Marita Anderson – Chaplain, Writer, Teacher, Parent
A collection of work on spiritual resilience, mindfulness, and the practice of being human.
We nursed the runt to life squeezing drops of medicine into her gullet, dabbing peroxide under a bloody wing. She soothed herself by roosting, clutching eggs under her breast, eggs that were not hers. Again, feathers spread across the yard white like a dusting of
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There was a time when children began the study of Torah not in the beginning at Bereshit (Genesis), but by delving into the middle of the Torah at Vayikrah (Leviticus), the detailed instruction for Temple sacrifices as atonements for wrongdoing. According to midrash, children’s innocence
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I write this from the Spiritual Care office of a large hospital in Atlanta, where the ICU has been expanded, and then expanded again, to accommodate the frighteningly high number of patients who are critically ill with the novel coronavirus. Whereas six months ago, we
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A sample of recorded meditations to support your home practice.
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My grandmother spent her childhood in the outskirts of the prison/labor camps in Siberia, where her family members were sent by Stalin in the late 1930’s. She buried 2 generations of women in our family in Siberia, including her mother and grandmother. Her life was filled with
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Guided meditation adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Lake Meditation, using the imagery of Living Waters (mayim hayim).
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Using gentle awareness, as a candle that offers light and warmth, to observe emotions in the body.
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“Oh, liberty! Treasure your liberty!” said the man behind the double pane window. Speaking into the visitation phone he whispered, “All I wish is to magically turn into a bird so that I can fly away.” He looked up for a moment and closed his
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Join the Temple Emanuel community meditation group on Mondays at 11:15am. (See schedule for specific dates). During this 4-week series, we will practice menuchat ha’nefesh (literally: calmness of the soul), or equanimity. Incorporating themes of Tu B’Shvat and our relationship with nature, we will explore meditations of grounding,
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Jewish mindfulness meditation allows for the heart to soften and receive the blessings of our lives, even amidst difficulties and suffering. This practice teaches us how to reshape our relationships, starting with ourselves. We will explore Jewish texts to set intentions and read poetry for
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“She Said” is more than an inside look into the outstanding investigative reporting by two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, which is fascinating in its own right. What Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey have presented in this best-seller is a birds-eye perspective on the #MeToo movement and
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During this season of self-reflection and spiritual preparation for Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe, we are invited to contemplate our behaviors and ways we can heal by asking for forgiveness. Our traditional prayers are explicit about what constitutes sin. Those of us who attend
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Stress can sometimes make us feel overwhelmed, as if we are navigating the ocean in a paper boat. While we can’t get rid of stress, the way in which we respond to challenges makes a difference in how we experience everyday life. Turning to Jewish
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Meditations to prepare our hearts, deepening compassion for ourselves and others, offering forgiveness and asking forgiveness. We practice in a supportive environment, sharing the gifts of being in community. Location: Temple Emanu-El of Atlanta Lunchtime Series Registration: Open to members and guests of members Evening
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This new class series will focus on mindful parenting: Meditations that can help you self-regulate and stay more present to yourself and to your kids; Jewish practices that offer wisdom on staying intimately connected to ourselves and the people we love most; Building community with
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This Jewish Mindfulness Meditation series will focus on the spiritual preparation for Passover. An intentional meditation practice can help us explore the qualities of human nature that result in physical and emotional constriction: chronic stress, anxiety, and joylessness. With focused attention we can begin to see
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If you imagine the revelation narrative, or the encounter between the Israelites and G-d, as a tapestry stretched on a loom, it is as if the pattern of weaving was interrupted in chapter 19 (Yitro) and weaved anew in chapter 24 (Mishpatim). At the end
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Join a group of meditators to support your meditation practice under the guidance of Marita Anderson, Jewish Mindfulness Meditation teacher. To support you in your practice, we will offer hour-long sessions that will include a tapestry of Jewish teachings, inspirations, and meditations. This class will
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Encountering challenges and inter-personal conflict in life is part of the human condition. Using Jewish teachings, we will practice meeting each moment with an open heart and mind. You will develop practices of noticing your experience, your thoughts, and your emotions while being more in
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With my 9-year-old son, I recently visited the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala. The Equal Justice Initiative erected this powerful memorial to honor the victims of racially driven hatred and terror by lynchings, and it is worthy of pilgrimage. We went
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The Israelites who escaped Mitzrayim (a place of constriction) did not reach their destination for forty years. Instead, they entered the wilderness of the desert (BaMdbar, related to d-b-r root for “to speak”). They left a narrow place where they were bound to the wills of their human masters and were
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In the last few years, I have made time to go on meditation retreats and friends are often curious to know if I find it challenging. Without a doubt, the most difficult part of being in silence for a week is staying off technology, a
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Have you ever heard a person say, “I am a bad Jew”? I hear it all the time, usually in response to something having to do with Jewish life or spirituality. Upon further inquiry, I usually find out what that statement means. Sometimes it means,
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I have always had a difficult time understanding and relating to the Book of Leviticus. After all the family drama in Genesis and the arduous escape from slavery in Exodus, it’s hard to sustain attention for the laundry list of priestly rules concerning the nitty-gritty
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Join a Jewish Meditation class under the guidance of Marita Anderson. To support you in your practice, we will offer hour-long sessions that will include a tapestry of Jewish teachings, inspirations, and meditations. This class will offer tools in cultivating a grounded and resilient inner
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My 11-year-old son recently interviewed my grandmother about her life. She described a life of difficulties that are unimaginable to my son’s generation: survival of World War II, life in Siberia, existence as an orphan at a young age, oppression under the Communist regime, anti-Semitism
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My kids have a picture book on their shelf called “You Are Stardust,” in which Dr. Elin Kelsey, a professor of environmental science, describes the unity of all life on Earth. The book gives examples of the interdependence and interconnectedness of each human life to
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This is a 5-week class on Jewish Mindfulness Meditation at the MJCCA hosted by the Wellness Center. Together, we will explore ways to create a sustainable, ongoing mindfulness meditation practice. This class is designed for beginners as well as experienced meditators who want to refresh the fundamentals
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In my work as a chaplain and as a person out in the world, I sometimes encounter vulnerable people who are survivors of abuse, abandonment and human cruelty. Their inevitable questions rise up: “Why did this happen to me? Why did this person do that
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The Torah shows that we should not blindly follow our hearts. The heart is a miraculous organ whose function is to push and pump blood throughout the body. A ball of muscular tissue, the heart contracts and relaxes with the continuous rhythm of a metronome,
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There is a famous Talmudic argument about the observance of lighting Hanukkah candles. Bet Shammai says: On the first day one lights eight and from then on one continues to decrease, and Bet Hillel says: On the first day one lights one and from then
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Holding my hand and a cup of hot cocoa, my daughter skipped with confidence onto a playground in a small town outside Atlanta. After a few minutes of observing, she ran off to play with some kids who were pretending to run away from bad
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My husband and I are those crazy parents who give their children names that barely make the list on the Social Security survey. When my daughter was born, we named her Hallelujah because my husband cried every time he heard Leonard Cohen’s song of that
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I am teaching a 6-week class on Jewish Mindfulness Meditation at the MJCCA wellness center. Together, we will explore techniques to create a sustainable, ongoing mindfulness meditation practice. This class is designed for beginners as well as experienced meditators who want to refresh the fundamentals of
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Many of us, who dedicate our lives to non-profit work and social entrepreneurship, have spent the past year in a perpetual state of frustration. Our country’s deeply divisive political climate and the innumerable losses progressives have suffered can make the practice of gratitude during Thanksgiving
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Staring at the stars offers a glimpse at something greater than ourselves. When I was little, 6 or 7 years old, my house would remain lit up and full of life long after my bedtime, and I just hated going to sleep. I
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Two women, living centuries apart, find commonalities through written letters. “The Weight of Ink” is a work of historical fiction by Rachel Kadish, who braids multiple storylines, melding each narrative into a common theme of exile, love and desire for knowledge. To read this book
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Join us at MACoM for an evening of mindfulness from a Jewish perspective as we dive into the practice of gratitude and blessings. In Jewish tradition, one is supposed to say one hundred blessings a day. What would our lives look like if we practiced
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The Washington Post reporter provides a rare perspective on some of the world’s dangerous people and places. “Democracy Dies in Darkness” is the motto that began to appear on the masthead of The Washington Post in February. It is a short sentence that carries a
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Noise is endangering our very capacity to listen and to hear. The president of the United States engaged in a Twitter back and forth with NFL and NBA athletes over the weekend of Sept. 23 and 24, filling the airwaves with threats and harsh judgments
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Jewish Mindfulness Meditation
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The air in Jerusalem is different. My daughter complained of a headache as our bus climbed toward the heart of the city, but I told her it was just the change in elevation. I did not tell her that the air is thicker in Jerusalem,
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You recently gave a talk at an Emory University Alumni gathering titled “The Case for Career Polygamy: Turning Passion Projects into Profit.” What’s a career polygamist? The title came from my frustration that LinkedIn only allows you to list one career path on your profile.
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I’m really excited to be included as an interfaith contributor at the Wild Goose Festival this July. I will be sharing how the poetry of the Jewish Prophets in the Torah can help us deal with communal and personal traumas of today. The Wild Goose is an experiential
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For the second Passover seder, Temple Emanu-El hosted clergy from Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church, a 5,000-member congregation in Atlanta’s Old 4th Ward. My husband, Rabbi Spike Anderson, and I were eager to reach out beyond Sandy Springs. Our new friends were curious and interested
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My youngest daughter was about to turn 5 and days before her birthday, I still had no plans. I searched for ideas online, hoping to find something that would be quick and easy to plan, and found a website that offered pony parties. The ponies could
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The world can seem so hard to deal with sometimes. Marita Anderson, chaplain and writer, shows us how the prophets of our tradition dealt with their own and their people’s trauma–and also gave us tools to deal with ours.
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My family lived in Odessa during the Communist regime until the Soviet Union imploded in 1990 and there was nothing to hold us back from leaving. I grew up listening to grown ups share terrifying stories of hardship, poverty, and anti-Semitism, but what I remember
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Thursday, March 23rd at 7:30 pm at MACOM In the Exodus narrative, the word for Egypt, Mitzraim, can be translated as a “narrow strait.” As we prepare for Passover, let us explore ways in which the Exodus story is relevant in our lives today and
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On March 8th, in the Former Soviet Union, it was expected that all women got flowers in celebration of International Women’s Day. More importantly than doling out flowers, there were events celebrating important female scientists, engineers, and teachers. School assemblies were held in appreciation of
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Every time I walk to school to pick up my kids, I have to cross a busy intersection. Every time, I pick up trash: cans, cigarette packs, water bottles. I pick up all the trash that I can carry and my kids carry more. And
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I bought my ticket to Washington DC shortly after the election, when I heard a protest march might be forming. It was a reaction to the relentless waves of emotions I was feeling: disappointment, shock, sadness, and worst of all, fear. I felt
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“Mr. Gaga” is a documentary profiling the life and work of Ohad Naharin, an Israeli choreographer and the director of the Batsheva Dance Company, based in Tel Aviv and renowned all over the world. This film is about the art of dance and offers a
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“Harmonia” is an Israeli film that is shaped by layers of meaning and is satisfying on many sensory levels. At first, you might think this movie is about music because it is centered on the life of an orchestra conductor and his beautiful wife, a
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As we prepare to gather in our homes for Thanksgiving, I have heard from several friends who are filled with anxiety about their time with family members who hold a different version of what is best for our country. This year, the holiday stress is
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Are you ready for the holidays? I don’t know about you, but I rarely feel ready. When you live the life of a clergy family, this time of year often feels rushed and overwhelming. Even if you are not clergy and are unaware of the
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Joel Hoffman’s latest book, “The Bible Doesn’t Say That: 40 Biblical Mistranslations, Misconceptions, and Other Misunderstandings,” caught my eye soon after it was published. I love studying and teaching Torah, and I am always on the lookout for ways to engage with biblical text from
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Why would a Jewish chaplain and wife of a rabbi sign up to spend three days with her children at a Christian festival? That’s precisely the question I asked myself when I walked through the gates of a camping ground in the mountains of North
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On Tisha B’Av, we read Lamentations, one of the most difficult books in the biblical canon. I once read that the opening of the Book of Lamentations (Eicha in Hebrew) is pronounced with a catch of the throat to convey the breath-stopping shock in the
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A few years ago, during what I remember as a difficult time in my life, I began learning meditation with the hope of calming my panicked mind. What brought me to my knees was not any particular crisis, but the daily monotony of taking care
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As I write this, we have not yet begun to celebrate Passover, and my household is bursting with anticipation. My middle son is hilariously attempting to sell our chametz to the babysitter, my youngest child has taken our cockatiel’s molted feathers to task around the
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When I asked my husband if he had any inspirations to share with me on this week’s Torah portion, Metzorah, he stared out into space and uttered a singular sound, his breath caught in his throat: “ugh.” I could not disagree with him. I certainly
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I was born in Soviet Ukraine at a time when people were stripped of their spiritual rights and forced to conform to a colorless mass that was communism. How did I know that I was Jewish? It was written in the passports and legal documents of
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A friend of mine suggested that I write a letter, addressed to my future self, that she would mail to me next October. The letter would remind me to be extra gentle with myself in October — a month that brings with it disorienting anxiety,
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My grandfather often looked after me as a child. In our play, I propped him up like an immense boy with a lazy heart as he climbed onto a wooden chair. His crooked fingers—splintered tips, rough skin from years of handling steel, dipped into pencil
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We sit across the table in desolate Tel Aviv hushed under the swollen canopy of paranoia, after another day tired of intensity or intensely tired. The enchanting greenness of your eyes like olives soak in the ferment of tears.
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Tanya is late to class again. Dragging Ruthy’s pudgy hand she lifts her onto a chair feet swaying like dreamy bells, shoes chunky with mud. The whole room rings with Ruthy’s soft tune as a triad of white paper dolls kiss and twirl like mystics
Read moreThat face the same, hair hidden well under a warm hat slightly graying. A glance at you Just close enough to smell your skin. You stand still. Those hands the same, long fingers that with cunning skill twined promises as precious souvenirs into my dream.
Read moreSeasons have passed since I last touched my grandmother. She holds her loneliness in quarantine and, faithfully, I keep my distance in fear of contagion and angry that she’s gotten herself sick with age. On the telephone our conversation telescopes the weather in New York;
Read moreWe traveled half way around the world and met like two old friends taking refuge in this crevice where humanity was the entity we were a part of, apart from. We drank hard not to forget but because we were too young to fear. Entering
Read moreYou have not killed her. Not the way you have murdered for honor under the open lip of a wound in the bleeding sun, head caught in the noose of a country’s ideals. Desperate to escape to leave the executioner’s mask on the front lines
Read moreAs if crawling naked out of the bottom of a clay bowl sunken in the dry heat of the Samarian wadi I’ve been forced out of your bedroom the last seven nights in search for movement of air. The ink-black clouds move over making room
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