The Passover seder and the plague of loneliness
Passover means a lot of things to a lot of people. It is the Jewish Thanksgiving, bringing together extended family for an unrivaled feast and lively discussion. It is a forum for sharing and...
New Haggadah promises Passover seder that isn’t as ‘dull as matzah’
The Jewish nonprofit JewBelong, known for its blunt and pink billboards, released a free, downloadable Passover Haggadah that contains a “blessing for anyone who isn’t Jewish” and the “10 plagues of antisemitism.”
The 40-page booklet follows the traditional...
From one coast to the other: It’s Passover ‘to go’
My head is spinning. A Passover seder meal totally planned and nearly completely prepared on the East Coast and then flown to the West?
For Gloria and Bob Spitz, it’s no big deal. Gloria says,...
Purim, the Oscars and dying to fit in
Purim celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish nation from the genocidal decree that was enacted by the Persian King Achashverosh through the dastardly machinations of his wicked advisor Haman. Haman’s plan called for the...
‘We need the joy’: Jews around the world gear up for Purim despite the...
More than 2,000 years ago, when the Jews of Persia triumphed over an existential threat, they celebrated by proclaiming a holiday: They gave charity, the Scroll of Esther recounts, sent each other presents of...
Jews must tell their own stories in all their complexity
When I was a child, my grandmother called me her “little shiksa.” In Yiddish, shiksa means a non-Jewish woman. This was meant as a compliment. My grandmother was a glamorous woman who knew a thing or two...
Centenarian Holocaust survivors meet in London
In an emotional encounter, two 100-year-old Holocaust survivors met last week in London, retracing their harrowing journeys through life.
Germany-born Kindertransport survivor Walter Bingham, who holds the Guinness Book of World Records title for the world’s...
Curaçao or bust: A destination bat mitzvah scheduled for Israel goes Caribbean
When the Hamas terrorist attacks occurred in Israel on Oct. 7 and war immediately broke out, the plans of hundreds of b’nai mitzvah students worldwide intent on traveling to Israel to celebrate their major...
Foundation to Combat Antisemitism buys 30-second Super Bowl ad
The man who helped Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. write the “I Have a Dream” speech will appear in a Super Bowl commercial from the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS).
The organization, founded by New England Patriots...
Judaism is not a state of mind
Writer Jennifer Cox recently published an article about her decision to raise her family Jewish despite the outpouring of antisemitism since Oct. 7. The piece outlines many of the choices she and her husband have made...