Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Rebecca Stanfel
I have a ‘fat’ disease that doesn’t respond to diet or exercise. I hate that I still feel ashamed.
; ; ; ; Continue reading More for You Continue reading More for You
I Have A ‘Fat’ Disease That Doesn’t Respond To Diet Or Exercise. I Hate That I Still Feel Ashamed.
Rebecca Stanfel Thu, August 20, 2026 at 7:25 AM EDT 6 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Add Yahoo on Google The author was hospitalized many times for long periods of time for sarcoidosis. I was diagnosed a few months ago with a "fat disease." Writing that sentence brings me shame, as much as I tell myself it shouldn't. For years, I had negotiated a fragile peace with my body. Not love.
During Kol Nidre, a Shocking Reminder of My Mortality
Electricity coursed through me during Kol Nidre services last year. The shock caused me to convulse, cry out, and slam my head into the wall behind me. Although I wish I could have avoided the 36 joules that ran through me in an instant, I’ve come to realize there was no better time or place to be pierced out of my complacency. My defibrillator shocked me just as we finished reciting the Unetaneh Tokef, the liturgical poem (pikkyut) we say four times during High Holidays services.
Return of Temple Emanu-El in Helena has been 'productive, joyful and busy'
It’s been barely a year since the Montana Jewish Project reacquired historic Temple Emanu-El from the Catholic Diocese and returned it to Jewish ownership and use for the first time since 1935. We could not have reached this milestone without the support of so many of you in Helena and across Montana. Churches, community groups and over 2,000 small donors helped make our dream a reality.
Condemn antisemitism and the exclusion of Jewish voices Montana
Dear Majority Leader Vinton: Many people (Jewish, Christian, and those of other or no faith) got in touch with the Montana Jewish Project (MJP) last week to express their dismay and anger that representative and Rabbi Ed Stafman was not allowed to lead the invocation prayer on the last day of the session, despite having been scheduled to do so on several occasions. Each time he was deferred, a Christian legislator was given this honor instead.
Condemn antisemitism and the exclusion of Jewish voices Montana
Dear Majority Leader Vinton: Many people (Jewish, Christian, and those of other or no faith) got in touch with the Montana Jewish Project (MJP) last week to express their dismay and anger that representative and Rabbi Ed Stafman was not allowed to lead the invocation prayer on the last day of the session, despite having been scheduled to do so on several occasions. Each time he was deferred, a Christian legislator was given this honor instead.
Condemn antisemitism and the exclusion of Jewish voices Montana
Dear Majority Leader Vinton: Many people (Jewish, Christian, and those of other or no faith) got in touch with the Montana Jewish Project (MJP) last week to express their dismay and anger that representative and Rabbi Ed Stafman was not allowed to lead the invocation prayer on the last day of the session, despite having been scheduled to do so on several occasions. Each time he was deferred, a Christian legislator was given this honor instead.
Living with sarcoidosis: Virtual roundtable dialogue with patients and healthcare professionals
Background Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease, characterised by the infiltration of various organs by non-necrotising granulomas. The disease's heterogeneity complicates the study of patients' experiences. Objective To gather insight into life experiences, unmet needs and views on hypothetically emerging treatment options among patients living with sarcoidosis.
I Took Oxy And Fentanyl For Years. Here's What No One Is Telling You About The Opioid Crisis.
The author in the hospital in 2013 just before her high-dose chemotherapy began. I don’t like to talk about it. During the opioid epidemic, in order to survive, I needed high doses of these medications that were killing hundreds of thousands of people. I have a rare disease called sarcoidosis. For 12 long years, it attacked parts of my brain, causing episodes of total blindness and vertigo so intense I would fall over when I got out of bed. Far worse was the pain it unleashed in my head.
Reclaiming Montana's first synagogue
The Montana Jewish Project (MJP), a Helena-based, all-volunteer-led non-profit organization has been working for the past 15 months to reacquire Montana's oldest synagogue and return it to Jewish use for the first time since 1935. Montana was once home to thriving Jewish communities who played a significant role in the history and growth of the Treasure State.
Montana May Be the Last Place You’d Expect a Spiritual Seeker to Find Judaism. You’d Be Wrong.
Montana may be the last place you’d expect a spiritual seeker to find Judaism. But it was here in Helena, the state capital, that I found a Jewish community that fit me. And it was here, in this unlikely outpost, that I finally converted to Judaism, completing a journey that had lasted more than three decades. In 1995, in Berkeley, Calif., I met my future husband. I was a religious seeker, and Jay, who had been raised an observant Conservative Jew, introduced me to the best of Judaism.
I Won't Be Taking My Mask Off - But Not For Any Of The Reasons You've Probably Heard
The author, one of the more than 10 million Americans who are immunocompromised and at a higher risk of getting COVID-19. (Photo: Courtesy of Rebecca Stanfel) I’ve been telling a lot of my friends no these days. No to celebrations that signal an end to COVID-19 restrictions. No to lunch at a restaurant. No to meeting for a beer. No to dinner parties. No to hugs. It’s been a lonely pandemic for me, and I would love to accept all their offers.
Perspective | This pandemic seems to have no end. But years living with sarcoidosis has taught me we can get through this.
The last year has brought what seems like a lifetime of deprivation to many suffering through the pandemic. A year can feel like an eternity. But I’m living with a different sense of time. For me, a year is just not that long. For the past 17 years, I’ve been living with a chronic and potentially lethal inflammatory disease called sarcoidosis. When I was diagnosed, my 3-month old baby was out in the waiting room with my parents. Andrew is a junior in high school now.
High Country News
Rebels with a Lost Cause The fiercely conservative lawyers of the Sagebrush Rebellion continue to fight against environmental regulations, but despite all their sound and fury, very little has changed on the public lands.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Rebecca
Contact Rebecca, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack