By , Special to JTNews Pesach to Shavuot is the time of preparation as we ascend from the consciousness of slaves leaving Egypt to the consciousness of a people receiving Revelation at Sinai. In the biblical period, Jews marked that time with the counting of the Omer. During the KabbalisticContinue Reading

By , Special to JTNews The growing Israeli population of the greater Seattle area will finally have an official Israeli cultural focal point, with the kick-off event of a new “Israeli House” on March 31 at 7:30 p.m. at the JCC on Mercer Island ($10 entrance fee to cover costs).Continue Reading

By , Special to JTNews Following the recommendations of its Strategic Planning Committee, the Washington State Jewish Historical Society has taken steps to increase the productivity and recognition of the organization by hiring a part-time executive director and establishing a free-standing office. Susan Levine, who had been the coordinator ofContinue Reading

By , Special to JTNews TACOMA — Author and columnist James Carroll will speak about “Anti-Semitism, History and Conscience: A Christian Reflects” on April 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kilworth Memorial Chapel at the University of Puget Sound. “I want to help people, especially college students, see this asContinue Reading

By Jessica Davis, JTNews Correspondent Fifty-two performers in the Eifman Ballet will make their Seattle debut at the University of Washington’s Meany Hall with “A Russian Hamlet: The Son of Catherine the Great,” through March 24. The company’s creator, Boris Eifman, although a non-practicing Jew, said that his choreography bringsContinue Reading

By Janis Siegel, JTNews Correspondent Jewish Family Service and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations have teamed up to be proactive against the rising divorce rate among Jewish couples in America. Seattle will be one of three cities to test a pilot program for couples who plan to marry calledContinue Reading

By Holly M. Redell, Special to JTNews “I have been an observant Jew since I was a baby,” says Miriam,* “and, to be honest, I was afraid to go to the seder last year because of who might see me there, especially that the rabbi would see me there.” InContinue Reading

By , Special to JTNews Community leaders asked to share a memory of Sam Stroum offered the following stories: “When we first came to town 27 years ago, Sam and Althea were among the first to greet us. They took Julie and me out to dinner and to the OperaContinue Reading

By Jessica Davis, JTNews Correspondent After contacting all of the synagogues in Washington state, the following said they would welcome you to join them during Passover: Second night seders Bet Alef Meditational Synagogue will host a seder on April 8 at East Shore Unitarian Church. Balabuste Catering will prepare theContinue Reading

By , Special to JTNews Clear your calendar for Sunday, April 1, if you haven’t done so already. You’ll want to set aside the entire day to experience the Seattle Jewish Festival at Seattle Center, from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Don’t forget daylight savings time begins on April 1).Continue Reading

By Donna Gordon Blankinship, Editor, JTNews To repair earthquake damage and bring the 1909 Seattle Hebrew Academy building up to the modern earthquake code could cost between $2.5 and $5 million, according to school officials. That puts an enormous burden on the owners of the nearly four-acre property, which wasContinue Reading

By Donna Gordon Blankinship, Editor, JTNews Another earthquake struck the greater Seattle Jewish community this month. The community’s leading philanthropist, Samuel N. Stroum, died on March 9 after an 11-month battle with pancreatic cancer. At a funeral service at Temple De Hirsch Sinai on March 11, rabbis, friends and Stroum’sContinue Reading

By David Chesanow, JTNews Correspondent Olympia’s Temple Beth Hatfiloh will hold its fourth annual “Blintzapalooza” blintz-making contest on Sunday, March 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The juried competition offers blintz artistes the chance to strut their stuffing, so to speak, and will raise funds for worthy causes inContinue Reading

By , Special to JTNews Multifaith Works is beginning a new project: forming a special volunteer CareTeam to provide support for one person or household living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Volunteers report that their Multifaith Works CareTeam service has brought rewards and blessings into their own lives. As one volunteerContinue Reading

By , Special to JTNews The girls’ varsity team at Northwest Yeshiva High School ended its 18—6 season on a high note, with a championship win at the Hillel invitational tournament in Miami. Coach Jed Davis praised the team for hard work that paid off in establishing the 613s asContinue Reading

By , Special to JTNews Diane Sigel and Robin Wehl, two women instrumental in the growth and success of the Pacific Northwest Region’s Young Judaea movement, have been chosen to receive honors at this year’s Community Havdalah, “M’Dor L’Dor—From Generation to Generation.” The Third Annual Havdalah, an evening for theContinue Reading

By , Special to JTNews Congregation Shaarei Tefilah-Lubavitch is dedicating its new synagogue in the View Ridge neighborhood on March 18. In keeping with centuries-old Jewish tradition, the move to the new synagogue will be celebrated by a festive procession during which the Torah scrolls will be carried through theContinue Reading

By Jessica Davis, JTNews Correspondent More than 200 people crowded the University of Washington’s Kane Hall to listen to a discussion about the Middle East peace process led by an Israeli and a Palestinian on Feb. 15. Jeff Halper, a Jewish-Israeli Professor of Anthropology at Ben Gurion University, and SalimContinue Reading

By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, Special to JTNews Many would imagine that it could be painful for a teacher to yield the front of the room. Segueing from confident expert to humble novice could be a bit complicated. My own transition from teacher to student causes a mild inner trauma. IContinue Reading