Jews in the Fold
Yesterday, November 11th, was celebrated internationally as National Origami Day. Origami is a compound Japanese term: ori means folding and kami means paper. Origami was created in the…
Hail the Holy Pomegranate
The pomegranate is a funny sort of fruit. Rather than eating the flesh and throwing away the seed, as one does when eating an apple or orange, pomegranate seeds are eaten and the flesh…
A Jazz Master
While known later in his career as the "King of the Clarinet", some are surprised to learn that Jewish jazz legend Artie Shaw actually got his start playing the saxophone. Today's Jewish…
Toledot 5782-2021
“The Deception of Isaac” (updated and revised from Toledot 5762-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Toledot, we encounter the well-known, and rather…
The First Inquisition
Although it was not the first inquisition, the Spanish Inquisition* was unique from its very inception on November 1, 1478, because it was controlled by a monarch rather than the church.…
A Document Against Antisemitism
It was on this day in 1965 that the Catholic Church officially stopped blaming the Jewish people for the death of Jesus. This groundbreaking statement came after more than a millennium of…
The First Rabbi in America
The first ordained rabbi to serve in an American congregation was Rabbi Abraham Joseph Rice (originally Reiss, 1800-1862). After studying in Germany, in Wurzburg and then Fuerth, Rice was…
Chayei Sarah 5782-2021
“Raising Jewish Children in a Challenging Environment” (updated and revised from Chayei Sarah 5762-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Chayei Sarah, opens…
Dear Yenta: The Matchmaker (Shadchan)
“Matchmaker, matchmaker / Look through your book / And make me a perfect match…” (Fiddler on the Roof). With the widespread proliferation of internet dating sites such as eharmony,…
Giving Tuesday- November 28, 2023
Support NJOP on Giving TuesdayNovember 28, 2023 is Giving Tuesday - A global day of giving! DonateYour contributions are…