What’s so Special about Jewish Preschool?
As I was finishing up shopping at a department store recently, I heard a squeaky voice belting out “Shabbat Shalom.” No, it was not Friday – it was midweek, and I was curious as...
The real lesson of Tisha B’Av
Tisha B’Av, the fast day that commemorates the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, comes this year at a particularly fraught moment for the Jewish people. The only surviving architectural element of the...
Have we learned the lesson of Tisha B’Av?
According the Talmud, the main reason for the destruction of the second Holy Temple was baseless hatred. As the Tosefta (additional commentaries) at the end of Tractate Menachot explain, this tragedy befell the Jewish people because...
10 calamities that took place on the Jewish fast day of Tisha B’Av
Judaism is mainly a religion of rejoicing and, but occasionally there are sad days too. Monday night sees the start of the saddest day of the Jewish calendar, known in Hebrew as Tisha B'Av...
180 Jewish fathers to visit Israel in adult ‘Birthright” trip
Some 180 Jewish fathers from around the world will follow in their wives’ footsteps on an exclusive “MoMENtum” journey to Israel.
The trip will take place between August 7-13, in coordination with the Jewish Women’s...
What is Tisha B’Av?
Tisha B’Av, the 9th day of the month of Av (Jul. 31 - Aug. 1, 2017), is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, on which we fast, deprive ourselves and pray. It is the culmination...
Asenath Barzani: Remarkable Hebrew scholar
Can you fathom a young Kurdish Jewish woman in 17th century Iraq who for years served as rosh yeshivah in Mosul and as leader of the Jewish community?
Asenath Barzani was the daughter of Rabi...
Tisha Be’Av: A Failed Holiday?
The year 403 BCE was momentous for the city-state of Athens. In the previous years, a bloody civil war had devastated the city and caused it to fall under the yoke of its arch-rival,...
‘I’ve always been seen by other people as Jewish’
My experience of comedians is that they’re rarely funny to meet. I’ve interviewed Ben Stiller, Bobcat Goldthwait, Ricky Gervais, Rob Schneider, Robin Williams and Woody Allen, and they were all interesting, intelligent individuals, but...
Jewish ‘Sopranos’ actress announces pregnancy, says she discovered the news after trip to Israel
Former “Sopranos” star Jamie-Lynn Sigler announced on Tuesday on Instagram that she was pregnant with her second child.
The Jewish actress — her father is of Greek and Romanian Jewish descent and her mother converted...