Hail the Contributions of the Chassidic Movement
If you enjoy the spiritual, musical, or esoteric side of Judaism and Jewish observance, chances are you have been touched by the Chassidic movement. Acknowledge this contribution by…
North Star State’s First Jewish Senator
Rudolph Ely Boschwitz was born on November 7, 1930 in Berlin, Germany to his Jewish parents Lucy (Dawidowicz) and Eli. When he was 3, coinciding with Hitler’s rise to power, the Boschwitz…
Go Vote! It’s an American and Jewish Value!
Voting in free and fair elections is one of the most profound privileges Americans and citizens of other democratic countries enjoy. Almost 700,000 American soldiers* have died in wars to…
The Jewish Community of Vegas, Stays in Vegas! Jews of Nevada
When the territory now known as Nevada was acquired in 1848 after the Mexican War, “Forty-Niners”, headed west to mine for gold. By the late 1870s, there were about 1,000 Jews in Nevada,…
Sarah’s Whereabouts Determine Jewish Law
Parashat Vayeira begins with Avraham convalescing after his circumcision. Unexpectedly, he sees three “visitors,” whom the Midrash identifies as angels, come toward his home. Excited to…
Earthshattering Moments in One of Israel’s Holiest Cities
Tzfat (Safed), the Israeli city in the rolling hills of the Galilee, is known as one of the four holy cities of Israel, along with Tiberias, Hebron and, of course, Jerusalem. It was the…
Building on Yom Kippur’s Momentum
With Yom Kippur in the rear view mirror, we find ourselves confronting the festival of Sukkot, beginning a mere five days after Yom Kippur. While we must transition quickly from the…
Make the Effort to Improve and Sustain that Improvement
Think seriously about your Jewish New Year’s resolutions and how you will be able to make them really happen.
Annulment of Vows
"I swear that this time I will lose weight" "I am going to pray every day..." We make promises all the time. We swear that we are going to do something, and then hope that we will be…
The Workmen’s Circle
One probably associates Yiddish with a language spoken by East European immigrants to the United States in the early decades of the 20th century, and the lingua franca of insular…