Purim Again?
Unique to the Jewish calendar, the festival of Purim is actually observed on different days depending on a person’s location. The majority of the Jewish people celebrate Purim on the 14th…
Who Was Mordechai?
There are some people in this world who always seem to be right in the thick of the action. As described in the Book of Esther, this was Mordechai. It is Mordechai’s cousin, Esther, who…
What’s the Complaint?
People always like to complain. It is a fact. Sometimes they have legitimate complaints and sometimes they don’t. Suffice it to say, however, that most often the reaction to the complaint…
Without Complaint
Find positive ways to express the need for something to be changed. Finding a positive approach to express our hope for change is a good first step. Rather than lash out when things don’t…
Midwest Trailblazers
Study the history of Jews who were trailblazers and who made their mark in the Midwest during the 19th century.
Faith
In times of challenge, don't hesitate to ask for God's help (just remember that sometimes God's answer is no).
Painting Our People
Born on December 26, 1902, in Rahachow, Belarus (in the Pale of Settlement), Anatoli Lvovich Kaplan was a Jewish painter who celebrated his Jewish heritage and the Jewish world in his…
The First Advisor on Jewish Affairs
In 1942, after first serving as a rabbi in Buffalo, New York, and then in Chicago, Illinois, Rabbi Judah Nadich (1912–2007) enlisted in the United States Army as a chaplain. A few months…
Hail the Holy Pomegranate
The pomegranate is a funny sort of fruit. Rather than eating the flesh and throwing away the seed, as a person does when eating an apple or orange, pomegranate seeds are eaten and the…
Never Again
Recent inflammatory statements and acts of antisemitism remind us of the words found in the Passover Haggadah: "In each generation there are those who rise to destroy Jews." It behooves…