Yom Kippur in Vietnam
Yom Kippur, 1965, I was a Navy medical officer stationed aboard a destroyer off the coast of Vietnam.
Shabbat Shuvah: From Whom Have You Strayed?
Shabbat Shuvah is the Sabbath between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. The name is derived from the opening word of the haftarah reading that urges us: Shuvah Yisrael ad Adonai Elohecha, “Return, O Israel, to the Eternal your God.”
The Evolving Narrative of the Holocaust Memory in Israel
Holocaust Remembrance Day, which comes upon us soon, is a time to reflect on the darkest tragedy of the Jewish people in the modern age (and some would say in all of history).
Purim in Israel
As a student living in Israel, my holiday celebrations followed the same protocol: dress up in my nicest clothes, go to shul and eat a festive meal with family and friends (as long as it was not a fast holiday). This schedule had been ingrained in me over the course of the year. As Purim neared, I began to wonder if it would be celebrated like the other holidays or if it would be more like the celebrations I had come to expect from my childhood in Los Angeles—the shpiel, the carnival, the costumes.
Ve'Nahafoch Hu: Remember what Amalek did to us - and what we did to Amalek
On the Shabbat before Purim, many congregations will read Parshat Zachor (Deuteronomy 25:17 - 20). In the three short verses of this parshah, we are commanded not once but twice to recall a dangerous attack on our people: we are told to remember (Zachor) what the Amalekites did to the Israelites after they left Egypt and not to forget (Lo Tishkach).
Hamantaschen Tips and Tricks
Last year I did a "Hamantaschen Test Kitchen" with six different varieties:
Cream Cheese Dough
Gingerbread?
Galilee Diary: Remembering Amalek
Not the Usual Barnes and Noble Minhag
Like so many of the things we've done in the last few months, the annual Yom Kippur afternoon jaunt of my father and me to Barnes and Noble following the morning service at temple was
Yom Kippur
Understanding Yom Kippur - Then and Now
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a concept I came to understand in my early adult years. But this was my understanding during my childhood: