The Hopeful Doctor- Doktoro Esperanto

Chu vi sciis, ke la iniciatoro de Esperanto estas judo? Don’t worry, your daily Jewish Treats hasn’t switched languages. Did you know that the initiator of Esperanto was Jewish? Perhaps,…

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The House of Assembly

Did you know that the Greek word 'synagogue' is actually a translation of the Hebrew term Beit K'nesset (English = House of Assembly). The 'assembly' referred to is the minyan (quorum of…

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The Haftarah

Every week, on Shabbat, a portion of the Five Books of Moses is read in synagogue. This portion is known as the parasha. In addition to the parasha, a section from the Prophets (Neviim)…

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Chanukah and Divine Order

Chanukah always overlaps with at least one Shabbat (if not two), and since Chanukah begins on the 25th of Kislev and lasts for eight days, the holiday always coincides with the…

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Light One Candle

“Light one candle for the Maccabee children, with thanks that their light didn’t die...” Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary wrote these words in a song that cried out for the pain of…

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The Keshet of Kislev

It was during the month of Cheshvan that God sent the heavy rains to cover the world and destroy all but those in Noah’s pitch-covered ark. Just over a year later, at the end of the month…

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Hora Hey

Hands clasped, feet flying, and the room spinning as the giant circle of dancers turns round and round to the pulsing klezmer music from the band. It’s the Hora--that fabulous circle…

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Chanukah and Divine Order

Chanukah always overlaps with at least one Shabbat (if not two), and since Chanukah begins on the 25th of Kislev and lasts for eight days, the holiday always coincides with the…

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Yom Ha’shoah, Holocaust Memorial Day

Yom Ha’shoah, is usually observed each year on the 27th of Nissan. Jews around the world will mark Yom Ha’shoah (Officially Yom Ha’zikaron La’shoah V’ha’g’vurah, which translates to…

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