Esther Ticktin, who inspired generations of Jewish students and turned Jewish feminism into a down-to-earth practice, died Friday at age 91.
On a wall in the Autry Center’s exhibit about the history of Jews in Los Angeles, hangs a t-shirt. And behind that t-shirt, lies a personal story.
Earlier this month I hosted a Tu B’shvat gathering for our havurah focused on the shivat haminim — a seven species — “deconstructed” seder. With 25 kids, we opted for heavy on the deconstructed, light on the seder and decided to have a potluck where each family brought a dish incorporating one or more species of Israel. Ideas, recipes and questions about the ingredients flew back and forth on Twitter and Facebook prior to the gathering. For many, this was a new concept and people wanted to know: What are these items? Where does the Torah make reference to them? Which of these are locally grown here in Georgia? What in the world is date honey, and did they even cultivate bees in Ancient Israel?