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Hanukkah Activities for Toddlers and Twos
Keep the little ones entertained with a clay dough menorah, discovery bottles, cookie cutter stamps, and a candle matching game.
Habari Gani? How My Family is Melding Kwanzaa and Hanukkah Customs
As we each shared some favorite holiday memories, my partner asked, “So what does each candle of Hanukkah symbolize?” Puzzled, I asked him to explain what he meant. “You know, like for Kwanzaa.”
Why Is Challah So Beloved by the Jewish People?
How did challah become the favorite Jewish bread? It goes back to the medieval times, when in South Germany (15 th century), Jews started to adopt from their neighbors this type of bread for the Sabbath and holidays.
From Tragedy to Celebration, We Honor the State of Israel
Just as each of us goes through a process of self-examination during the Days of Repentence in Tishrei, this week is an opportunity to do so on a collective and national level.
Shabbat and the Law of Unintended Consequences
Arguably, the most important step the Reformers took in bringing Judaism into modernity was the institution of egalitarianism, never reckoning with the grave damage they were inflicting on our greatest treasure, the Shabbat. By creating the expectation that women would join their husbands at Shabbat services, the focus of celebrating Shabbat moved from the home into the synagogue, including even the lighting of candles.
Seeing Through the Darkness: Inside Charlottesville’s Synagogue One Week Later
May we continue to be inspired by Congregation Beth Israel to turn darkness into light, to turn fear into resolve, to turn xenophobia into acceptance, and to turn hatred into hope.
Teach (and Practice) a New Jewish Value Each Night of Hanukkah
Assign a different Jewish value each one day of Hanukkah and plan appropriate activities for your family. The idea of activities is not simply doing for doing’s sake, but doing for the sake of learning. Be sure to reflect and talk afterward!
InLight: How Cross-Religious Encounters Can Light Up the Darkest Time of Year
During the current Hebrew month of Kislev (November and December), we will celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, and Diwali, a Hindu festival of lights, together here in southern Israel.
How a Day of Rest Can Save Your Life
Not in her wildest dreams, could Marilyn Paul have imagined that she would ever take a day off every week to calm her soul, and write a book about it. Learn her story.
Finance Free Friday Nights: How Shabbat Can Help Ease Weekday Anxiety
A checkbook and a papier-maché cup are central to our family’s Shabbat. These ritual items – as important to us as candles or kiddush cup – play an essential role in the “shutting off” that welcomes the sabbath to our house.