My Passover seder this year was spent in the company of the small Reform Jewish community in Lisbon, Portugal.
The Rose Haggadah - Ancient Technique, Modern Sensibility
Each year the ancient story of Passover is told through the Haggadah, "the telling" of the story.
I Remember: A Poem for Yom HaShoah
I remember the absence of sound,
deeper than silence
and more lonely,
like the moment just
before Creation,
all stretched and
attenuated, waiting,
except there was no time
to measure
eternity,
so waiting was
Now.
How Social Media Helps Me Keep Track of Jewish Time
When someone asked a friend of mine what his daughter enjoys most about living in Israel, he explained that she loves the way the country’s secular rhythms synch seamlessly with religious time in a way that doesn’t happen in North America. By way of example, he described Shabbat and holidays as characterized by closed shops, quiet streets, and low-key television programming.
O the Chimney: On Forgiving Modern-Day Germany for the Shoah
Cafe Spindel is a quaint café in the center of Bad Segeberg, Germany that used to house a wool-processing factory. Because it was an unseasonably warm and sunny late summer day when I visited, our host, Pastor Martin Pommerening, suggested we sit outside.
Mourning Yom HaShoah with Jews Across the World
On Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day 2015 (Yom HaShoah), the entire Jewish community mourns the tragic loss of life, the genocide that occurred during World War II, which resulted in the death of an estimated six million Jews.
This Year's Best Passover Parody Videos
Last year's Passover parody videos were almost universally set to the tune of Frozen's "Let It Go." It doesn't get more Passo
The Passover Seder: A Night for Love
If I invited you to do a Jewish program for Passover and asked you to please bring a mattress, a bottle of wine, and some kind of aphrodisiac, you would probably look at me askance – maybe even consider having me investiga
The Meaning of Passover: A Boxing Match Between Gods
To understand the Exodus narrative, we must view it as a war – a boxing match, if you will – between gods.
Passing Down the Dishes for Passover
A dim light appeared from above and only my dad’s face was visible, peering down reassuringly at us. Then one arm appeared, and with great care, one by one, each of our Passover dishes was handed down, passed from one girl to the next in a sort of human Passover chain that started our family’s preparations for changing our dishes and cleaning out the chametz for this fun holiday.