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...
Aug 25, 2016
For the past eighteen years, school was all I knew. I realized that being a student had become my identity after someone asked me what I liked to do for fun, and I just stood there trying to come up with an answer. During my time at San Jose State, I pulled all-nighters to cram...
Aug 18, 2016
Many professionals have had the experience of interning during their college years. Completing an internship can have a formative effect on students and their soft skills. This summer, four college students had the opportunity to intern in a variety of departments at the Oshman Family JCC including Member Services, Camps,...
Aug 11, 2016
Thank you for making my first Maccabi Games such a blast! It was the most fun I’d had in a while… I really appreciate all the work you guys put into making the games function as well as they did. I’ll be back next year to help our team take...
Aug 4, 2016
Teaching over 200 Zumba® participants per week, I have had every type of student: the professional dancer, the front row diva, the can’t-remember-the-moves-but-giving-it-my-all student, the high-impact guru, the leisurely dancer and more. But I’ve noticed there is one type of Zumba® participant who gets the most out of every workout. No matter...