Sep 30, 2016
For me, Rosh Hashanah eve is a wonderful celebration of the Jewish New Year which includes friends and family gathering around a delicious and festive meal. The past few years have brought new dietary challenges for us, however. Like many, we have new restrictions in place on what we can bring...
Sep 28, 2016
I have a favorite ritual at Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, and it has nothing to do with synagogue, seeing family or even eating special foods. For the last eight years, I’ve participated in Reboot’s 10Q, an online platform for participants to answer one question per day in their...
Arts and Culture / Jewish Life
Sep 21, 2016
Opera is not kind to its female characters. Most of them suffer until the bitter end. In their suffering, many female roles are decidedly vocal. In Jewish mythology, a dybbuk is a malicious spirit that possesses the body of a living person until it has accomplished its task. Until recently, S. Ansky’s...
Sep 15, 2016
With reports of this past month being the hottest August since recordings began, it’s important to take a moment to think of how we are treating the environment and the world around us. There is a story that comes from the Mishnah, part of the Hebrew oral Torah. There is a...
Sep 8, 2016
Pirkei Avot, the traditional compilation of Hebrew ethical teachings, contains a well-known line attributed to Rabbi Tarfon about accomplishment: “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it (2:21).” The meaning of this line is that while it may not be possible...
Sep 2, 2016
You may have noticed that the Oshman Family JCC was closed on Friday, August 26. If you were wondering why, the answer is simple: preparedness. Many people are vaguely aware that an emergency disaster situation is possible but few of us have taken concrete steps to prepare for it. Friday, August 26 at...