Jewish Religion

  By Binyamin Kagedan/JNS.org “In every generation, one is obligated to see himself as if he had personally left Egypt.” The Passover Haggadah annually exhorts us to make the ancient tale of Israelite liberation feel personally relevant. What better way to make this dinner party (or dinner parties, for those who observe two Passover seders)

Stories and photos from Mollie Katzen/JNS.org Vegetarians, and especially vegans, need some high-protein plant food with a bit of heft to keep them going during Passover, especially if observing the Ashkanazic tradition that forbids eating kitniyot—a category that includes legumes, most grains, and some seeds. Meat eaters also might want to break the monotony of potatoes, matzoh, or matzoh

By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — The immediate irony about the current spate of Bible-themed motion pictures is the apparent endorsement of many fundamentalist groups. The very folks who insist that the Bible was written by God are happy to let Hollywood spread fantastical, computer-enhanced, high definition recreations. These movies are essentially about two

By Deborah Fineblum/JNS.org Israel is a country that has spent more than six decades weaving the two formerly disparate basic branches of the Jewish family, Sephardim and Ashkenazim, into one people. These days, nary an eyebrow is raised as they hang out, date, and marry in the Jewish state, and most of their cultural differences

By Michele Alperin/JNS.org As the intersection of family, Jewish memory, and the passions of contemporary politics and society, the Passover seder is said to be the most celebrated annual Jewish event in the United States. But it is not always easy to make all seder attendees feel the Haggadah’s mandate that in every generation, each