By Diana Brement , JTNews Columnist “This is the first time I’ve been the main, lead part,” notes Jack Fleischmann, 12, one of the two boys playing of Oliver in The 5th Avenue Theatre production of “Oliver!” which opened in Seattle last week. Speaking to him a few hours beforeContinue Reading
By Rabbi Aaron Meyer , Temple De Hirsch Sinai So named for the little bit of coffee added to a greater quantity of milk, turning the norm on its head, or perhaps for the order in which the ingredients are combined, Cafe Hafuch, upside-down coffee, is the Israeli answer toContinue Reading
By Michael Natkin , JTNews Columnist Things this soup will not do: Win any beauty contests. Things this soup will do: Warm you to your core on a cold day. Nourish you. Fill your belly. Leave you with an abiding sense of contentment. Possibly wash and fold your clothes. ThisContinue Reading
By Steven M. Cohen and Kerry Olitzky , JTA World News Service NEW YORK (JTA)—Right now, there is just one way for someone who is not Jewish to become Jewish in a publicly recognized and officially authorized fashion: undergo religious conversion under the auspices of a rabbi. Whether the pathContinue Reading
By Harold Berman , JTA World News Service EFRAT, West Bank (JTA)—The reputable car dealer’s advertisement in the local paper screams “Brand New Mercedes—Only $500!” You get excited but think it sounds too good to be true. Upon closer inspection, it is: The car dealer is offering only the hubcapsContinue Reading
By Diana Brement , JTNews Columnist After her brother Mark Koller died from kidney cancer in 2011 at age 51, it set Lisa Kutzke on a quest “to do something in memory of him.” One day the long-time Stroum Jewish Community Center fitness trainer spotted her client, Thellea Leveque, sittingContinue Reading
By Edwin Black , JTA World News Service WASHINGTON (JTA) — As the current round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks flounder and seek to regain momentum, many are wondering what America can do with its prodigious economic resources to encourage peace and reconciliation between the parties. For this reason, it mayContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik , JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, Let’s talk about those who are adamantly against Thanksgivukkah. Thanksgiving is Thanksgiving — it’s American and its celebration marks an adaptation into American society. Hanukkah is Hanukkah — it’s a festival that celebrates the distinction between Jews and the prevailing culture.Continue Reading
By Rabbi Lauren Kurland , Special to JTNews As you may have guessed from the incredibly close proximity of Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah this year, Hanukkah is also coming early — so early, in fact, that rather than coinciding with Christmas, its usual American holiday tango partner, this yearContinue Reading
By Ed Harris , JTNews Columnist It’s time to celebrate Thanksgiving, and like all families, we have our own traditions, some inherited, some of our own creation. Shortly after we moved to Seattle in 1990, my parents gave us a roasting pan as a gift. Before we had moved, myContinue Reading
By Susan Axe-Bronk, Author, “The Vanishing Gourds”, I appreciate Rita Berman Frischer’s review (“Some bookahs for your sukkah,” Sept. 11, online) of “The Vanishing Gourds.” I’m so happy when I find that my story has evoked fond Sukkot memories in readers. It’s been gratifying, as well, to hear non-Jews relateContinue Reading
By , I was intrigued by Laurie Frankel’s second novel, “Good-bye For Now.” When Laurie’s protagonist Sam, a brilliant computer programmer, is fired from his job, he begins casting about for something to do. Seeing his girlfriend Meredith so bereaved by her grandmother’s unexpected death, Sam devises a way toContinue Reading
By Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum , Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation When we had a high school class on Muslim-Jewish dialogue last year, I asked our Herzl-Ner Tamid students to agree or disagree with the following statement: “There will never be peace between Israel and the Palestinians.” Nine of the 10 studentsContinue Reading
By Michael Natkin , JTNews Columnist Arancini. “Little oranges.” Only these guys aren’t quite so healthy as a piece of citrus. They are actually balls of risotto, stuffed with molten cheese, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried, which makes them a perfect change of pace for Hanukkah. Arancini are traditionallyContinue Reading
By Rabbi Ron-Ami Meyers, Congregation Ezra Bessaroth For most Americans, November means Thanksgiving is just around the corner. This year, in an unusual confluence of the Gregorian and Jewish calendars, Hanukkah falls out on Thanksgiving. According to my sources, it will only happen again in the year 79,811! This year’sContinue Reading
By Janis Siegel , JTNews Columnist If you’re baffled by Initiative Measure No. 522, the proposed genetically modified food labeling ballot measure in the upcoming Nov. 2013 Washington State election, it might be instructive to explore Israel’s agricultural research and its regulation of GM foods. It may not necessarily clarifyContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, JTNews Columnist You’re right —there have been a huge amount of reactions, analyses and responses to the report, along with key data points reported throughout the Jewish and general media. As with most surveys, nothing is shockingly new, nor is it all bad or all good.Continue Reading
By Ed Harris , JTNews Columnist Judaism is a religion in which one of the principal values is to honor one’s mother and father, as I’ve tried to explain to my own kids countless times. Yet, the first Jew, Abraham, started his career by rebelling against his own father, Terach,Continue Reading
By Rabbi Zari Weiss , Kol HaNeshamah West Seattle’s Progressive Community As I wrote this article, the House and Senate — after 16 days — finally agreed to raise the debt ceiling, narrowly averting a government shutdown. Now talks must begin in earnest to figure out a budget acceptable toContinue Reading
By Diana Brement , JTNews Columnist Since graduating from Northwest Yeshiva High School in 2006, Elisheva Goldberg has achieved her goal of living and working in Israel. The resident of Jerusalem’s Abu Tor neighborhood (and former JTNews intern) wears two professional hats: She is an international relations analyst and editorContinue Reading
