Linda K. Wertheimer

Cognoscenti contributor

Linda K. Wertheimer is the author of "Faith Ed: Teaching About Religion In An Age of Intolerance" and has given talks around the country on the power of education to combat religious bigotry. She is a former education editor of The Boston Globe.

Recently published

The author's son, Simon Mintz, practices driving. (Courtesy Linda K. Wertheimer)

My brother died in a car accident decades ago. Now I’m teaching my son to drive

Kevin’s death forever scarred my parents, my surviving older brother and me, writes Linda K. Wertheimer. I’m determined not to pass on that scar to my son.

Cognoscenti

Feb 20, 2024

Two visitors walks past trees decorated with Christmas lights at Holiday Road light show in Calabasas, Calif., Friday, Dec. 10. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

This isn't 'our' holiday season

Let's use education, not false seasons or Christmas trees, to unite us, writes Linda K. Wertheimer.

Cognoscenti

Dec 20, 2021

The author's son during his Zoom bar mitzvah, in the family's living room. (Courtesy).

As My Son Came Of Age, He Taught Me: ‘Embrace What Is Possible’

Writer Linda K. Wertheimer had been imagining her son's bar mitzvah in their temple since he'd been a baby. Then the pandemic hit.

Cognoscenti

Apr 14, 2021

The author; her husband, Pavlik; and their son, Simon. (Mira Whiting)

Our School District Gave Us A Choice: Remote Learning Or Part-Time In School. Here’s How We Decided

Lexington parents have to decide whether their children will attend school in person this coming year. Linda K. Wertheimer describes how she and her husband made the difficult decision.

Cognoscenti

Jul 15, 2020

In this Thursday, April 9, 2020 photo a synagogue in Sarajevo, Bosnia, is deserted as worshipers stay away due to the national lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus. (Kemal Softic/AP)

Houses Of Worship May Be Reopening, But I'll Continue To Pray At Home. Where It's Safe

Praying online is not the ideal, but don’t we all have a moral obligation to protect the health of each other? Worship, even by Zoom, can still nourish our souls,...

Cognoscenti

May 19, 2020

President Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House Wednesday. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Your Religion Doesn't Dictate Your Political Party In America

Linda Wertheimer experienced the pain of anti-Semitism as a child. In her town and school, being Christian was equal to being an American.

Cognoscenti

Aug 22, 2019

A couple embrace near a growing memorial across the street from the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, Calif., on Monday,, April 29, 2019. (Greg Bull/AP)

Mourning The Dead — And The Loss Of Our Refuge

Whether we are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Sikh or of another faith, we may never look at our houses of worship as true sanctuaries again, writes Linda K. Wertheimer.

Cognoscenti

02:35May 3, 2019

Students pay their respects to Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, one of 11 people killed while worshipping at the Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday Oct. 27, 2018. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

What Do We Tell Our Jewish Children About The Pittsburgh Shootings?

“It could happen anywhere anytime, but it’s rare,” Linda K. Wertheimer told her son. “You do not need to be afraid.”

Cognoscenti

Oct 31, 2018

Meeting The World Around My Mother's Table

We added extra leaves to our dining room table, and for at least nine months a year, these students from all over the world gave our predominantly white and Christian...

Cognoscenti

Apr 11, 2017

Volunteering As 'Hanukkah Parents' Lets Schools Off The Hook

Author Linda Wertheimer told the Hanukkah story and helped her son and his classmates decorate wooden dreidels -- until she spent years researching how schools should teach religion.

Cognoscenti

Dec 21, 2016