Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away (a.k.a. when I attended Sunday School as a child), I recall grasping the parallel between Hanukkah’s miracle of a vial of oil lasting 8 days and frying latkes in oil. It made sense then just as it does in my adulthood.However,...

The more recent news from my native country Bolivia, where almost all my family lives, is good for democracy and good for the Jews. When I was living in that central South American country in 2006, the newly elected “indigenous” socialist President...

Last month, on a below freezing day, I rode the Amtrak train from my home in Chicago to my childhood home of St. Louis. I was on my way to a Breaking the Silence event at Congregation B’nai Amoona. Breaking the Silence is an organization of former...

Embarrassment, dismay at company’s practicesAs a volunteer tutor through OASIS, I recently had the privilege of attending a workshop presented by Bruce Hunter, a former school principal and facilitator for “CharacterPlus.” A program initiated by...

RAMLA, Israel — This year, American Thanksgiving and the Ethiopian-Israeli Sigd Festival fell just one day apart. The Sigd Festival is celebrated each year on the Hebrew date of 29 Heshvan, 50 days after Yom Kippur. It is the “festival of supplication,”...

In international conflicts, history is more of a weapon than a field of study. That’s why the history of Palestinian Arab refugees is so well-known. Far less understood is the story of Jewish refugees from Arab lands, who were at least comparable to,...

The choice is oursIn response to the Nov. 27 commentary “Two Events One Week Apart,” I offer my impression of two events four days apart that deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Full disclosure, I am a co-sponsor of the second event.The first...

NEW YORK (JTA) — Here we go again: Just this week, two more cases of the abuse of Holocaust imagery have surfaced and created an international stir. In November, Russian figure skater Anton Shulepov wore an Auschwitz-themed costume during his free...

Our two political parties often have been criticized as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, offering voters relatively little difference in the policy positions of their presidential candidates, compared to the much clearer leadership choices presented by European...

I recently attended two programs dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian situation. The audience reactions were a dramatic study in contrasts that disturbed me greatly. I am not a member of any of the organizations presenting the programs. I attended each...

An invitation to learn more about St. Louis Friends of IsraelIn the Jewish Light’s Nov. 20 article about the “Breaking the Silence” event (hosted by J Street and The New Israel Fund at Congregation B’nai Amoona) mentioned a local, pro-Israel advocacy...

“Do Jewish people celebrate Thanksgiving?”I have been asked this a multitude of times throughout my life, and it never ceases to confound me. After all, most Jews also identify as Americans; as such, we happily embrace and partake in Thanksgiving...