As we say our goodbyes to 2012, Kveller is looking back on our year here on Raising Kvell. We’ve covered quite a lot these past 12 months, and the following posts got you guys clicking the most. Join us as we count down the the top 10 most popular posts of 2012, and be sure to check out Mayim Bialik’s most popular posts over on her blog. Drumroll please…
10. How to Lose the Chip on Your Shoulder During Christmas, by Nina Badzin
In an effort to embrace the Christmas season, Nina Badzin broke down the top 10 ways to “hug it out with Christmas already and teach our kids to do the same.”
9. Why Being Orthodox Didn’t Work For Us, by Yael Armstrong
Yael Armstrong shared her unique journey into and out of strict Orthodoxy during which she learned that “God’s path looks different to each person who walks it.”
8. A Letter To My Daughter About Fighting Back, by Sarah Tuttle-Singer
Sarah Emily Tuttle-Singer wrote a deeply personal letter to her young daughter about finding her way out of an abusive relationship. “Don’t be dependent on how others treat you. You are strong, and brave, and wonderful, and kind,” she advised her daughter.
7. Actually, I am Jewish, Even if You Don’t Agree, by Carla Naumburg
Searching for answers to her own genealogy Carla Naumburg tackled the question, “Who is a Jew?”
6. The Killing at the Pittsburgh Zoo, by Tamara Reese
In the wake of the horrible accident in Pittsburgh, Tamara Reese considered, “Helplessness is just one of the many feelings that linger in the back of a mother’s mind waiting to consume us on days like today–when we hug our babies and pray for that mother at the zoo who can never again hug hers.”
5. The School Shooting in Connecticut – A Parent’s Reflection, by Jordana Horn
As details were only beginning to unfold surrounding the horror in Newtown, Connecticut, Jordana Horn wrote that children “should be able to leave the safe haven of their parents’ arms without fear.”
4. Our Family Nudity Policy, or Lack Thereof, by Alina Adams
Alina Adams boldly proclaimed, “If either my husband or I are in the shower and a kid’s got to go–the kid’s got to go, everyone’s modesty be damned,” in this reflection on her family’s nudity policy.
3. Not All Jews Look Like Barbara Streisand, by Erika Davis
Erika K. Davis clarified that the Jewish norm is no longer so definable, explaining, “I’m a 32-year-old black, lesbian Jewish woman madly in love with an Ashkenazi Jewish woman from Texas.”
2. My Jewish Abortion, by Sarah Tuttle-Singer
Sarah Emily Tuttle-Singer recounted realizing, “I wasn’t the first–nor would I be the last–knocked up Nice Jewish Girl,” and explained how she received support in coping with her abortion.
1. Aly Raisman: Our Golden Jewish Gymnast, by Jordana Horn
Jordana Horn‘s kvelling over Aly Raisman’s Olympic success fittingly comes in as the year’s most popular post. “I couldn’t kvell more if you were my own kid. Thank you so much, Aly, for being an amazing example for our children and for the world,” she wrote.
