Chanukah Yum
While Jewish holidays are known for their food (except Yom Kippur, of course), most of these foods are not known for being particularly healthy. Chanukah is no exception. Forget matzah…
Jews in Mauritius
In the Indian Ocean, just off the coast of Africa, is the island nation of Mauritius. Despite the general absence of Jews in Mauritius in the past, there is enough of a Jewish community…
Kitniyot and Gebruchts
Ashkenazi or Sephardi? Hungarian, Yekke (German), Litvak (Lithuanian)? At no other time on the Jewish calendar is it so important to know your ancestry as it is on Passover. What one…
A Chanukah Heroine
Have you ever heard of Yehudit (Judith), the daughter of Yochanan the High Priest, who saved her city, Bethulia, from destruction at the hands of the Syrian-Greek general Holofernes? As…
Bread and Clothing
Until recently, the repercussions of converting to Judaism meant more than just renouncing one’s previous religious beliefs. More often than not, a person who converted to Judaism also…
Chanukah Yum
While Jewish holidays are known for their food (except Yom Kippur, of course), most of these foods are not known for being particularly healthy. Chanukah is no exception. Forget matzah or…
Feast of Gratitude
While the majority of the sacrifices enumerated in the Torah are related to atonement for sins or to celebrate feast days, the sh'lamim, peace offerings, were unique because…
Facing Adulthood as a Nation
Most governments recognize age 18 as the age of legal adulthood at which a person assumes full responsibility for his/her life. They no longer need a parent or guardian’s permission for…
The Meal Before
While there are several fast days on the Jewish calendar, only two are referred to as "major fasts": Tisha b'Av and Yom Kippur. They are thus labelled because (1) there is little leeway…
Kitniyot and Gebruchts
Ashkenazi or Sephardi? Hungarian, Yekke (German), Lithuanian? At no other time on the Jewish calendar is it so important to know your ancestry as it is on Passover. What one does or does…