Rivka Herzfeld

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Dec 7, 2024, 5:22 PM

Well, That’s a Fishy Crisis

Imagine if you will, a 40-year-old guy. He’s gone through some family drama and trauma; he has a half-brother with whom he doesn’t really have a relationship. His dad took him on a 3-day hike… except they didn’t really talk...

Oct 7, 2024, 7:02 AM

The Fragility of Being Indestructible

Rosh haShana has now come and gone. Every year, people ask me ‘how was your yom tov?’ and for the longest time, I have given the same response of ‘ask me in a year from *now*’, by which often, people...

Mar 13, 2024, 9:24 AM

Skin in the game

Do you want a piece of me? That’s what all the tough guys say in the movies. It’s really different when it actually comes down to it though Today was a normal day – – got up, davened, started work, schmoozed with...

Nov 29, 2023, 8:20 AM

Fourteen. That's a lot of rabbis to come to a consensus about anything. But of course they did. Today, apparently, students at Teaneck High School are having a pro-Palestine walk out. During school hours. I don't know how many Jewish people are among the...

Nov 13, 2023, 6:53 PM

Where I Cannot Be

You don't even know how I wish I could be there. Surrounded by family. It could be like being in Jerusalem… Except not. A central hub of power… but of a different sort. "So go," one could say. And I would. I would...

Sep 9, 2023, 2:23 AM

Standing & Walking

I am not standing. I am not a head of anything. I am not an officer. I have no tribe. I am not an elder. "You stand this day all of you before Hashem your God; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your...

Jun 7, 2023, 8:10 AM

The Job That Is and In Torah

I know it's going to be a shock to read this, given who I am now... But I was not always good at learning. Or at least I was led to believe that I wasn't. You see, I was that...

May 8, 2023, 8:48 AM

A waste of an outfit

Illustrative. A woman seated in a wheelchair pushes the button to call an elevator. (iStock)

Having a key to an elevator somewhere in the synagogue building does not make the building handicapped accessible

Apr 25, 2023, 6:06 AM

Bitter to better

(The Jewish Life Photo Bank/Gitty Gottdiener)

With my 'feet of clay,' my scooter is a blessing that I hate that I need – but that I am lucky to have

Mar 1, 2023, 1:42 AM

Inside and outside the blue lines

I find it ironic that it was hard for me to feel that I had anything to contribute for Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), every year in February, the month that just ended. Most people who know me...

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About Me

Rivka Herzfeld earned an M.A. in Tanach from Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Judaic Studies. She enjoys teaching Tanach to all ages and backgrounds. Rivka is also a respected disability awareness educator. She is personable, easygoing, has a terrific sense of humor, and loves sharing puns. She is passionate about politics, human rights, and “liberty and justice for all.” Rivka is determined to make her voice count.