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Holidays
Dayenu – Another new poem for Passover
Rick Lupert - 0
If God had only brought us out from Egypt
it would have been enough.
If we had not come so far in our efforts
to break the...
Mah Nishtanah – A new poem for Passover
Rick Lupert - 0
Why is this night different from all other nights?
I’ve always read this as Why
and always knew the answer had
something to do with being free.
But...
My First Hanukkah
Rick Lupert - 0
I remember my first Hanukkah.
I was seven years old and
my mother walked into the bathroom with
a Charlie Brown toothbrush and said
This is your Hanukkah...
Ode to the Potato Pancake
Rick Lupert - 0
Oh God, my God
of all the gifts You have given me
the potato pancake rises above
all my cherished possessions.
We are a people of the lasting...
Moonshine – Passover Thought 2021
Moonshine – Passover Thought 2021 (adapted from prior years)
Our Seder plans, recipes, programs and the conducting of the Seder can be complex, especially in...
These New Haggadah Options Will Spice Up Your Seder
The pandemic has altered the experience of the Passover Seder, but one thing hasn’t changed: It’s a golden age for creative Haggadahs.
Haggadot.com Offers Expert Advice as Second Pandemic Passover Approaches
As a second pandemic Passover holiday approaches, Haggadot.com knows there is a dramatically-increased interest in creating innovative Jewish ritual at home.
HSM Series’ Julia Lester, Larry Saperstein Perform Classics for Disney+ Holiday Special
We’re all in this together this holiday season because Disney+ is gifting us with a Hanukkah “High School Musical" crossover.
The Gift of a Poem for Hanukkah
Lacking the funds for Hanukkah gifts, I wrote a two-page poem for my children.
15 Last-Minute Hanukkah 2020 Gift Ideas
The kick-off of Hanukkah 2020 is less than a week away. In turn, below are 15 brands with interesting products worth looking into –...
‘Hamilton’s’ Daveed Diggs Writes a Hanukkah Song About Puppies for Disney Channel
Tony and Grammy award-winner Daveed Diggs, known for his roles as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, in the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” released...
Theology of Thanksgiving: Whom Shall We Thank?
We must give up either Divine power or Divine goodness.
What Happens to Us When Too Much Is Happening?
With this state of high anxiety sure to rise even further in the coming weeks and months, how can we keep our balance and sanity in the midst of the storm?
The Significance of Aesthetics in Judaism: Sukkot, 5781
May this Sukkot be a time of joy for all of us, and may the sheer beauty of this holiday enable us to feel that joy.
AJU’S Brandeis-Bardin Campus Provides Weekend Getaways for Sukkot
As Jews continue to navigate celebrating the holidays, American Jewish University (AJU) is creating unique, family-friendly, socially distanced getaways.
What Does it Mean to Have a Deeper Yom Kippur?
Rosh Hashanah begins the work. Yom Kippur seals it. But only if you are willing to go deep.
IKAR’s Yizkor Memorial Garden: A Space for Memory and Community Connection
This year, as with everything relating to the High Holy Days in the era of COVID-19, the space that IKAR carves out for grief had to be rethought.
Discovering Communities During Rosh Hashanah
Community. We talk so much about it: the meaning of community; why it is needed; what it means to belong to a community; what...
Israelis Brace for High Holy Days in Shadow of Second Lockdown
The Ministry of Health says 5,238 new cases have been confirmed between Thursday and Friday, setting yet another negative record. Restriction on movement is somewhat relaxed from 500 yards from one's home to 1,000 yards.
How High Holy Day Services and Arrival of 5781 Are Going to Look Across America
Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, synagogues nationwide have drastically adjusted their holiday programming to minimize congregant interactions and time spent in one area. Still, the point, say rabbis, is to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, in whatever form that looks like.
A Tale of Two High Holy Days: Why Orthodox Jews Are Going to Synagogue While Everyone Else Is on Zoom
(JTA) – At the Jewish Center on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, this year’s High Holy Days will be anything but normal.
With eight services happening...
The Orchestra: Thoughts on the Last Shabbat of 5780
I have experienced a much-divided self lately as I have been thinking about the sovereignty of the Divine, the core theme of Rosh Hashanah....
What This Tisha B’Av Meant for Me: My Temple is in Trouble
Paul Starr - 0
Next Tisha B’Av may be different. We may be commemorating the loss of something much more meaningful.
Ukraine to Let in at Least 5,000 Uman Pilgrims for Rosh Hashanah Chief Rabbi Says
The quota may rise as high as 8,000, but the pilgrims will have to wear face masks in crowded places and refrain from gatherings of more than 30 people.
Tisha B’Av and the Enormous Pain that Still Exists in the World
Tisha b'Av for me has been about the enormous suffering that still exists in the world, the billions whose lives are food insecure, sanitation-less, healthcare bereft, and whose cultures are threatened because poverty has forced them into exile.
Tisha B’Av 5780: Understanding How Much We Cannot Understand
Doni Cohen - 0
This year, we sit on the curbs of our sidewalks, on the streets of our land, instead of on the floors of our synagogues, as we remember Zion.
When Tears Turn to Laughter
Photo-journalist Ruth Gruber made me laugh. Maybe I shouldn’t be laughing on Tisha b’Av, I thought.
Stay Up During Shavuot By Attending the Overnight DAWN Festival
The tradition of staying up all night on Shavuot to study Torah (Tikkun leil Shavuot) is getting a multi-track makeover this year with the...
Table for Five: Shavuot Special Issue
One verse, five voices. Edited by Salvador Litvak, the Accidental Talmudist
Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on...
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