Content on Memory
Memory, Mourning and Strength
Memory is not about simply recalling difficult times. It’s about using those memories to influence the present and future.
The Good Old Days Weren’t Always Good
Nostalgia can do strange things to our minds.
Maimonides On the Garden of Eden
The crucial and central question for every society, Maimonides believed, was how it could use the imagination to ensure both its own long-term survival and also its commitment to justice.
When the Past is the Present
Our present selves don’t exist in a vacuum; we impact (and are impacted by) all those who came before and after us.
Remembering Alan Mitelman z”l
Alan Mitelman z”l, father of Sinai and Synapses’ Founding Director Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman and friend and supporter of the organization, passed away on Saturday, April 29, 2023. May Alan’s memory always be for a blessing.
Re-Enacting and Remembering
When we recount the Haggadah through the symbolic actions of Pesach-matzah-maror, we are not simply recalling a historical event, but are engaging in a process of self-perfection, striving toward human wholeness, and experiencing divine spirituality.
Habits and Awareness: A Neuroscientist’s Perspective
Are humans on autopilot, relying on habits to navigate the world, or are we fully in control of our lives, actively deciding who we are and who we want to be?
The Visual Versus the Verbal
Similar to the Dall-E prompts, we can choose our words, but once ideas are out in the world, the things we see and hear are outside of our control.
Finding a Communal Story: A Conversation With Robyn Fivush, PhD
How does our collective story influence our memory – and how we adapt to the future?
Where Were You When…?
What’s so powerful about stories is that we can help edit or recontextualize them, especially if the events themselves were challenging at the time.
Yizkor, Passover and Autobiographical Memory
How are memory’s weaknesses actually its strengths, and how can we embrace them?
What Does Memory Look Like?
As Pesach approaches, what actually happens when you remember?
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