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Lifecycles

American-style retirement for Israel’s seniors

Although old-age homes have always existed in Israel for those who cannot care for themselves, it is only in recent years that the American idea of retiring to a comfortable community of seniors has taken off here.

Finding My Own Way

\”Religion is for stupid people,\” my father observes. \”Didn\’t I tell you that?\”
\”You did,\” I say. \”Lots of times.\”

Jews in the Military: High Holidays Under Fire

Here are the stories of these American servicemen who observed the High Holidays not in conventional synagogues, but on far-flung battlefields. The worship services they participated in were often improvised and incomplete. But the jarring juxtaposition of war and prayer, faith and fear, continues to resonate with these men.

How to Be Jewish 101

There are more than 3,000 synagogues in America. Why do some of them struggle week after week to make a minyan, while others are bustling with energy, song and laughter?

Bring the Day

There are times when I stand under a chuppah to officiate at a wedding that a wave of melancholy washes over me — a feeling quite out of place when surrounded by lilies and lace. The ceremony is so hopeful and beautiful. But I can\’t help but be reminded that the future is unscripted and there are so many troublesome variables.

Can Artwork Mend Fences?

\”Sovereign Threads: A History of Palestinian Embroidery\”. \”Threads\” offered a different window into the region: a rare opportunity to view Palestinian embroidery, considered among the finest in the world, in what is perhaps the first show of its kind in Los Angeles.

Former Actor Takes Rabbi Role at Motion Picture Home

Before Arthur Rosenberg became a rabbi he played one on TV. He starred as an Orthodox rabbi on \”Chicago Hope\” and as a Reform rabbi on \”The District,\” in addition to playing doctors, lawyers and police chiefs on shows like \”Knots Landing,\” \”Beverly Hills, 90210\” and \”The X-Files.\” But now Rosenberg, 60, has moved on to a new role — the first staff rabbi hired by the Motion Picture and Television Fund\’s Wasserman Campus in its 58-year history.

Finding Tools That Give Life Meaning

Accepting life\’s ambiguity has gotten me through a lot over the years, particularly this year, as the extremes of experience challenge any vestiges of hope I have held for things to have predictable outcomes. Say what you will about Katrina and cancer, they can be excellent teachers.

Not a Minute’s Rest for Min the Dynamo

Minerva \”Min\” Leonard doesn\’t have time for breakfast. She\’s too busy shopping for ingredients and preparing a salad bar luncheon for 80 people at Adat Ari El Sisterhood\’s weekly Multi-Interest Day. Or making 10 lokshen kugels for her friend\’s daughter\’s bat mitzvah. Or baking \”I can\’t even begin to tell you how many\” batches of cranberry and chocolate-chip mandelbread to bestow on friends, neighbors and an appreciative Jewish Journal reporter.

Substance Abuse a Senior Problem, Too

When Amy Kaplan heard about Betty (not her real name), a Jewish Family Service client in her early 70s who said she couldn\’t afford all of her medications, Kaplan suspected there was more to the story.

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Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.