By Oliver B. Pollak, Ph.D. RICHMOND, California — Hanukkah is virtually here. You have no cards. Oy vey. Think creatively. Repurpose and recycle those New Year and Passover greeting cards you got as donation inducements from the myriad of worthy Jewish charities. Hanukkah is after all a holiday when you make do with what you […]
Making Cards for Jewish Holidays — Hanukkah Cards a la Carte Read More »
Jewish Religion, Oliver Pollak
SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Sesame Place San Diego, the only theme park on the West Coast based entirely on the award-winning show Sesame Street, is hosting a Hanukkah Celebration on Monday, December 19. The holiday daytime fun includes a menorah candle lighting ceremony led by local Rabbi Daniel Reich, a festive dance party with
(JNS) Sefaria, a provider of digital Jewish texts at no cost, on Tuesday launched its offering of the four foundational texts of the Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidic movement. The newly available texts include a fully bilingual edition of the Tanya, the cornerstone philosophical text of the Chabad movement; a Hebrew version of Torah Ohr, a 19th-century compilation
Foundational Texts of Chabad Movement Launched in Digital Form Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, USA
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Maggid Books, together with Yeshiva University Press, published “A Guide for the Jewish Undecided: A Philosopher Makes a Case for Orthodox Judaism” by Dr. Samuel Lebens, a rabbi and Orthodox Jew who is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Haifa in Israel. His
Book Offers a Philosopher’s Case for Orthodox Judaism Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — You’ve heard it many times, “Man plans, G-d laughs.” Or perhaps, like me, you’ve heard this version, “Mentsch tracht, Gott lacht.” I like “Man thinks, G-d Winks.” Regardless, like all of us who prefer to live without being mutchet or tcheppeht, (pressured or bothered), Jacob found that life has
Parashat Vayeishev: Man Thinks, God Winks Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — Hanukkah starts on Sunday night, December 18. It is usually celebrated during the “Christmas season.” This coincidence makes the Jewish holiday very significant in the U.S., probably more so than in Israel. Here, the holiday is mostly noted by the ubiquitous appearance of oily donuts, jelly ones and
Hanukkah: An Overview Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Steve Kramer
(JNS) For the fourth straight year, hundreds of students from Jewish day schools and Hebrew schools across the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and even Poland are learning about the care, rehabilitation and advancement of children with severe disabilities by creating unique “Sensory Chanukah Cards” that will lift the spirits of their peers at ADI,
Students’ Sensory Chanukah Cards Shine Light on Disability Read More »
International, Israel, Jewish Religion, USABy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — “Thank you.” Here’s a question for you. Who’s the first person to have brought these words, “Thank you” to us Yehudim? Right! That’d be the mother of Yehuda (from the word hoda’ah), none other than Leah. When’s the last time you expressed genuine, heartfelt gratitude and shown
Parashat Vayeitzei: How to Strengthen Our Character Beyond Gratitude Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Many Jews are convinced that the laws and customs that originated with the rabbis were taught at Sinai to the Israelites during the days of Moses and are called “Oral Law,” even though the Torah itself states that only the Decalogue that people call The Ten
The Truth About the Oral Law Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
The question of turkey’s status as a permitted (kosher) bird is a topic that comes up every Thanksgiving holiday season. Nevertheless, many Orthodox Jews I personally know will never eat turkey since there is no tradition permitting it. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
How Thanksgiving Turkey Became Kosher—For Some Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
ROCKVILLE, Maryland (Press Release) — Katie Roth of Los Angeles was selected as one of the dozens of Jewish women from around the world to share their story on Yomm, a website and complimentary app launched by the Momentum organization. Last week, Momentum, a global movement for Jewish mothers, launched its first mobile app and
Southern California Mother Featured in First App Exclusively Tailored for Jewish Women Read More »
California, Israel, Jewish Religion, USABy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — If you’re looking for a love story, this week in Toldot, we read a magnificent one, in fact the first. You see, we are told that husband and wife are to, “cleave to each other and become one flesh.” This is precisely what Isaac and Rebecca teach
Parashat Toldot: Love and Prayer Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — The question of when did Jews begin to observe the practices and prohibitions of biblical laws is one of the most important yet thorniest questions that has bothered scholars for centuries. While traditional Jews believe their ancestors accepted and practiced Torah laws since the time of
When Did Jews Begin to Observe Biblical Laws? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
If you look at the menorah on the cover of Hanukkah Nights, you’ll see that each candle flame is of a different color. What you can’t see—until you read the actual book—is that each flame was created with a different artistic technique. [Donald H. Harrison]
A Primer on Hanukkah and Art Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts