By Shirin Yadegar

Every August, we buy the backpacks, sharpen the pencils and promise ourselves that this will be the year we stay organized.

Then September happens.

Experience has taught me that a successful school year isn’t really about having the perfect planner or color-coded calendar. It’s about establishing a few simple habits early and sticking to them.

Whether your child is walking into kindergarten or driving themselves to high school, here are some basics that can set the tone for the entire year. (more…)

By Shirin Yadegar

Freedom is one of America’s greatest gifts, but it is not something we can take for granted. The liberties we enjoy today were shaped by the vision of our nation’s founders, protected by the Constitution, and defended by generations of service members who sacrificed to preserve the ideals of a free society.

As our nation approaches its 250th birthday, we have a unique opportunity to reflect on our shared history and pass along the stories, values, and lessons that have shaped America. While Independence Day is often celebrated with barbecues, parades, and fireworks, it is also a meaningful time to gather with family and friends to discuss the principles that unite us and the responsibilities that come with citizenship. (more…)

By Shirin Yadegar

Mother’s Day is often seen as a time for us moms to be spoiled and adored by our children. It’s a beautiful tradition, but it’s also an opportunity to pause and express gratitude for the women who came before us: our mothers, grandmothers, and the many women who have empowered and shaped who we are today.

This year, I’ve embraced a simple yet deeply meaningful Mother’s Day practice that I’d love to share with you, one that has brought me clarity, gratitude, and a renewed sense of connection.

Step 1: Reflect with Intention
I began by making a list of the women who have influenced different areas of my life over the past 49 years, those who have shaped my spirituality, wellness journey, parenting style, marriage, self care, work ethic, discipline, philanthropy, and joy. (more…)

By Shirin Yadegar

April is the time to pull out the summer calendars and start putting the puzzle pieces together. Our children need to stay engaged to create, to be challenged, and to be inspired by coaches and peers to reach their highest potential.

At the same time, summer is a season of exploration and joy. It’s when kids try new things, build friendships, make lasting family memories, and, of course, enjoy the simple pleasure of slowing down and sleeping in.

So how do we balance it all? How do we thoughtfully plan for families with multiple children, varying interests, and demanding work schedules while still leaving room for both structure and spontaneity? (more…)

By Shirin Yadegar

Valentine’s Day can often feel commercial, flashy, and centered on grand romantic gestures. But as a mother, I’ve come to see February 14th as something far more meaningful: an opportunity to root our families in the deeper foundation of love as action.

In Judaism, love is not just a feeling — it is a mitzvah, a sacred responsibility. The Torah teaches, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Rabbi Hillel famously said that this principle is the essence of the entire Torah; the rest is commentary. Love, in our tradition, is not passive. It is something we choose, something we practice.

And what better place to practice it than at home? (more…)

By Rachelle Unreich

I was sitting in my living room in Melbourne, getting ready to light my menorah for Chanukah, when an alert came through on my phone at 7.15pm, from our Jewish security community group. It said there was “an incident in Sydney this evening, which may have occurred at a community event.” I wasn’t too alarmed; I was used to these kinds of alerts. But only minutes later, my phone started pinging with texts of more details. People had been shot, killed at a Chanukah gathering in Bondi Beach. Fatalities kept rising. In the end, they would amount to the largest terrorist event ever to occur on Australian soil. Fifteen dead. Forty in hospital. It was – and still is – impossible to comprehend it.

Bondi Beach is a sunny suburb in Sydney that’s best known for its iconic beach, but I knew it well because I had lived there for two years, choosing it precisely because of its Jewishness. I lived in an apartment belonging to a Holocaust survivor – she had been in Auschwitz with my mother who was also a survivor – that was situated right above a kosher butcher, with a Jewish social club a few doors away. Years later, after I’d written my book A Brilliant Life about my late mother Mira, I appeared at a Sydney Jewish writers festival in a building that opens up to the beach itself, and only steps away from the park where the Chanukah event was held. (more…)