Vanessa L. Ochs is the Ida and Nathan Kolodiz Director of Jewish Studies and associate professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia. A recipient of a fellowship in creative writing from the National Endowment of the Arts, she is author of several books and co-editor, with Rabbi Irwin Kula, of The Book of Jewish Sacred Practices: CLAL’s Guide to Everyday & Holiday Rituals & Blessings (Jewish Lights).