My love for poetry began as a child when my second grade teacher would read Shel Silverstein's poems at the beginning of each week. As a middle schooler, I began writing my own poetry. And by high school, I was publishing poems in both English and Hebrew

in the American Hebrew Academy's literary magazine Unbound.

 

As a rabbinical student, I realized that poetry could become prayer and began composing poems specifically to be used as English readings in the community Shacharit services at Hebrew Union College (HUC). A number of poems I wrote for HUC services were published in the Women of Reform Judaism's book Covenant of Generations.

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As a rabbi, I have continued to write poetry as a way of breathing new life into Shabbat and holiday services. Some of these poems can be found in specially themed services that I created for Congregation Or Ami.