1. Heads Up!
Surprise! Rosh Hashanah does not mean “New Year” in Hebrew. It actually means “Head of the Year.” Just like your head (brain) tells your body what to do, how you behave on Rosh Hashanah has far-reaching consequences for the...
Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel21c
• Published September 19, 2022
A young man walks into the Barsheshet & Ribak shofar factory in Tel Aviv a few weeks before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.
It’s nearly five o’clock and the workshop is shutting soon. But Eli Ribak is staying late anyway to talk to ISRAEL21c...
This article originally appeared on The Nosher.
We asked five noted chefs and food writers what they will serve at home to mark the Jewish New Year, and (spoiler alert) they all plan to weave symbols of sweetness — hallmarks of the holiday — into...
One of the most fun, family-friendly, holidays in the Jewish calendar is just around the corner—Sukkot (starting the evening of Sunday, Oct. 9 and ending the evening of Oct. 16). But if you have ever thought of building your own sukkah, now is the time...
By Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, Kveller
• Published August 31, 2022
The month of Elul is here! It’s a time leading up to Rosh Hashanah when we have the opportunity to tune in to our spiritual concerns, reflect on our dreams and challenges over the year that’s gone by, and consider areas for change and growth...
Betsy Schmidt, Special For The Jewish Light
• Published August 4, 2022
We have all been through so much these past 2 years. Not just Covid, but multiple mass shootings, racial and political tensions, the economy, and the destruction caused by changing weather patterns. Loss of life and place, loss of our daily life-patterns,...
MIMI DAVID, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
• Published July 20, 2022
Yael was a recent college graduate looking for her first teaching job in Israel. She finally found a position she thought she would enjoy, teaching beginner Hebrew skills to new Israeli immigrants in an ulpan. Nervous but confident in her creative classroom...
(JTA) — Norway’s Jewish community said it will petition the country’s Supreme Court unless observant Jews get more of their holidays recognized in the national calendar system.
The current law on national holidays, which was updated last year,...
What happens when we look at a painting? We see a familiar world through the eyes and brushstrokes of another, and suddenly it looks different from the way we normally see it.
Poetry uses words we know to create unexpected images and comparisons...
NAAMA BARAK, Israel21c.org
• Published June 2, 2022
Now that summer is upon us, it’s time to get ready for what is commonly considered the best holiday on the Jewish calendar: Shavuot. Coming seven weeks after Passover (Shavuot means “weeks” in Hebrew), Shavuot begins this year at nightfall on June...
The holiday of Shavuot is almost upon us, and here in Israel the country is opening up steadily day by day, bringing new festivity into the air. This will be the first chance for many families to celebrate a holiday together since Tu Bishvat in February,...
BILL MOTCHAN, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published May 18, 2022
Lag b’Omer begins tonight (May 18) at sunset. It’s a bit of a weird holiday because it commemorates a number: the 33rd day of the Omer, the 49-day period between Passover and Shavuot.
Lag b’Omer is also an oddity because there’s no real consensus...
