by Webmaster | Jan 5, 2016 | Identity
For many of us going to a new synagogue or Jewish environment is tough. We spend time beforehand wondering if we will know anyone, will we feel comfortable, or something as simple as will anyone say hello to me. For me, this last piece has always been something I’ve...
by Webmaster | Dec 15, 2015 | Holidays, Identity
My wife and I are a multiracial couple. She’s Black. I’m White. Our 4-year-old son is biracial. My wife grew up Christian and converted to Judaism. She is, as they say, a “Jew by choice.” Her choice, to be sure (though, if pressed, I’m sure my mother would say it was...
by Webmaster | Dec 7, 2015 | Holidays, Identity
This year, Hanukkah has special meaning for the Abayudaya Jews of Uganda. Hanukkah is not a major holiday like Shabbat or Passover because it is not written about in the Torah. But its story is important to us. It is a story of the few against the many. It is a story...
by Webmaster | Dec 1, 2015 | Holidays, Identity, Recipes
As a convert, I have always felt a special responsibility to actively choose Judaism. Each new choice I make reminds me to live a Jewish life with kavanah, with loving intent. I have to make being Jewish happen. My fledgling faith was galvanized by the charge to make...
by Webmaster | Nov 24, 2015 | Identity
As I approached the Temple Sinai of Sharon, Massachusetts the words of King David’s Psalms could be heard from the street, and the pulsing prayers on Ezra’s behalf were rising skyward. Police and security were stationed every few meters, their faces somber and...
by Webmaster | Nov 16, 2015 | Holidays, Identity, Recipes
We fought the Greeks, and the victory was ours!” (Traditional Israeli Hanukkah song) Eating Greek at Hanukkah might seem like a contradiction. After all, at Hanukkah time, there is a stark dichotomy drawn between Jews (good) and Greeks (bad). According to the...
