By Rachel Meyers “Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your […]
Archives for 2010
Reflecting, Marveling, Looking for Bar/Bat Mitzvah Markers
May 11, 2010 by
By Sigal Tavel Coming of age ceremonies are evident in almost all cultures around the world. In Australia and New Zealand, a party called The Twenty-First marks the 21st birthday of a boy or girl. The Japanese celebrate a similar day for 20-year-olds as a national holiday called the Coming of Age Day on the […]
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 – by Amy Hirshberg Lederman
January 27, 2010 by
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 to conserve her energy […]
