Laurie Baron, Ph.D., rounds up opportunities for diverse Jewish studies via the Internet.
Streaming Jewish Programs (Sept. 21-24) Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Lifestyles, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA
I also took into the sealed room a siddur that had been my mother’s, and one of my father’s, 1941 U.S. Army issue, so I could tell them I prayed from their prayer books. I ended the column, “We took into our sealed rooms fears, and uncertainty, and prayers. We must now ask ourselves what we brought out.” [Toby Klein Greenwald]
Rainbow – What Will We Take out of Our Arks? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Toby Klein Greenwald, USA
This week we are not only celebrating Shabbos, but we are also ushering in a New Year, 5781. Many of us are uttering a sigh of relief as we close the door on 5780. In Hebrew we write out 5780 as Tav Shin Pay, which some have read as Tihay Shnas Pandemic (It will be the year of pandemic). According to that reading we are entering Tav Shin Pay Alef – Tihay Shnas AIN Pandemic – It will be the year WITHOUT pandemic. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]
A Word of Torah: Rosh Hashanah 5781 Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi
Mark Dolson (Timothy Benson) is a seminarian ready to change the world, or at least the Catholic Church. He’d like to see women admitted to the priesthood. And he believes the church’s attitude opposed to homosexuality is outdated and archaic. Most of all, he believes that it is the job of the clergy to shake their parishioners from their materialism and complacency in order for them to truly follow the teachings of Jesus. [Play review by Donald H. Harrison]
Prospective and veteran clergy members contrast in style Read More »
Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Those who awaken daily to a mind filled with gratitude find grace and graciousness throughout life. The word gratitude is anchored in the Latin word gratia, meaning these gifts for, and of a positive life. And the good news is you can train yourself to open your eyes, your heart, at the start of every day, to grateful thoughts – especially valuable during these emotionally trying times of COVID19 when building wellbeing is particularly essential to living healthily. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Being Grateful for Gratitude Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Mantell
Growing up, Judaism always took center stage, but when I moved to Pittsburgh to study directing at the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University, suddenly theater was in the spotlight. For the first couple of years, it felt like I had to give up practicing Judaism in order to pursue theater full time. Choosing rehearsals over Shabbat or having to miss High Holiday services for class felt like I had opted to practice the religion of theater over Judaism. [Adira Rosen]
With theaters dark, all the world must now be a stage Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
Talk show after talk show, comedian after comedian, everyone’s trying to be funny, to make us laugh. But they really needn’t go a long way to do that. Seemingly, all they have to do is find a topical issue, invite a guest or talk about a certain person, and then drag their names through the mud for the entertainment of the audience. [Michael Laitman, Ph.D]
Humor, Not Mockery Read More »
Lifestyles, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Trivia, Humor & Satire
The first time I ever saw or stepped on a tennis court was in 1949 when I was sixteen and got a job at Camp Watitoh near Tanglewood in the Berkshires as a maintenance worker. One of my first jobs was to brush and roll the tomato-colored clay tennis courts smooth early every morning. That was boring but tolerable in the cool early morning air. So now I was the tennis court maven, and was assigned to build two new courts in the lower unshaded unused part of the camp property. [Ira Spector]
Some 70 years of love for tennis Read More »
International, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Travel and Food, USAFrom March through December 1956 I went through the Naval Flight School, Pensacola, Florida, as a student pilot. We were transferred to different airfields in the area for each phase of training. At any one time, day and night, there were a couple hundred SNJ, T-34 and T-28 training planes in the skies overhead, practicing different types of maneuvers. Saufley Field is where we were taught formation flying. This story is about an incident that happened when I was stationed there. [Ira Spector]
Just another day of flight training Read More »
Lifestyles
What is the clonal effect? It is the tendency of individuals, groups, and organizations to replicate themselves or others that are familiar to them wherever they have an opportunity to do so. The dictionary defines a clone as “a person or thing that duplicates, imitates, or closely resembles another in appearance.” [Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW; Ph.D]
Avoiding the Clonal Effect Read More »
Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz
Imagine that a Rabbi with many years of experience was asked to deliver a message to a rabbinical graduation class. What would he or she say? Perhaps the following message might be appropriate [Rabbi Dr. Bernhard H. Rosenberg]
A Rabbi’s Advice for New Rabbis Read More »
Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles
As spring turned to summer, more Jewish activities began to emerge. It was almost as if the collective Hebrew community was dipping its toe in the water of social gatherings. Outdoors and with everyone at least six feet apart, I attended shul for the first time in months. In the midst of the swaying and chanting that so often accompanied davening, I felt some sense of normalcy return. While there was no kiddush after services, some people lingered around to chit chat. [Teresa Konopka]
“It is not primarily our physical selves that limit us but rather our mindset about our physical limits.” — Ellen Langer, Ph.D. in Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibilities. “What? But my world is upside down! I mean, I’m financially stretched way too thin, my waist is getting way too large, my relationship at home is disintegrating, and she’s saying it’s all in my mind?!” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Your Mindset is Your Compass Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael MantellShould we cancel people and their ideas if we do not agree with them? This has become the dilemma of our era. The so-called “cancel culture” which consists in removing support for public figures for their opinions or actions is already a trend invading the Internet. At times when the lives of all revolve around the same struggles and challenges, what we need to cancel are our divisions. Instead, we need to embrace our differences and create an environment of acceptance. Our common destiny is at stake. [Michael Laitman, Ph.D]
Cancel Culture or Learning to Accept One Another? Read More »
Lifestyles