A Covid-19 Chanukah
Like the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire, Jews today have their own 2020 oppressor–Covid-19. With a few smart choices, we can lick this villain, too. v
Jewish Values Grandma Taught Me
My grandma taught me Jewish values that can provide a moral compass for us all.
The Year Passover (Easter and Ramadan) Was Cancelled
The coronavirus epidemic has cancelled Passover, Easter, and Ramadan. What can Jews, Christians, and Muslims do?
In the Loop
Here’s how one deaf man stays in the loop during the Passover holiday.
6 Thanksgiving celebrations around the globe
In the United States, we observe Thanksgiving the last Thursday in November. It’s a cornucopia-filled holiday with traditions unique to America. It is celebrated to give thanks for the fall harvest with historical references to native Indians and Pilgrim settlers. Americans are not the only country that ritualizes a feast of thanks. Many other countries…
American Sign Language | Deaf | Disabilities | education | Hard-of-hearing | History | Jewish Holidays | Judaism | non-fiction
Judaism and the Deaf Jew
I was a member of Temple Judea, a reform synagogue in Tarzana, California, for twenty-five years. Even after a virus robbed me of most of my hearing and forced me out of my tenured sixth grade teaching assignment, I stayed a temple member. Though I couldn’t understand a word of the rabbi’s sermons or capable…
Why Matzah?
Dear Pop, Last year I was invited to my first Passover Seder at a home in Encino. I really enjoyed myself as everyone read from the Haggadah, the spiritual text, but that matzah. Why do Jews eat that tasteless, flour/water flatbread for eight days and why do some Jews have two Seders? Curious Christian Dear…
The Passover story: Fact or Fiction?
Passover, the Jewish celebration of the Exodus, begins Friday evening, April 19, 2019 with the first Seder, and ends Saturday evening, April 27. This is the time when Jews throughout the world remember the years their ancestors were slaves in Egypt and escaped under the leadership of Moses. Carol Meyers, an archeologist and professor…
New Years Around the World
Celebrating New Year on January 1 is a relatively new trend. New Year’s Day, a civil event and a date not fixed by any natural seasonal marker, was first celebrated by the Romans. They picked this date to honor their god Janus, the god of all beginnings. A double-faced head represented Janus with…
A True Chanukah Story: George Washington’s First Chanukah
Jews have lived in the United States since colonial times celebrating Chanukah along with their other holidays. In this article you’ll see how Chanukah has inspired one of America’s greatest leaders, General George Washington. On December 19, 1777 General Washington and his Continental Army arrived at Valley Forge. Many of the General’s…