Mijal Bitton, at The Blogs

Mijal Bitton

Oct 9, 2026, 5:50 AM

Wednesday marked three years since October 7th, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. For me, this anniversary felt painful, and in many ways lonely as a Jew. In cities across the world, the streets this week filled with...

Sep 18, 2026, 2:25 PM

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How to fail Yom Kippur

From an illuminated 'Ashamnu,' by Nathan [ben Samson] of Mezhyrich, 1723, in the repentance liturgy. (Wikipedia)

I take my lesson from 'Severance' and its portrait of failure; to safeguard against it, I'll be preparing a personal confession and naming my hopes for the future

Sep 4, 2026, 2:49 PM

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To Michigan AG Nessel and liberal Jews everywhere: Jewish survival isn’t immoral

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel pauses during an interview with The Associated Press, November 21, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

While right and left disagree about what a value even is, let alone which of them are important, we Jews remember our timeless Jewish covenant (Nitzavim)

Mar 27, 2026, 8:34 AM

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The universal wrong of burning those UK Hatzola ambulances

Ambulances belonging to the Jewish Hatzola organization go up in flames in Golders Green, London, March 23, 2026. (Screenshot: X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Passover is proof of context: The Israelites in Egypt weren't trying to set an example for the world, but when they stuck to their values, their influence was vast

Mar 13, 2026, 4:56 AM

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Our heart is in the east; we are far away

People take shelter in an underground train station in Tel Aviv, March 7, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

I'm learning how to forge deeper connections with my Israeli counterparts from a surprising source: The Torah's account of the Israelites building the Tabernacle

Feb 27, 2026, 4:42 AM

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Mordechai, Esther, and October 8th Jews

The real legacy of Purim is not a formula to defeat antisemitism, but a blueprint for how to live Jewishly after a crisis is over

Feb 20, 2026, 1:30 PM

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Judaism needs stakeholders, not spectators

'The Jewish Tabernacle and Priesthood,' by George C. Needham, 1874. (Wikimedia Commons)

When Jewish leadership pitches the religion as there for the taking, many opt out, but when God needs every Jew's involvement, who'd want to walk away? (Terumah)

Feb 6, 2026, 5:41 AM

What People Who Choose Judaism Help Us Remember

I’ve stood at the edge of the mikveh, the waters of ritual immersion, more than once, accompanying friends and students through the long, serious work of conversion. There is hesitation and anticipation. Then the room exhales. Someone who stood at...

Jan 16, 2026, 3:27 PM

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Pharaoh, Iran and the battle for human dignity

Women cross a street under a huge banner showing hands firmly holding Iranian flags as a sign of patriotism, as one of them flashes the victory sign, in Tehran, Iran, January 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Jews cannot be indifferent to those who are fighting for their freedom; we learned very early on that resisting tyrants is a way of obeying God (Vaera)

Jan 9, 2026, 5:53 AM

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You can do God’s will without a burning bush

'Moses and the Burning Bush,' by Arnold Friberg. (via YouTube)

Even without a dramatic reveal showing how much our actions matter, we are responsible for doing the good within our reach (Shemot)

About Me

Dr. Mijal Bitton is the Dean of the Maimonides Jewish Leadership Institute. She serves as a Spiritual Leader at The Downtown Minyan, is a sociologist of US Jews, and co-hosts the podcast Wondering Jews.Follow her for weekly Jewish wisdom on her Substack, Committed: https://mijal.substack.com/.