By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, I know this time of year is a mourning period for the Temple and that there is a tradition to not marry, have celebrations or eat meat. I find this very hard to relate to and a real stretch emotionally. What doesContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist The Seattle Film Institute observes its 15th anniversary this year, according to founder and executive director, David Shulman. He made 1994 “the birthday of the school” because it was “the first time we had a brochure that was put out to the public.” Before that,Continue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, I have been asked to participate in the wedding ceremony of a close friend. They have graciously given me the honor of reciting the sixth of the seven blessings under the chuppah. I want to understand the blessing and its context, butContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist Barbara Rosen, a 2001 Mercer Island High School graduate, will be a Fulbright Scholar this coming academic year, researching economic development in Peru. She’ll study “Financial Inclusion for Women in Rural Peru” out of the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos, a research institute in Lima. “MyContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist Last issue we had MOTs who are granddaughter and grandfather. This issue we feature a mother and son. Bernice Kegel sent me a link to a very moving film about the Prosthetics Outreach Foundation and one of their missions to Vietnam. A physical therapist, BerniceContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, I just read a news article about a number of Israeli leaders coming out with a new stance toward trips such as March of the Living, which offers Jewish teenagers an opportunity to visit the concentration camps in Poland. The detractors areContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist The Foundation for Jewish Camp wants your middle schooler to go to Jewish camp! To that end, they’ve started the JWest program to provide incentives for kids to attend one of the 20 independent, non-profit Jewish residential camps in the western U.S. Seattle’s Michele YanowContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist When I enter the big, bright professional kitchen in Seattle’s Maple Leaf neighborhood it’s almost empty, but the arrival of eight boys and girls transforms it into a hive of activity. The kids, all around age 11, are Debbie Brownstein’s afternoon class at The KitchenContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist Daniel Asia wasn’t in town to hear his Breath in a Ram’s Horn performed at Music of Remembrance’s free Sparks of Glory outreach series on April 18. It wasn’t the first time, however, that MOR has presented a piece by the Seattle-born composer. “They’ve doneContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist I last spoke to Gila Cadry three years ago. The Mercer Island resident who uses sound as a healing tool had recently released her first CD. Now she has a second one out called The Song of Songs: King Solomon’s Songs of Divine Union. ThisContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, I am looking for a concise authentic source that communicates the core values of Judaism. I often hear people quote beautiful passages and I always wonder where they get them from. Jewishly speaking, I am not the most learned person, but neitherContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist After a five-year tenure as executive director of National Council of Jewish Women, Seattle section, Lauren Simonds was both sad and excited to inform the community that she had taken a new job as executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. Lauren announced her job changeContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, Though Pesach is still a few weeks away, plans are already underway in our home for seder night. Here’s our family’s question. Different segments of our relatives have different practices when it comes to the afikomen. I say that the adults hideContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist Boaz Pnini would like to share some good news. No, not financial news — sorry — but news about Israel. “What we know about Israel comes from the media and relates to the conflict, but real life in Israel is 95 percent about other things,”Continue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist R. David Frum has been appointed chairman of the board of Habitat for Humanity of Seattle/South King County. He was on the board for three years before taking the leadership position, serving on the interfaith and executive committees. “I work downtown and I’m very muchContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, I visited my grown children over winter break and saw to my horror that at bedtime they turn on a CD player and allow it to “sing” the children to sleep. I was horrified. Bedtime is for snuggling! Lullabies were meant toContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist I usually try to find a “hook” before I write about someone — journalist lingo for, “what’s going to grab my reader?” Yet sometimes I meet someone so interesting that I want to write about them, hook or not. So meet Roberta Feins, independent computerContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist A 30th anniversary is significant enough for most things, but it’s a noteworthy, if not momentous occasion for a restaurant, and this month Karen Binder, owner of Seattle’s Madison Park Café, celebrates 30 years in business. She and her former business partner started the caféContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, What’s a Jew to do? One positive aspect about the developments in the Mideast is that it has pushed the Bernie Madoff story deeper into the nightly news programs. Now, there might be a remote possibility that the last human to findContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist Amy Hilzman-Paquette, principal of Hebrew High (the Community High School of Jewish Studies, more formally) has been selected to attend this year’s Institute for Informal Jewish Education’s Legacy Heritage leadership seminar, which starts in February. The institute is based at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass.,Continue Reading
