By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist I arrived at Seattle’s Frye Art Museum to interview Frieda Sondland, finding her in the lobby getting the rock-star treatment from a handful of admirers. Frieda has received much notice, including a feature in the Seattle Times, for being a citizen curator of one ofContinue Reading
By Mark D. Blitzer, , Seattle I applaud the opening of a Jewish delicatessen in Olympia (“Olympia deli tickles mind, soul and stomach,” Feb. 10). Obviously, an expanded Jewish presence in a place like Olympia is a good thing — and what better than a deli showcasing good-tasting Jewish food?Continue Reading
By Rabbi Oren J. Hayon, Greenstein Family Executive Director, Hillel UW I was grateful to see the editorial by Wayne L. Firestone, Hillel’s president and CEO, reprinted in the JTNews last week (“Colleges playing catch-up on Israel,” February 10). Firestone is absolutely correct when he points out that the restContinue Reading
By Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus, Temple De Hirsch Sinai A seasoned Jewish educator at a large Reform congregation once asked his religious school parents about their most meaningful Jewish childhood experiences. Without a doubt, attending Jewish camp was at the top of the list. There is no question that oneContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist Nineteenth and 20th-century Yiddish and Russian literature and drama is her field, but UW Professor Barbara Henry is not Jewish. Yiddish was in the water where she grew up in New Jersey, she explains. She loved klezmer as a child and “wanted to know whatContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik , JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, Have you heard about the latest literary challenge? Six word memoirs! I read about them in the latest O magazine. Here is what it’s all about: Larry Smith threw out a challenge on his online publication, SMITH Magazine. It seems heContinue Reading
By David Saperstein and William Daroff , JTA World News Service WASHINGTON (JTA) — During February, Jewish communities across North America observe Jewish Disability Awareness Month. It is an opportunity for us to raise awareness of the needs, strengths, opportunities and challenges of individuals with disabilities in our communities, andContinue Reading
By Paula Libes Chester, , Mercer Island I am frankly puzzled by Robert Wilkes’s extensive dissection of Omar Barghouti’s January 5 talk at our local landmark, St. Mark’s Cathedral (“Barghouti’s own life reveals the BDS deception,” Jan.27). Let’s begin by separating objective facts from opinion. BDS stands for boycott, divestment,Continue Reading
By Ruth Messinger with Jordan Namerow , Shma.com (Sh’ma) — E.F. Schumacher’s 1973 classic Small is Beautiful introduced many of us to the concept of “enoughness” — the antidote to scarcity and the moderation of excess. It’s a concept that I hope calibrates my consumption habits wherever I am —Continue Reading
By Rabbi Rob Toren, Samis Foundation Much has been written lately in these pages about Professor Martin Jaffee’s final (alas!) column, his and the editor’s apologies, letters of praise and castigation. One letter inspired me to look into our traditional Jewish sources, providing a “teachable moment,” an opportunity to learnContinue Reading
By Wayne L. Firestone , JTA World News Service WASHINGTON (JTA) — Just as college students were finishing their winter exams, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg selected a partnership of The Technion Israel Institute of Technology and Cornell University to build a campus on Roosevelt Island that will become aContinue Reading
By Janis Siegel , JTNews Columnist The search for love and happiness often takes strategy and planning for many women at different stages of their lives, and often runs the gamut, typically from bars to boyfriends to betrothal to babies. And on that road to bliss and fulfillment, a girlContinue Reading
By Diana Brement , JTNews Columnist Jamie Peha gets to do what she loves best — work with food and wine. Jamie started Peha Promotions, her food and beverage marketing and PR business, seven years ago. This former hospitality major at WSU managed restaurants for 20 years before becoming marketingContinue Reading
By Rabbi Sarah Newmark, Congregation Beth Hatikvah Several weeks ago, I received an email from husband/wife rabbi friends announcing the arrival of their firstborn child, a son, after many years of disappointment. The proud father wrote, “We honor the miracle of IVF and thank God for the miracle of childbirthContinue Reading
By Robert Wilkes , Special to JTNews I was an interested people-watcher at the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions presentation hosted at Seattle’s St. Mark’s Cathedral on January 5. The featured speaker was author and intellectual Omar Barghouti, now of Ramallah in the West Bank. The hall was packed with well-meaningContinue Reading
By Rabbi Will Berkovitz , Special to JTNews Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where others see nothing. —Pissarro The priest walked past the prostitutes every day. He had no choice. They were stationed along the narrow road across from his seminary in Italy. But itContinue Reading
By Diana Brement , JTNews Columnist Even though her performance career in ballet didn’t last very long, Marjorie Thompson still feels the influence of her early years dancing with the New York City Ballet, “when George Balanchine was artistic director,” she says. “I was there at the right time,” reflectsContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik , JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, It is that time of year when “Best of the Year” lists meet the awards season. It can be a full-time job keeping up! First our attention goes to the Golden Globe, then the People’s Choice, then, finally the Oscars. IContinue Reading
By Barbara Cooper, , Anacortes I am very disappointed in your response to Martin Jaffee’s article about Myron Cohon (“To the family of Myron Cohon and our community,” Dec. 23). He made a mistake. I’m sure his apology is sincere and he should be forgiven for his lapse. I amContinue Reading
By Perry Weinberg, , Seattle I was saddened and disappointed to read that Professor Martin Jaffee will no longer be writing his column for this paper (To the family of Myron Cohon and our community). He obviously made incorrect and hurtful assumptions in his last column about Myron Cohon, andContinue Reading
