Paula Jacobs is a writer in the Boston area.
Paula Jacobs
By Paula Jacobs
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Life 18 Tikkun Leyl Shavuot to help you celebrate the holiday — wherever you are
An often-overlooked spring holiday, Shavuot commemorates the moment when God gave the Torah to the Jewish people. For generations, Jews have celebrated with communal Torah study sessions, called “Tikkun Leyl Shavuot,” that last long into the night, often until dawn. Because of coronavirus, most tikkunim are taking place virtually this year. Although you can’t gather…
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News How to celebrate Shavuot wherever you are: A Forward guide
Atlanta The Atlanta Rabbinical Association (ARA) will host a community-wide virtual Tikkun Leil Shavuot on Thursday, May 28th, beginning at 6 p.m., with multiple tracks and prayer services. Teachers will include: 2018 James Beard winner Michael Twitty, Rabbi Brad Artson of the American Jewish University, Dr. Judith Hauptman of the Jewish Theological Seminary, Professor Paul…
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News Zoom will help create ‘one grand community’ this Shavuot
Across North America, community-wide Shavuot study programs have long bridged organizational divides, building Jewish community over Torah study and cheesecake. Today, the global pandemic precludes these in-person gatherings. Instead, organizations are using virtual technology platforms such as Zoom to achieve the same goals. A slew of innovative Shavuot programs are planned that will expand the…
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Community The power of spiritual community in a chaotic world
March 15th is a day etched in my memory. That Sunday evening, the minyan at my Conservative shul went virtual. Earlier in the day, our Massachusetts governor, Charlie Baker, had limited gatherings to 25 people. Later that month, full-fledged social distancing and sheltering at home would go into effect. That evening, I also decided to…
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Community What It’s Like To Be A Hebrew Scholar — Who Grew Up In Rural China
A small peasant village in northern China seems an unlikely birthplace for a Judaic studies scholar and Hebrew language buff. But then again, Yan Wang never anticipated how far he would travel on his life’s journey, where his studies would lead, and the career path he would ultimately take. For Yan, the journey began after…
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Life Biblical Heroine Serah bat Asher, a “Nasty Woman” For Our Times
During the first month of the Trump administration, my thoughts turn to Serah bat Asher, the immortal witness to Jewish history. Because of her many good deeds, rabbinical tradition ascribes to her eternal life as one of the seven who entered the Garden of Eden. We first encounter Serah bat Asher in the Torah (Genesis…
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Community When National Bobblehead Day Isn’t A Laughing Matter
Mark your calendar: January 7th is the 3rd Annual Bobblehead Day. Ordinarily I would pay as little attention to National Bobblehead Day as to “Name Your Car Day” and those sundry national calendar days promoted on social media feeds. But during these extraordinary times, I can’t stop thinking about the bobblehead that I inherited —…
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