by Webmaster | Jun 16, 2014 | Holidays, Identity
Despite the fact that it’s a celebration, I have bittersweet feelings about Juneteenth. Its origins are traced to Union troops arriving in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, bringing the news of freedom to that region’s slaves—months after the South’s surrender and...
by Webmaster | Jun 10, 2014 | Identity, Jewish Ritual
For many, Father’s Day is a time to honor our fathers, and this year, it has particular significance to my family. After my dad, Alan Skobin, survived an emotional battle with a rare form of pancreatic cancer, I am thrilled we get another opportunity to celebrate such...
by Shekhiynah Larks | Jun 2, 2014 | Identity, Recipes
What makes a fish taste Jewish? For some, the immediate answer will be pickling and a former home in freshwater. For others, the fish must be salmon-colored and, of course, smoked. For others still, Jewish fish is carp—poached, sweet, and served cold. For Jews in...
by Shekhiynah Larks | May 27, 2014 | Holidays, Identity
According to Jewish tradition, the Torah has seventy “faces,” but is still one, unified Torah. On Shavuot, we celebrate the giving of Torah at Mount Sinai with customs that celebrate the gift of Torah, and show the same diverse presentation of a few unifying core...
by Intern | May 20, 2014 | Arts & Culture, Identity
Mom. Mommy. Ima. Madre. Mother. No matter how many ways I say it, the concept still catches me by surprise sometimes. I am a mother now. Up until 7 months ago when someone would ask me a defining attribute of myself, I would have said I’m a Ladino singer. That’s what...
by Webmaster | May 13, 2014 | Identity
It’s hard to kvetch about being a Japanese Jew when you’re being spoiled by ladles of chicken schmaltz spoon-fed to you by your father, while your mother asks if you would like some more teriyaki sauce on your beef yakitori. And did I mention my parents arguing about...
