and the Art of Self-Forgiveness

In Judaism, holidays are designated with their own unique energy. On Purim there is deep joy. On Passover, there is the liberation that accompanies freedom. And on Yom Kippur the world is aglow in the new light that emerges...

Jun 20, 2016, 4:36 PM

On the Anniversary of the Kidnapping of Our Three Boys, How Have we Changed?

Tonight marks the Hebrew two year anniversary of a fateful June evening. It was the evening when "our" sons disappeared. For days we were in limbo. Steeped in prayer and deed we held our breath. Despite our hopes and innermost desires,...

May 10, 2016, 6:48 PM

The Letters of Yoni Netanyahu

Yoni Netanyahu, in a photograph taken shortly before his death at Entebbe in 1976 (Wikipedia) I have always been enamored by the fallen hero of the 1976 Entebbe Raid. Yoni Netanyahu rescued 102 hostages and managed to prevent all but one...

About Me

Karen Wolfers Rapaport Alamayo is an Israeli educator, therapist, writer, and licensed tour guide. She works with leading institutions including the Office of the Prime Minister, Intel, Mobileye, Yad Vashem, and the Mandel Institute. A featured writer for several Jewish websites, Karen is passionate about unifying people across cultures and traditions and creating transformative experiences that connect individuals to one another and to the land and spirit of Israel.