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7 Ways to Celebrate Tu BiShvat – Even in the Winter
For many of us, Tu BiShvat, the Jewish holiday that celebrates trees and the earth, falls in the middle of the coldest, snowiest part of the year. Nonetheless, here are seven ways you can celebrate the new year of the trees and planet Earth
Vegan Purim Pasta with Cabbage, Poppy Seeds & Pepitas
Did you know that Queen Esther is thought to have been a vegan? This pasta dish, made with quinoa spaghetti, was designed to honor her.
Whip Up a Tu BiShvat Feast with Recipes Representing the Seven Species
Collectively known as shivat haminim, the Seven Species are sacred fruits and grains grown in the Land of Israel. Eating these foods, especially during the holiday of Tu BiShvat, has become a popular way for Jews around the world to maintain a connection to Israel.
Celebrate Purim with the Green Adar Challenge: Eco-Mishloach Manot!
Welcome to the Jewish Month of Adar! This month in the Jewish year we celebrate Purim by reading Megillat Esther, dressing up in costumes and sending our friends and families mishloach manot gift baskets. There are many ways to incorporate environmental themes into every holiday, from reading prayers for our earth in services to using recycled materials to make our costumes.
Unmasking the Use of the Death Penalty
Though Purim is a time for costumes, carnivals and hamentaschen, the story also prompts big questions, like the use of the death penalty in our society. At the end of the Purim story, we see the death penalty carried out when Haman is hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai.
Purim as a Call to Action to End Economic Inequality
I have always loved Purim. I remember eating hamentaschen in my religious school classes (deciding amongst the apricot, poppyseed, chocolate or strawberry flavors), playing bean bag toss at the Purim carnival, and waiving the groger enthusiastically as my rabbis, dressed up in costumes to accompany the theme of that year’s Purim spiel, recited the name of Haman, the wicked villain who tried to kill the Jews.
I remember feeling so honored when I got to wear my own costume as part of the Purim spiel and read the megillah the year after I became a Bat Mitzvah. We are taught that Purim is a time for “feasting and merrymaking” (Megillat Esther 9:22). However, there are also a number of traditional obligations we have as Jews in addition to feasting and merrymaking, which remind us of the struggles for justice that continue year round.
For Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Individuals, Gender Expression isn’t a Purim Costume
Jews across the world are getting ready to celebrate Purim. Already, there are many Jews, from young children to grown adults, planning their Purim outfits. Some will be characters from the Purim story. Some will be famous actors. Some will be fictional heroes and villains. And no doubt, many people will cross-dress and dress up as someone of a different gender. Most people will not think twice about whether their costume will be accepted on Purim, as it is almost expected that people will dress up for the holiday.