🥳 Happy 2nd Shabbat Dropiversary

Originally published on The Shabbat Drop by Miranda Lapides on November 8, 2024.

Announcements (Droplets?)

📖 Book club is BACK! Join us on Sunday, January 12th on Zoom to discuss Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew by Emmanuel Acho & Noa Tishby. Register here and get uncomfortable! (Psstt - if only New Yorkers RSVP, we’ll have it in person!)

🖋️ New Yorkers: Our friends at Harlem Moishe House are hosting an Arabic and Hebrew calligraphy workshop on Thursday, November 14th. Explore art x Sephardic heritage!

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It’s Friday. We made it. Let out a deep sigh.

I drafted this post a month ago and kept putting off publishing it. Let me tell you why.

October 6th was this lil’ blog’s birthday. I normally would have posted an anniversary post a month ago, but refrained for obvious and solemn reasons (here’s what I posted that week instead).

This has been another solemn week to those who stand for democracy and liberalism, which is about half of American voters, and 80% of American Jews.

For that reason, I thought of postponing this post again. But I decided to not let this week’s news get in the way of celebrating Jewish writing and the sharing of Jewish ideas. There’s always something worth celebrating, and the world doesn’t stop turning. The Drops keep on droppin’.

Then, last night in Amsterdam about a hundred Israelis were attacked by rioters outside a Maccabi soccer game. As I struggled to fall asleep after hearing this news, upset by the state of the world, I thought, “Oh no, now I really can’t post a celebratory/happy post tomorrow.”

But then I changed my mind, and here’s why:

On October 7th, I came across a statement that really struck me: as Jews, we can’t return to who we were on October 6th; we can only move forward. That statement resonated deeply, not only because October 6th was the day before Black Shabbat, but also because it marks the day I began this project which connects me to my Judaism and with other Jews. I’m determined to not let that moment—or any dark moment—define or diminish Jewish joy. You can’t reschedule joy!

… not to mention the fact that I didn’t have a back-up topic for this week.

A big thank you

A wise person once told me to not focus on numbers and metrics (as if I can help it; I’m in marketing). However, another wise person told me to share my achievements of which I’m proud. Thank goodness I have so many wise people in my life to contradict each another.

If you’re still with me here, thank you for reading. You’re part of a two-year journey of storytelling—my own stories and those of others. You’re part of a community—which I can now say has grown to over 500 readers! 🎉—made up of both Jews and non-Jews, spanning 33 states and 23 countries (I see you, Nigeria!).

Our annual Shavuot picnic in the park with The Cheese Guy!

I don’t know who you are. Maybe you’re here to learn, or to get a little connection to Judaism before Shabbat. Maybe you’re my parents and have to read this. Maybe your inbox is lonely on Fridays. Either way, I’m so grateful!

Here’s a look at the top posts from the past year:

Shabbat Shalom. Here’s to many more Fridays together,

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