Why I Continue Sharing My Jewish Voice At Patheos

Last updated on: August 7, 2026 at 10:50 pm by Susan P Lax

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Why I Continue Sharing My Jewish Voice At Patheos 2026-08-07T22:50:46-04:00 Susan P Lax

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Why I Continue Sharing My Jewish Voice at Patheos

The Question People Continue to Ask Me

I have often been asked why I choose to share my Jewish, Israeli voice on an interfaith platform where many of the readers are Christian. In the world before October 7, my answer was simple. My hope was to share words of inspiration, reflection and moments of joy. I believed then, and I continue to believe, that joy is a universal language, a longing shared by all humanity. Patheos became an unexpected home, a place where I discovered that faith could unite rather than divide. But the world after October 7 was different. Not only around me, but within me. The joyful moments never disappeared. What changed was my ability to write from them.

When My Writing Changed

I found myself writing more about the horrors of October 7, the desperate fight to bring the hostages home, and the reality of tragic loss on both sides of the war. Slowly, the tone of my writing began to change. It became more political than inspirational. Even then, my heart searched hard for anchors of hope. As antisemitism rose and hostility toward Israelis grew, I found myself writing less about spiritual, joyful moments that had once been the essence of my work.I began to wonder if I had drifted from the original purpose that brought me to Patheos. The light in my writing hadn’t gone out, it had simply become more difficult for me to find.

Pen on Notebookwith written words

A Writer’s Moments-Photo Susan P. Lax

“Joy lives in the moment. It asks no questions about tomorrow. It celebrates the power of now.”

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

I Was Reminded Where I Began. I received a lovely e-mail from a Patheos team member. His words were compassionate and gently persuasive. He shared that my writing had been missed and that he hoped I would return to Patheos. My heart internalized his words, as I was enjoying a unique grandparent-granddaughter post-Bat Mitzvah trip. One filled with enormous joy and gratitude. The combination of his words and our time together reminded my soul that although my purpose at Patheos had slightly drifted, it was returning with a new beginning. One with a bit more scars, yet a stronger yearning to connect with all faiths in the everlasting pursuit of peace, compassion and moments of spiritual inspiration. In every moment there is an opportunity to begin again

Why Do I Continue?

So why am I continuing to share my Jewish, Israeli voice here at Patheos? Because at the center of my soul I believe that we all have a common yearning for good, love and joy. That hope is born and held across all faiths.My Judaism has defined much of how I see the world: striving to make it a better and more peaceful one. My Israeli identity inspires me to build bridges from one heart to another. And if I allow hatred to silence my love for writing, then I will have given in to the very darkness I have strived to overcome. I will continue to write and bring my perspective about the realities that matter to me. But I will also continue to share with you moments of inspiration, the wonder of a sunset and words that remind us to breathe a little easier. Joy helps us to hold onto our humanity, and perhaps that is the purpose of my column: “One Moment of Joy” And it is here that I hope we will continue to meet.

I invite you to join me on Substack for more reflections at:After Morning Thoughts

About Susan P. Lax

When one of Susan’s closest friends was fighting cancer and had to focus on trying to heal, they didn’t speak as often as they once did. To make sure Stephanie knew that Susan was always thinking of her each day, Susan emailed her friend a healing, positive thought first thing in the morning. Slowly, Susan discovered an ability to translate her heart words into written ones and more and more people began to receive Susan’s “Morning Inspiration” which is from where her book, A HEART’S LANDSCAPE, derived. Right now, especially with all happening in the world, Susan offers deep reminders with words and warm visuals – to take a moment and just pause – get away from the inundation and put the chaos away. Susan’s heart words and inspiring visuals guide readers to take a moment and escape all adversity and focus on carving out one joyful moment with the hope that it will lead to other good moments. You can read more about the author here.

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