The Jewish Reveille
The first day of the Hebrew month of Elul, just two days away, brings with it a few changes to the prayer service, one of which is the blowing of the shofar every morning (except Shabbat…
Your Jewish Life Coach
Do you have a life coach? For those unfamiliar with the term, life coaches work to help clients determine and achieve personal goals. While life coaching as a profession in western…
Philosophy, Religion, A Jewish Civilization
Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan was born on June 11, 1881, in Lithuania. His family moved to America in 1889. After receiving a traditional Jewish education, Kaplan studied at the Jewish…
The Great Jewish Tenor
There was a time, in the first half of the 20th century, when chazanut (cantorial/synagogue music) was the rage in the American Jewish community. In fact, there were celebrity chazanim…
Mezuzah: Complete Fulfillment
A mezuzah on the doorpost is a public sign of a Jewish home. If you open the decorative container of the mezuzah you will find a piece of parchment with two sets of Hebrew verses from…
Is There Jewish DNA?
Do you remember learning about genes and DNA, about inherited traits and Gregor Mendel’s pea plants? It has long been known and accepted as scientific fact that each person’s DNA…
Your Own Moment
Take a moment out of your own life to honor those who gave their lives to form a safe haven for the Jewish people.
The Afikomen
Those who have attended a Passover Seder know that one of the most beloved Seder traditions is the hiding* of the afikomen, a specially designated half-piece of matzah. But what exactly…
The Jewish League
For American Jews today, it is hard to imagine that Jews in the U.S. in the early twentieth century faced a deeply anti-Semitic culture. Many public and private facilities posted blatant…