My Passover seder this year was spent in the company of the small Reform Jewish community in Lisbon, Portugal.
Hanukkah: From Battleground to Festival of Lights
The Hebrew word Hanukkah means “dedication” and refers to the joyous eight-day celebration through which Jews commemorate the victory of the Maccabees over the armies of Syria in 165 B.C.E. and the subsequent liberation and “rededication” of the Temple in Jerusalem.
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.
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.
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 Fell Off a Mountain – and Lived to Thank the Man Who Rescued Me
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.