JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
What does tikkun olam look like? On Yom HaTzedek, a new holiday that falls on Pesach Sheni, it looks like a box. For Tobi Kahn, the renowned painter and sculptor, that box looks like a city awash in deep blue, its interior reflecting the heavens, its slot like a mailbox to God. On a Wednesday…
Beyond the usual candidate drama — including but not limited to issues of residency and alleged union-busting and sexual harassment allegations — the big story in this year’s New York City mayoral race is ranked choice voting. For a people with 1.5 opinions per person, Jewish voters, unsurprisingly, have plenty to say. Many may appreciate…
Editor’s note: Dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews were killed in a stampede on April 29, 2021, while celebrating Lag B’Omer in the city of Meron in northern Israel. As details of the horrific incident are still unfolding, we are republishing this 2017 article with background on the festival. What is Lag B’Omer? Lag B’Omer is one…
Rabbi Jessica Wainer joined a task force on religious observance created by the Fairfax County School Board last year. The committee was convened to address food, curriculum, clothing, and other religious accommodations. But as its first goal, the group of Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and other minority religion representatives chose what they thought would be…
During the pandemic, Jessica Tamar Deutsch has been considering exile as she relearns how to paint. Specifically, she’s been thinking about the title character in “The Lost Princess,” a story by Rabbi Nachman, the mystic founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement, about a young woman who disappears from her home after displeasing her kingly father….
“The Little Book Of Jewish Appetizers,” by Leah Koenig, is a small, hardcover jewel box of a cookbook filled with a tightly curated collection of 25 vibrant, brightly flavored hors d’oeuvres. Many would serve as excellent starters for a Rosh Hashanah meal or a Yom Kippur break fast. But why focus on appetizers? “I really…
When I was asked to speak to the student body at Phillips Exeter Academy, I thought about the irony of the situation. When I was young, Exeter had very few Jewish students, all male, and those who were open about their Judaism felt isolated. That is no longer the case. During my two days at…
While we weren’t intentionally looking for one, a theme quickly emerged at our recent taste test of “The Gefilte Manifesto,” and that theme was: “I don’t usually like” blank, “but I like this.” It started in the very first moments of our gathering, when our friend Fred took his first sip of the Celery Collins…
