By Ted Robert She was getting old. You could tell her passion was waning even though she was only 22 years old. Two out of three times when I clicked on her button she wouldn’t turn on. Well, she turned a dusky orange, but not that inviting – “here’s your mail” green that I had [...]
A Zealot is a Zealot
January 17, 2012 by
By Jim Shipley In 1951, the Longshoreman / philosopher Eric Hoffer published The True Believer where he postulated that all extreme philosophies and movements were pretty much the same. Whether called Communism, Fascism, militant Islam or the Settler Movement, their tactics, extremism and lack of common sense are pretty much the same. Hoffer said “a [...]
What’s with the fours?
March 24, 2010 by
by Rabbi Avi Shafran Despite the late hour and exhaustion(not to mention wine),many a Jewish mind has wondered long and hard during a Passover Seder about all the Haggadah’s “fours.” Four questions, four sons, four expressions of redemption, four cups.There’s clearly a numerical theme here. While some may superficially dismiss the Haggadah as a mere [...]
Relationships Between Jews and Germans Today
March 24, 2010 by
By Miriam Zimmerman What happens when today’s Jews and Germans encounter each other face to face? What restraints cripple both parties in their attempts to communicate? Is there the proverbial elephant in the room that no one engages directly? Perhaps the different generations handle the awkwardness differently. What rights do contemporary Jews have to invoke [...]
Moving toward vege-veganism
March 24, 2010 by
By Mary Hofmann Eating Animals, by Jonathan SafranFoer, envisions a Passover without meatand provides compelling reasons why weshould consider moving toward becomingvegetarians/vegans in our scary newworld of factory “farming.” While Michael Pollan (Omnivore’sDilemma and Food Rules), Mark Bittman(Food Matters), Alan Weisman (The WorldWithout Us) and others aren’t as straightforwardin drawing parallels betweencurrent human behavior and [...]
Yes, the Rabbanit (Rebbetzin, Rabbi’s Wife) Yemima, Not the Rabba
March 24, 2010 by
By Batya Medad I wasn’t quite sure what was acceptablerecently, so I only took a couple ofpictures after it was over, and only one iseven barely acceptable.You can see her inthe distance wearing a black hat. Strange for me, I have troubleremembering her points, even though Iwas mesmerized and listened to everyword. But I’m very [...]
Rosh Hodesh: Finding strength one month at a time
January 27, 2010 by
by Amy Hirshberg Lederman I listened to the phone message from Cindy and knew that something was wrong. I could hear it in her voice, even through the static on my answering machine. I called her back immediately and my worst fears were confirmed: Cindy had breast cancer We didn’t speak often because Cindy needed [...]
Wineries and an Artist’s Colony in the Golan Heights
December 18, 2009 by
By Sybil Kaplan How would you feel if you could swallow less than a tablespoon of something every day and know it would prevent heart disease and bad cholesterol, destroy cancer cells and even stop the development of cancer? If you are a diabetic, it would balance the level of insulin in the blood. A [...]
Shopping in Jerusalem, something for every taste
December 2, 2009 by
By Batya Medad Your browser may not support display of this image. Your browser may not support display of this image. I always get a kick out of the store window reflections, even when there’s nothing I would buy. I’ve never liked snoods. I think of them as colored undershirts with spikes. Your browser may [...]
Variety of interesting stories
December 2, 2009 by
By Sybil Kaplan When we lived in Overland Park, I did my weekly shopping at the local supermarket, Price Chopper, or the one with the large kosher sections, Hen House, supplemented by the Wal-Mart neighborhood store. One of the stock items I bought was toilet paper most frequently four packs but sometimes more. This was [...]
