Tu BiShvat: Happy Birthday, You Beautiful Trees!
My commute to work every morning is not typical. I drive through the Roaring Fork Valley with majestic, now snow-covered, mountains on my left and my right. The sky is often a clear, bright blue, and the sun glimmers off the powdery snow that shifts in the wind. I am the cantor at the Aspen Jewish Congregation, and I certainly feel blessed to live and work in such a beautiful place. This quote from Isaiah is particularly fitting for this part of the country, as the people here are very in touch with the nature around them - often finding their spiritual center while skiing a run or hiking in the hills.
Early Hanukkah in 2013: Jewish Calendar Fun
Whenever I'm asked if the Jewish holidays are coming early or late this year, I promptly answer that they'll be coming on time. And that's partially true. Rosh Hashanah will always arrive on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishrei just as Hanukkah will always begin on the 25th of Kislev.
In Honor of Tu BiShvat, Some Facts About Trees
Tu BiShvat, the birthday of the trees (or the new year of the trees) is a minor Jewish holiday.
Miracles: They're Not Just for Hanukkah Anymore
I’m not even certain of the year, but it was sometime after the tattoo and before the death march. Aron Lieb was in his early twenties, but he felt elderly. He was working in a coal mine, forced by the Nazis to supply fuel for their war effort.
I Fell Off a Mountain – and Lived to Thank the Man Who Rescued Me
Ma’oz Tzur for Pittsburgh
Coming so soon after the massive trauma in Pittsburgh, how would Hanukkah be felt in the hearts and spirits of the people there?
Is This Real Life? A "Bohemian Rhapsody" Hanukkah Parody
A cappella music-makers Six13 are back with their new Hanukkah parody song, a very Jewish riff on Queen's iconic "Bohemian Rhapsody."
This Hanukkah, Bring the (Edible) Shtetl to Life for Teens
When teens at a regional NFTY event ask when you are going to repeat the program they just attended, you must be doing something right. Coming out of the program, it was clear that they were happy – happy because they were fully engaged, had fun, and because along the way, they learned something about themselves, their peers, their identity and their heritage.
"Manna Sandwiches" and the Jewishness of Experimenting with Recipes
There is something very Jewish about the way I use cookbooks, and the way I use Jewish cookbooks, in particular.