In the past year and a half, I’ve rediscovered my Jewish identity. Of course, it was always there — I was born Jewish, had a Bat-Mitzvah, have always celebrated the key holidays and tried to instill our values in our children. But my commitment to my faith has ebbed and flowed over the years.

So I don’t know if it was the fact that Maya was going to be starting Hebrew School or that I began writing on the side for Kveller.com (a parenting site that is Jewish-focused but not exclusively so) but either way, I have come full circle in my appreciation for my religion, my culture, and my people.

I always find it hard to explain to my devout Catholic husband or other non-Jews why it’s perfectly OK that I don’t regularly attend temple but yet I feel deeply Jewish in my bones. This makes sense to me — many Jews are nonpracticing but feel tethered (in the best sense of the word) to our heritage, lineage, customs and traditions.

As such, I wrote a post for Kveller about my favorite Rosh Hashanah tradition, preparing my great-grandma’s brisket recipe for my own little family. Writing it was therapeutic and I want to share it with you today. ❤