#Judaism
News | Israel & The Jewish Community
5780 in Review: A Year of Pain and Loss—and of Kindness and Community - The stories that helped define the year
As nearly every aspect of the world around us was changing in this year of global pandemic, Chabad.org/News worked to provide unique perspectives on the unfolding tragedy and unfathomable loss of life, while at the same time reporting on the outpourings of kindness and humanity from every part of the globe. With the Jewish year 5780 coming to a close, here is a look at some of the stories that defined it, as featured on Chabad.org/News.
Miscellaneous | Chabad
Rosh Hashanah to Begin Amid Pandemic With Global Prayers for a Good New Year
Chabad brings the sound of the shofar, and holiday’s message of hope and faith, to millions
Miscellaneous | Judaism
How I Will Celebrate Rosh Hashanah Alone? - High Holidays
I’m an older woman, living
alone. I'll be observing the holidays at home, by myself.
Miscellaneous | Chabad
High Holiday Services Directory - Find Outdoor Shofar Blowings, Services and More at a Synagogue or Park Near You
Celebrate the High Holidays among friends and connect with your inner self. From Alabama to Wisconsin, Abidjan to Zurich, join us and find your local High Holiday home.
Miscellaneous | Diaspora
Don’t Get Too Comfy in the Diaspora (Ki Tavo 2020)
Baruch Gordon quotes a commentary on the First Fruits offering which delivers a powerful message to Diaspora Jews today...
Advice & Self-Help | Jewish Wisdom
Are Body Piercings Kosher? - Questions & Answers
We often associate
piercings with tattoos, and we may wonder if they are equally forbidden.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Shofar Over the Internet During Elul? - Chabad
Due to the pandemic, I’m
currently unable to attend service. Can I fulfill this custom by listening to
the shofar over Zoom?
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Seven Thoughts About Elul to Help Us Turn Inward and Forgive - High Holidays
Welcome to the month of turning inward, the month of forgiveness, the month of spiritual accounting, the month of deepening.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Judaism: What Does ‘Eye for an Eye’ Really Mean?
Does Torah want us to poke out the eye of an eye-poker?
Politics | Opinion
Anti-Zionism is Antisemitism
From the blog of Ben Yeroushalmi at The Times of Israel
News | Israel & The Jewish Community
Jewish World Mourns Passing of Renowned Talmudic Scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
The late Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. Photo: steinsaltz-center.org. The Jewish world was in mourning on Friday following the death of Rabbi …
Miscellaneous | Jewish Life
18 Tisha B'Av Facts Every Jew Should Know
Tisha B’Av, the 9th day of Av, is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Preparing for Tisha B’Av During a World Pandemic - A 25-hour period of fasting and reflection begins on Wednesday night,
Every year, Jews around the world don non-leather shoes, and make their way to synagogues and Chabad centers for evening services, followed by the mournful reading of Eichah (the book of Lamentations), the slim volume in which the prophet Jeremiah mourns the impending destruction
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Why a Mezuzah Is Not a Mezuzah
If not for the scrolls, there would be no reason for plain old doorposts...
News | Jewish Community
What Sigmund Freud Knew (But Did Not Understand) About Jews - Essentials
Sigmund Freud, the “father of psychology,” was secular in his professed beliefs and practices. Here is one deeply spiritual insight he knew but did not quite understand.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
How Two-and-a-Half Tribes Ended Up East of the Jordan - Jewish History
Learn how Moses gave the land east of the Jordan to Reuben, Gad, and half of Manassah, on one condition.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Learn the Shabbat Law of the Week - Chabad Lubavitch
Official homepage for worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch movement that promotes Judaism and provides daily Torah lectures and Jewish insights. Chabad-Lubavitch is a philosophy, a movement, and an organization. Chabad is considered to be the most dynamic force in
Miscellaneous | Jewish Life
Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News: EoZTV: Jonathan Neumann on “Tikkun Olam”
.My latest EoZTV interview is with Jonathan Neumann, author of To Heal the World?: How the Jewish Left Corrupts Judaism and Endangers Israel.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Rabbis Agree: Kneel Before No one Except God
In response to the situation, Rabbi Jeremy Gimpel, co-founder of the Land of Israel Network, quoted former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Shavuot in the Age of Corona
On Shavuot morning, 3,332 years ago, Heaven kissed Earth, and G‑d communicated the 10 Commandments upon Mount Sinai. Every year we relive that experience when we stay up all night and then read of this event from the Torah during Shavuot morning services.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
May I Order a Shabbat Delivery? - And what to do with packages that arrive - Shabbat
In general, if a Jew is forbidden to do a certain act on Shabbat, it is also rabbinically forbidden for him to ask a non-Jew to do so on his behalf (unless there are specific extenuating circumstances, such as illness, etc.).
News | Israel & The Jewish Community
Shavuot: The holiday that started it all. | Jlife
Most people get excited, or at least know about, the festivals of Passover and Sukkot. GREAT NEWS: there are three Jewish festivals! And the third one is, in many ways, the one that started it all: Shavuot.
News | Israel & The Jewish Community
Holy Jewish site of Esther and Mordechai set ablaze in Iran - reports - The Jerusalem Post
'Disturbing reports from Iran that the tomb of Esther & Mordechai, a holy Jewish site, was set afire overnight,' ADL National Director Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
What Is Kabbalah? - The Soul of Judaism - Essentials
If this is a secret wisdom, why are we teaching it?
Miscellaneous | Judaism
11 Common Shabbat Myths and Misconceptions - Shabbat
Myths and misconceptions have developed around this holy day. Ready to take a good look at them and
set the record straight? Let’s go!
Miscellaneous | Judaism
4 Spirit Boosters for the Corona Fiscal Blues
I feel rather depressed. I’m not doing anything important and have not yet found another job. But most of all, I miss having a sense of purpose and identity.
Miscellaneous | Chabad
Decades Before Zoom, The Rebbe Used Interactive Video to Connect the World
In 1989, the “Chanukah Live” program showed that satellite technology can advance connectedness, peace and unity
Miscellaneous | Passover
The Largest Seder Ever - Sometimes it takes a three-year-old to alert you.
“Ven der tatte kumt a heim fuhn shul... When Father comes back from shul, he quickly makes kiddush before the children get sleepy, so they can ask the Mah Nishtanah”
Miscellaneous | Passover
How Does a Jew Do a Seder Alone?
Is the Haggadah really meant to be read this way? Maybe…
Miscellaneous | Chabad
‘Spiritual Education’ Details the Rebbe’s Transformational Educational Philosophy
The 11th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, corresponding this year to Sunday, April 5, marks the birth of the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory.
Miscellaneous | Chabad
Jewish and Chassidic Perspectives on the Coronavirus - Torah Classes - Video
What does Judaism say about a pandemic? What have the great Jewish sages and mystics taught throughout the ages, and what insight can we glean for our times?
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Chabad: Coronavirus Resources & Inspiration - Insight & Commentary
No matter where we may live in this ever-shrinking world, almost everyone seems to be affected by coronavirus (COVID-19). As the days progress, the number of people impacted is increasing at an alarming rate with entire cities under quarantine.
News | JEWISH COMMUNITY
A Minyan in the Time of Social Distancing
Fifteen of us gathered loosely around a streetlight to pray for my late mother.
Advice & Self-Help | Jewish Wisdom
Jewish Responses to Epidemics Throughout History - Insight & Commentary
Let’s take a look at epidemics throughout history to gain some
insight into how Jews were affected and how leaders responded.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
10 Things You Can Do for People in Quarantine
Even now there are many things that we can safely do to help others.
News | Israel
Purim: Did Mordechai Act Foolishly?
Even if Haman thought he was a god, shouldn't Mordechai have bowed down to him rather than risk the lives of the entire Jewish people?
Advice & Self-Help | Jewish Wisdom
Jewish Wisdom: Religious? Not Me!
When I hear the word "religion," I instinctively cringe. My stomach turns. My hands become clammy. My throat dry. On occasion, I have been known to break out in hives. This tends to confuse people who know me as a Torah observant Jewish woman...
News | News
Jerusalem's best-kept secret comes in form of silent prayer
Did you know Jews pray on the Temple Mount? They do this discreetly, without provocations, and the custom is one
Miscellaneous | Chabad
"Operation Ron" - Thousands Of Secular Jews Don Tefillin Thanks To Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai
Thousands of secular Jews began putting on tefillin recently as part of "Operation Ron" - an initiative named after Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai "in honor"
Advice & Self-Help | Jewish Wisdom
10 Ways to Help an Especially Sensitive Child - Parenting
How can I help her become stronger so she can survive in a world that’s not always fair and tactful, and so that she’s not constantly suffering a maelstrom of emotion?
News | Jewish Community
My Journey From Pakistani Muslim to Jerusalemite Jew - Stories of Return
My parents were secular Muslims who respected their religion; we all prayed and observed the holidays and some of the fasts. I turned out to be the most religious of the four daughters
Miscellaneous | Chabad
Presidential Campaign Staffers ‘Caucus for Shabbat’ in Iowa
Amid divisive primary, Jewish campaign staffers get together over Shabbat dinner
History | History
How the Science of Racism Led to the Holocaust - The war against the divine image in man
Can the world survive on ethics devised by human reason? Well, we tried. It’s called the 20th century.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Judaism: Are You Really Planning to Bring Back those Animal Sacrifices?
I can see the experiential quality of it all: an ancient temple with heavenly music and mystical song; priests in flowing robes deep in meditation; mesmerizing, choreographed ritual. But why the barbecue?
Miscellaneous | Judaism
21 Talmud Facts Every Jew Should Know
The bulk of the Talmudic texts contain analysis of Biblical verses and Torah law, but it’s interspersed with everything from medical advice to stories, from folk sayings to fabric dying tips.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Why Did Non-Kosher Animals Become Jewish Names?
This seems strange, since the sages place great significance on a
person’s name.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Judaism: The Truth about Moshiach - Moshiach 101
Why is Moshiach so integral to the Jewish belief system? It would certainly be nice to see an end to global suffering, but that is a universal ideal. Why is that a principle of the Jewish faith?
Miscellaneous | Chabad
11 Treasures of the Chabad Library and the Stories They Tell
On Tevet 5, we celebrate the Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad - Ohel Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch and its position as the communal treasure for all who value the teachings and ideals of Chabad Chassidism.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
(Why) Must a Bar Mitzvah Boy Read From the Torah?
There is a prevalent custom for boys to read
the weekly Torah portion when they become a bar mitzvah. Here's why.
Miscellaneous | Diaspora
Fearing for his life, Jew secretly celebrates Hanukkah in enemy country
A Jew living in a hostile Arab country went out of his way to celebrate Hanukkah this week, despite the
News | JEWISH COMMUNITY
The Lesson Of Chanukah Is Deeply Relevant In 2019. Here’s Why.
The Jewish holiday of Chanukah — that’s properly spelled “Chanukah” and not “Hanukkah,” by the way — began last evening. At some point over the past century, as American Jewry grew in both rank and number and as a politically
Miscellaneous | Judaism
8 Old and New Chanukah Traditions!
Looking to expand beyond the bare-bones basics? Here are 8 deeply meaningful traditions
for you and your family to personalize.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
16 Menorah Facts Every Jew Should Know!
The word menorah is Hebrew for “lamp,” and generally refers to the eight-branched candelabra that we light on the Jewish holiday of Chanukah.
News | Israel & The Jewish Community
Elder Of Ziyon - Apparently, protecting Jews from antisemitism is now considered antisemitic
From the NYT (I am not going to fisk the article itself, which is biased towards BDS in unreal ways:)
Miscellaneous | Chabad
Steinsaltz Biography of the Rebbe a Hebrew-Language Best-Seller
The Steinsaltz Center in Jerusalem, the umbrella institution for the activities of Rabbi Adin Even-Israel (Steinsaltz), is a hub of publishing and disseminating Torah in multiple languages, especially Hebrew and English.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Why Add a Light Each Night of Chanukah?
There are two general reasons given in the Talmud1 for why we add a candle each night:
News | Jewish Community
Judaism, Jails and Justice: A Conversation With Judge Jack B. Weinstein
The 98-year-old federal jurist speaks about criminal justice, the Aleph Institute, and the Rebbe’s influence on his life and work
Advice & Self-Help | Jewish Wisdom
4 Strategies for More Meaningful Conversations - Editorial & Commentary
Studies show that social interactions, even if very brief, leave us feeling more satisfied and happy.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
New Video App Shows Children a Better World - Chabad.org/Kids continues to raise the bar for Jewish children’s media
The new Chabad.org video app for children will deliver technologically advanced features while including the hundreds of videos from JewishKids.org, packaging them in a feature-rich experience with an improved look and feel.
The new Chabad.org video app for children will deliver technologically advanced features while including the hundreds of videos from JewishKids.org, packaging them in a feature-rich experience with an improved look and feel.
Advice & Self-Help | Advice
6 Steps to Improving Your Relationship With Your Spouse - Love & Judaism
We have the ability to perceive any person and any situation in a positive way, if we choose to do so.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Why Is Eating Melaveh Malkah Important? - Shabbat
The sages in the Talmud tell us to “always set the table after Shabbat even to eat small amount of food." Here's why.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
25 Shabbat Facts Every Jew Should Know
Every week, for the 25 hours beginning just before sundown on Friday until after night has fallen on Saturday night, Jewish people celebrate Shabbat, a period of rest and spiritual rejuvenation.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
What Is Tikkun Olam? - What does Tikkun Olam mean, who came up with it, and how do I do it?
Tikkun Olam: In Jewish teachings, any activity that improves the world, bringing it closer to the harmonious state for which it was created.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
How (Not) to Fight Evil - Chapter 14 of Positivity Bias
How often do we wish we could be kinder and more loving? Who hasn’t wished that they could curb their impulses to satisfy momentary needs? Who doesn’t want their good deeds to outshine their selfish ones?
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Yes, I Am a Chassidic Feminist - Celebrating Jewish Womanhood
A perspective on the curse of Eve.
Miscellaneous | Judaism
Flying Rocks, Palm Fronds, And The Soul Of Sukkot
It’s 2019 and here we are, educated people, carrying around palm fronds and a citron while the rest of the world is busy being productive. What’s with the Jews and their stubborn insistence on living in a world of superstitions and anachronisms?
Miscellaneous | Judaism
7 Paradoxes About the Sukkah That Help Us Break Through Illusions
We depend on our touchstones: psychological security, a stable income, protection from crime. Clothing, food, warm shelter
Miscellaneous | Judaism
How Does Yom Kippur Work? - DIY Soul Repair - High Holidays
Only you can fix yourself. What does a particular day of the year have to offer?
History | History
Did Jews Ever Abandon the Temple Mount?
The claim that no Jewish temple ever existed in Jerusalem and that Jews have no rights whatsoever on the Temple Mount is part of the "temple denial" doctrine that has been increasingly internalized in Palestinian academic, religious, and political
News | Antisemitism
Caught on camera: Hasidic man violently attacked by four men in Brooklyn
It's terrifying how often antisemitic attacks are happening!
Family & Parenting | Jewish People
Why the Difference Between Men and Women in Jewish Prayer? - Israel Unwired
Share on FacebookTweet Whatsapp Boost this video to reach up to 1000 people
Family & Parenting | Jewish People
Men and Women in Jewish Prayer - Israel Unwired
Share on FacebookTweet Whatsapp Boost this video to reach up to 1000 people
News | Interesting Stories
As Holocaust awareness fades, a survivor shares his story - Los Angeles Times
Joseph Alexander, 96, a slight man with a Polish accent, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, spoke on a sunny Sunday to a rapt crowd of about 30 at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.
Miscellaneous | Islamism
A frightening look inside a children's camp in Turkey
So much for being the first Muslim majority country to recognize Israel.
Politics | Opinion
Judaism should not be used an ideological prop | JNS
Protesters using Tisha B’Av to call for the elimination of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security are doing more than using a misleading analogy.
Politics | Antisemitism
What's happening to European Jews better wake up America
These statistics are extremely unsettling.
Family & Parenting | Jewish People
The Muslim who Loves King David's Jerusalem more than the Jew - Israel Unwired
Share on FacebookTweet WhatsappIt might be hard to imagine, but in the following videos we meet a Muslim in Bahrain who is seemingly more connected to Jerusalem than the Israeli journalist who interviews him. While the journalist pushes the Muslim about v
News | News
Naomi Campbell Honors the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Again | Israellycool
Naomi Campbell has just posted the following on social media
Miscellaneous | Jewish Life
Supermodel Naomi Campbell Hearts the Lubavitcher Rebbe | Israellycool
I have even more respect for Naomi Campbell than I had before.
Family & Parenting | Jewish People
What just took place in a synagogue in Bahrain will blow you away
The nation of Israel lives!
News | News
Jonathan Sacks - Sages and Saints Naso 5779
Jonathan Sacks – Sages and Saints Naso 5779 Parshat Naso contains the law of the Nazirite – the individual who undertook to observe special rules of holiness and abstinence: not to drink wine or other intoxicants (including anything made from grap
Politics | Antisemitism
Muslim Imam Bashes "Delusional" Louis Farrakhan in Front of a Jewish Audience
Imam of Peace opened up on his honest thoughts about Farrakhan, and some of the high profile people he has influenced, in front of a Jewish audience in NYC.
Politics | Antisemitism
SICKENING Jew hatred at NYU Graduation Ceremony
This is so sad. NYU isn't even hiding their tacit support of Jew haters. They invited one to speak at the graduation ceremony!
Entertainment | Television/Film/Books
Herman Wouk’s Calling Card | Jewish Week
What ‘This Is My God’ meant to traditional Jews in mid-century America.
Politics | Judea & Samaria
Historic Funeral Held for 2,000-Year-Old Jewish Bones Desecrated by Arab Looters
A funeral 2,000 years in the making was held for human remains from an ancient burial tomb near Jericho’s Hasmonean Palace.
Politics | Antisemitism
Horrific antisemitic act in Brooklyn caught on camera
It is enough already! We must stop these hate crimes!
News | Israel & The Jewish Community
Poway and the Struggle for America’s Soul - Insight & Commentary
If you’re a Jew in America today, there’s a good chance you’re concerned.
News | NEWS
Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein | A Terrorist Tried to Kill Me Because I Am a Jew. I Will Never Back Down.
I do not know why God spared my life in my Poway synagogue. All I can do is make this borrowed time matter.
News | News
750,000 people visit Western Wall since start of Passover | The Jerusalem post
The number of visitors is larger than in previous years..
Politics | Interesting Links
Meet The Man Who Fled Iran To Embrace Judaism, Freedom, And Conservatism In The U.S.
On November 9, 2016, an Iranian man arrived in the United States on his search for freedom, only to be welcomed by the sight of tens of thousands of Americans exercising their freedom of speech and assembly in protest of
News | Israel & The Jewish Community
Genetic research: almost 25% of Latinos, Hispanics have Jewish DNA - Israel News - Jerusalem Post
Unprecedented genetic research undertaken by dozens of professors from around the world has provided evidence that almost a quarter of Latinos and Hispanics have significant Jewish DNA.
Miscellaneous | Torah
Rabbi Sacks: Why The Revelation at Mount Sinai Was the Creation of Freedom | Parshat Yitro
A Torah scroll. Photo: RabbiSacks.org. The revelation at Mount Sinai — the central episode not only of parshat Yitro, but …
Family & Parenting | Kids
Why the Chanukah Gelt? - Reasons for giving Chanukah gifts
On Chanukah we give the children gelt. Why?
News | Israel & The Jewish Community
Hanukkah Is Not Christmas. This Year, Let's Embrace That
Hanukkah ought to be celebrated in its own right. And failure to see it for what it truly is means children will likely abandon Judaism
News | Antisemitism Watch
Why Jew-hatred is different from other hates ~ Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News
I’m reading various account and commentaries of the horrific shooting and massacre of Jews in synagogue in Pittsburgh today, and everyone is putting up their own political spin on the event. It is expected - and disgusting.
Miscellaneous | Miscellaneous
Story — Raise the Roof
Artists Rick and Laura Brown are not Jewish and not Polish, and yet they set out to rebuild Gwoździec, a magnificent wooden eighteenth century synagogue in Poland that was later destroyed by the Nazis.
News | News
Need tefillin? There’s an app for that
'Wrapp' crowd sources the Chabad mission of helping Jews pray by offering a platform for instant lending and borrowing of phylacteries
Miscellaneous | Miscellaneous
Why Are Imitation Crab, Pork and Cheeseburgers Kosher?
Even if the Torah forbids a food, one is still permitted to eat kosher food artificially flavored to taste like it. However, if it closely resembles the non-kosher food, it may be necessary to mark it as an imitation.
News | Interesting Links
Ancient beard traditions shape the face of modern Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (AP) — Facial hair is trendy worldwide these days, but in Jerusalem beards have never gone out of style, projecting religious mysticism, nationalism and ideals of mascul
Miscellaneous | OTHER STUFF
Photographing Eastern Europe's Fading Jewish Architecture – Tablet Magazine
Photographer David Kaufman looks at the world through a historical lens. Quite literally, in fact, as he shoots with bellows, the folding attachment used on cameras since the Civil War. Though Kaufman is fascinated by the past, his old-fashioned equipmen
News | Israel & The Jewish Community
New York Times Avoids Calling a Jew a Jew | Jewish & Israel News Algemeiner.com
When is a Jew not a Jew? When The New York Times is writing about him or her and is...
News | Israel & The Jewish Community
Honor a Holocaust Victim by Tattooing Her Number?
My teenage daughter would like to honor my mother by getting a tattoo of her Auschwitz number. We are quite divided on this issue. Can you please help?
News | Israel & The Jewish Community
Some thoughts on being Jewish in contemporary polite society
A famous screenwriter/director and I were having lunch, doing our interview, and I asked him this one thing, and he answered this other thing, but that other thing didn’t make sense, and I followed up, and he once again said the other thing. And again,
Science & Technology | Israeli Innovation
Armed with faith and kids, Haredi women set eyes on tech
A busload of ultra-Orthodox women hits the road to meet female titans of the high-tech industry in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
Miscellaneous | Interviews
No Longer Silent | Jlife
The Segerstrom Center for the Arts welcomed back the esteemed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater this past April, with an incredible piece by Artistic Director Robert Battle, “No Longer Silent.” Originally created in 2007, it was part of a concert of choreography that brought to life long-forgotten scores by composers whose work the Nazis labeled “degenerate” and banned. The piece is set to “Ogelala,” a piece that Jewish Czech composer, Erwin Schulhoff, composed between 1922 and 1925.
History | Culture
Who Stood at Sinai? | Jlife
According to A midrash, “Every Jew who ever was, and ever will be born, stood together at Sinai when the mountain smoked and trembled and G-d revealed the law to them.” We assume that meant men, women and children. But not everyone sees it that way.
Politics | Op-Ed
A Meditation on Meditation | Jlife
I recently participated in a Jewish meditation session, which was beautiful, relaxing and deeply spiritual. For the other people in the room.
Miscellaneous | Other Stuff
Charles Krauthammer: The Holocaust and American Jews - NY Daily News
Bernie Sanders is the most successful Jewish candidate for the presidency ever.
History | Culture
Light Over Darkness | Jlife
Light is the overarching, central, definitive metaphor for Jewish understanding of all of reality…
History | History
Correcting Mistakes About Hanukkah - The Michael Medved Show
Despite extensive media coverage and rising levels of public partying, the holiday of Hanukkah still causes confusion among both Jewish and non-Jewish Amer
History | Culture
DENOMINATIONS! | Jlife
This month’s issue addresses cultural diversity—a term we have all become very familiar with in this era of social awareness.
Family & Parenting | Family & Relationships
Teaching Gratefulness | Jlife
“Who is rich? Those who rejoice in their own portion” – Pirke Avot 4:1.
News | Local News
Not Your Typical High School Club | Jlife
Many teens have been a part of the Bureau of Jewish Education’s (BJE) community since childhood… for some it may be their first experience with the organization. Either way, BJE wants everyone to know just how welcome they are.
History | Culture
The Science of Happiness | Jlife
Happiness is firmly ingrained in Jewish tradition. In fact, when we evaluate the newest scientific research on happiness, we can correlate much of its findings with the Jewish way of life. Judaism encourages community participation filled with food and tradition while research shows us that those involved in community are happier people. Judaism prescribes family values, relationships, celebrations and working through loss according to accepted rituals.
History | Culture
Jews of Many Colors | Jlife
When most American Jews think of their traditional Jewish culture, they think of Passover Seders and matzah ball soup, hamentashen and black-hatted, pale-skinned Hasidic men, and Yiddish-speaking bubbes (grandmothers) and zeydes (grandfathers). But, that is only one Jewish ethnic group of many.
News | Local News
In Our Own Back Yard | Jlife
Twenty years after the gavel heard around the world acquitting O.J. Simpson of murdering his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, Jewish Federation & Family Services and Nicole’s youngest sister Tanya Brown are giving a voice to women who are victims of domestic violence.
News | Local News
Comrades & Conversation on the Court | Jlife
Recently, i had the honor and privilege of speaking with a few great guys who have kept up with a wonderful tradition all their own. For the past five or six years, a dozen community seniors meet every week on Friday at 10:30 a.m., most attend University Synagogue. These friends and comrades converge on local tennis courts for an hour and a half. Following the games they gather at a local restaurant for lunch and discuss the news of the day. This has been a very special tradition that these men look forward to every week.
Politics | Op-Ed
Reeling in the Millennials | Jlife
As a member of the millennial generation, limited participation of women in Torah study, life in the Old Country or even growing up in a predominately Jewish neighborhood—are a few of many aspects to the Jewish experience that are foreign to me.
Miscellaneous | Interviews
The Secret of Chabad | Jlife
The white truck was parked on 49th Street just west of Fifth Avenue. As I peered into it I saw a young bearded man putting phylacteries on another young man. Just then, I heard a voice asking me if I was Jewish. I turned to see yet another young man.
Miscellaneous | Interesting Links
Why I Wear a Jewish Star on My Necklace – Tablet Magazine
When I was in fifth grade, my great-aunt took me to an Indian jewelry store in Chicago’s West Rogers Park neighborhood and bought me a necklace with a Jewish star pendant. It had only been three years since we immigrated from what’s now the former Sov
Miscellaneous | Other Stuff
‘When Western women stop being objectified, they can criticise us.’ Orthodox Jewish women fight back
The Hebrew phrase “chillul hashem” translates as bringing shame upon one’s community in the eyes of the outside world. It can be invoked by anything from double-parking to failure to observe the complicated latticework of laws that circumscribe orthodox Jewish life, dictating everything from hairstyles to behaviour.
History | History
A Flag and Israel's Flag
It all starts with identity, the identity of a people and a country. A national flag is a symbol of a sovereign country.
History | Culture
Baseball's Jewiest Moment of All - Culture
With catcher Joe Ginsberg behind the plate, Lou Limmer stepped into the batter’s box to face Saul Rogovin. Murray Greenberg looks back at the most Jewish moment in baseball history — 64 years ago.
Entertainment | Entertainment
Oh, My Pop Culture Judaism: Jewish Erasure & Discrimination in the X-Men & Marvel Movie Adaptations | Lady Geek
When I was in grad school I had a Biblical Studies instructor who was from Romania. He was a member of the Romanian Orthodox Church, but he seemed to have a great love of Judaism and was an active advocate against anti-Semitism. I remember him sadly tell
Miscellaneous | Other Stuff
JEWISH WOMEN: First Among Equals & NEVER Subservient | Josh Namm | Jlife
Judaism, and by extension, Jewish culture, has always held women in the highest regard. Not the “we’re putting you on a pedestal like a pretty doll” kind of regard, but the “women are central to our culture and traditions and every inch the equals of men” kind of regard. Virtually alone among ancient traditions, Judaism has, literally from the beginning, placed men and women on an equal footing, while still recognizing the inherent differences between the two sexes (and to claim that there are no differences is as silly as saying that water is not wet).
History | HISTORY
Hanukkah and How War Should Be Celebrated | Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
For Jews, practicing our religion has never been as straightforward. Throughout history we have had to fight and die simply to observe our faith. Hanukkah represents a triumphant moment....
News | Antisemitism Watch
Anti-Semitism Creeps Into Europe's Daily Routines – Forward.com
We knew about the murders in the Brussels Jewish museum, the children gunned down on the Toulouse schoolyard, the fate of Ilan Halimi, a young French Jew who had been lured by a group of Muslims who then held him captive, tortured and eventually murdered him. We were aware of the violent demonstrations, assaults on synagogues, and the aggressive rhetoric — including “Jews to the gas” — that had occurred in various European cities...
Miscellaneous | Judaism
10 Anti-Semitic Myths - Jewish History
In the Middle Ages, many delusional beliefs about Jews gripped the European masses, some of which were later modernized by the Nazis. There were at least 10 such superstitions, traces of which can still be found today.
Miscellaneous | OTHER STUFF
Europe’s Alarming New Anti-Semitism - WSJ
Attacks and hateful rhetoric against Jews are on the rise—and it’s not just Jews who should worry.
News | News
Oldest siddur headed to Israel | The Times of Israel
1,200-year-old text, which includes Sabbath prayers and Passover Haggadah, to go on display at the Bible Lands Museum
History | History
20 Photos That Change The Holocaust Narrative | Pop Chassid
It's time that we looked at the Holocaust differently. Here are twenty pictures to help us do just that.
News | Israel & The Jewish Community
At 2:30 A.M., Jews Blast Shema Prayer at Muslim Neighborhood
Tired of waking up to muezzin calls on loudspeakers in the middle of the night, Jews mount an aural counterattack.
News | Misc
How Do I Choose a Rabbi? - Questions & Answers
I've got a few choices here in town of different styles and flavors of rabbis and congregations. How do I choose? Is there a simple test to determine who is fit to be my rabbi?
Miscellaneous | Other Stuff
The String and the Flame
I shall never know whether it was only because I was tired that I had the temerity to say what I really felt or whether I would have said it anyway...
