By Rabbi Seth Goldstein, Temple Beth Hatfiloh Here is a scenario: A synagogue is faced with a tight budget. Examining its options, the board of the congregation decides not to do any additional fundraising, but instead decides to just cut programs. Doesn’t sound too realistic? As a congregational rabbi myself,Continue Reading
By Diana Brement, Jewish Sound Columnist 1 “Incredibly grateful” is how Talya Gillman describes feeling about receiving a Pomegranate Prize from the Covenant Foundation. The foundation, which supports Jewish education across North America and across denominations, gives this prize specifically to emerging leaders in the field. It’s a companion toContinue Reading
By Shelley Adatto Baumgarten, Jewish Sound Columnist The festival of Purim falls on the 14th day of the month of Adar, which is early springtime. Purim, the Hebrew word for lottery, is a great cause for rejoicing. After all, we recall Queen Esther, after concealing her Jewish identity for the sakeContinue Reading
By David Shayne, Special to The Jewish Sound “In other cases, the more or less universally used description of ‘eligibility” [to be considered ‘refugees’] included those people who were forced to leave ‘permanent’ or ‘habitual’ homes. In the case of Arab refugees, however, the definition had been broadened to includeContinue Reading
By Ed Harris, Jewish Sound Columnist Jews have a long history, until relatively recently, as outsiders. This collective cultural memory served me well during the recent Seahawks playoff run, which ended in heartbreaking fashion for most — but not all — of the local denizens. One exception: the author ofContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, Jewish Sound Columnist Dear Rivy, Is it “Jewish” to be so saddened and consumed by loss of a football team — or any professional sport? Personally, I am not this way. But surveying the Facebook postings and media reports after the Seahawks lost the Super Bowl,Continue Reading
By Rabbi Shaul Engelsberg, Derech Emunah Seattle Jewish Girls High School My wife’s grandfather, Mordechai Szimonowitz, survived World War II. When the Nazis forced all the Jews of Budapest, Hungary to move into the ghetto, Zeide — as we called him — was able to procure false identification papers andContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, Jewish Sound Columnist Think of it as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah of sorts: This Sunday, Rabbi Jay and Janine Rosenbaum of Mercer Island’s Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation will be honored for 13 years of service at the congregation’s Legacy Brunch. “In our tradition we look atContinue Reading
By Janis Siegel, Jewish Sound Columnist Most mothers know that singing to their baby can be a special time between mother and child and that they don’t have to sound like Barbra Streisand or Taylor Swift to do it. But if your new bundle of joy was born prematurely, as,Continue Reading
By Jamie Rubin, Kveller.com (Kveller via JTA) — Since the news of the recent Disneyland measles outbreak and the subsequent chatter on Facebook began, I discovered I have at least four Facebook friends (and likely a few more) with healthy, non-immunocompromised, vaccine-aged children who have decided, for non-medical reasons, to not vaccinate.Continue Reading
By Michael Natkin, Jewish Sound Columnist This simple, warming side dish goes well with mac and cheese or a rustic soup and salad. It might be just the ticket to converting a confirmed Brussels sprout hater into a true believer. I’ve also been known to fry up a plate justContinue Reading
By Ed Harris, Jewish Sound Columnist I recently visited Los Angeles, which delivered a sharp reminder, in the form of spectacular weather, that I don’t live there. Every choice we make represents a set of tradeoffs. Seattle is glorious — for at best six months of the year. The restContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, Till now, when discussing the horrors of our history — persecutions, pogroms, and of course, the Holocaust — with our children it has generally been a conversation about the past; the way things once were, far away times, the way people usedContinue Reading
Diana Brement, Jewish Sound Columnist 1. A confluence of ideas and connections brought Seattle its first Ashkenazic pop-up restaurant. Josh Furman of Hillel’s JConnect says his organization wants Seattle “to be an amazing place for young Jews, and this means events and opportunities that take on a number of forms.” AndContinue Reading
By Susanna Heschel, JTA World News Service HANOVER, N.H. (JTA) — The 50th anniversary of the 1965 march at Selma is being commemorated this year with the release of the film “Selma.” Regrettably, the film represents the march as many see it today, only as an act of political protest.Continue Reading
By Mayim Bialik, Kveller/JTA World News Service I grew up in a public school that had enough Jewish kids that I felt represented. I went to Hebrew school twice a week and had a chavurah, or fellowship, through my Reform synagogue with kids my age. A portion of my family was Orthodox. IContinue Reading
By Shelley Adatto-Baumgarten, Jewish Sound Columnist Editor’s note: This article marks the first of a monthly column that will focus on the history of Sephardic foods — with recipes. We hope you enjoy it. In just a few weeks, it will be Tu B’Shevat. What? In the winter? What anContinue Reading
By Maital Friedman NEW YORK (JTA) — The events of the last few weeks have shaken me to the core. Beyond the devastation I felt over the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, I was heartbroken to learn that the police officers involved would not stand trial. “Hands up!Continue Reading
By Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin A eulogy by President Rivlin at the funeral in Jerusalem for the victims of the attack on the kosher shop in Paris: Dear families, Yoav, Yohan, Philippe, Francois-Michel, this is not how we wanted to welcome you to Israel. This is not how we wantedContinue Reading
By Simone Rodan-Benzaquen PARIS (JTA) — The kosher supermarket was chosen deliberately. Men, women and children were shopping and preparing for Shabbat. Only two days before the attack, terrorists had left 10 of the best-known satirical journalists and cartoonists dead at Charlie Hebdo. Three French police officers were also struckContinue Reading
