Sarah Silverman is Jewish?

OK, just kidding about that. But who knew her older sister is a rabbi on a kibbutz in Israel? I guess you would if you remember Sarah's debut joke on "Saturday Night Live" back in the day: "My sister Susie got married and they took each other's names, you know? So now she's Susan Silverman-Abramowitz. But they're thinking of shortening it to just 'Jews.'" Anyway, the latest issue of the Jewish Journal runs a piece from proud big sis, who talks about God in connection with Sarah's shows even though she notes that Sarah talks dirtier than girls at a bat mitzvah.

Last week, when my sister Sarah Silverman performed in Manhattan at Carnegie Hall, I opened my eyes every hour or two, and counted backwards. The last time I woke it was 2 a.m. Hmmm... 7 p.m. in New York. She must be doing a sound check. Or maybe getting dressed. I could picture her outfit, because before I went to bed we spoke on the phone, and she e-mailed me a picture. Did I think it was too casual?...As I slept in the desert, my baby sister was on a stage. Such distance. Such contrast. Yet our connection to one another runs deep. For me, these are moments of God. Two seemingly opposing realities -- separation and intimacy -- co-existing, each fully.

There are many times each week that I think about what my three sisters are doing. I count backwards and imagine where they are at the moment. I'm on kitchen duty -- pulling clean plates off the dishwasher belt after dinner in the dining hall, stacking them as quickly as I can. Counting backwards 10 hours to Los Angeles. Maybe all three are having breakfast at Kings Road Cafe? Maybe Laura, an actress, and Sarah are on the set. Maybe Jodyne, a writer and producer, is at Starbucks, writing on her Mac laptop. I'm watching my preschoolers learning Israeli dances, my heart filled to bursting. Count back 10 hours ... 11 p.m. Maybe they're going to sleep. Maybe out with friends.

Also: The Jewish Journal now has a blogger in Paris, Shirli Sitbon, and may be close to launching a presidential campaign blog. In this issue, columnist Raphael J. Sonenshein analyzes the race.