Red Bean Hamantaschen

Red Bean Hamantaschen

A few years ago, my mother’s good friend Elizabeth asked her for a hamantaschen recipe.  This sent my mother down a rabbit-hole in search of the perfect hamantaschen.  The quest lasted for several months.  She tried many different approaches to the dough and...
Growing Up To Embrace Chinese-Israeli Heritage

Growing Up To Embrace Chinese-Israeli Heritage

Growing up, Taili He-Brenners imagined that as an adult she would leave rituals she observed with her parents’ families behind. Shabbat dinners with her mother’s side and Lunar New Year with her father’s side were somewhat dull. “Growing up I did not care about...
Jewish Echos at Korean New Year

Jewish Echos at Korean New Year

This week was a particularly memorable first in a year of many firsts. Eight months ago, our family moved from our long-time home in New York to my wife’s hometown of Seoul, Korea. It was difficult to uproot ourselves and leave behind our beloved city. However, our...
Three New Years

Three New Years

Our family is Jewish and Chinese: one of us was born in New York City to Chinese immigrant parents, and the other to a European American couple in Michigan. From the moment we met and became a couple, our family culture and traditions have been fully Jewish, fully...