Leaning in: The Jewish Letters Project

Leaning in: The Jewish Letters Project

By Dr. Lesley Simpson

I was invited to give a keynote chat at Central Synagogue in New York about Jewish wisdom letters, sometimes called ethical wills, earlier this year. These letters are part of an extraordinary tradition not well known in the Diaspora.

I am a new member of Holy Blossom and the founder of L’chaim: The Jewish Letters Project, an online newsletter on  Substack.  I publish letters twice a month. In these letters, Jews share what has made their lives meaningful. The letters are as varied as the people who write them. Launched in 2024, L’chaim: The Jewish Letters Project highlights examples from the 12th century to the present day, across multiple platforms ranging from videos to comics and handwritten letters.

Central Synagogue asked me to design a one-hour workshop that was both an introduction to the repository as well as a writing workshop. My presentation included a video about a woman who carries the letter her late father wrote because she can “hear his voice and feel his presence.”  I included a video of a mother, father and grandmother in Israel reading the letter from their late 22-year-old son and grandson, who quoted the prophet Isaiah’s conclusion that Jerusalem would require protection. I am grateful to the generosity of anyone who makes a letter public because it gives us all a chance to hear the voices of those who are no longer physically here.

In the class in Manhattan, one woman shared a story that her late father wrote a list of all the qualities he loved about his daughter. He later developed Alzheimer’s disease. She keeps the list framed on her desk at work.

You can watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/iitEhNWiY6A

I am a former journalist and published children’s book author.  I did my PhD about this tradition because I developed a serious case of what I call radical Jewish curiosity. As HB’s executive director, Rachel Malach said,  it feels good when, as Jews, we work together to make each other stronger. Rabbi Yael Splansky suggested that in dark times, we lean into our Jewish tradition. For myself, this leaning in has been profound.

It is my dream to create a new collection of letters, one that will include Mizrachi and Sephardic Jews, black Jews and Jews by choice from around the world.  I invited everyone at Central Synagogue to subscribe, and I am issuing the same invitation to Holy Blossom. Just click on the link below and hit subscribe. You can share this invitation with family, friends or colleagues anywhere in the world without a fee. Thank you for helping me illuminate this remarkable tradition that belongs to us all. I call L’chaim, The Jewish Letters Project, my flashlight during a dark time.

Dr. Lesley Simpson
jewishlettersproject.substack.com