Looking for a pandemic-proof way to celebrate the New Year? Consider the seder — It’s not just for Passover. Of course, many Askhenazi Jews associate seders primarily with the exodus from Egypt. But Rosh Hashanah has its own long tradition of ritual meals. First mentioned in the Talmud, the Rosh Hashanah seder evolved over centuries…
Israel’s prime minister and president were criticized on social media Thursday for having Passover Seders with children who live outside their home – despite strict quarantine measures that banned such gatherings. The Israeli government ordered Jewish citizens to stay in their homes with no exceptions from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning, in order to stop…
Next year in Jerusalem. But this year, on television. Israeli networks are hosting televised Seders so that nobody has to celebrate alone, despite the pandemic that has put a halt to family gatherings. The country’s most-watched TV station, Keshet 12, will start its star-studded event at 7:30 p.m., Israel time, Wednesday night. Billed as “The…
In 2020, American Jews signed off from virtual seders with an optimistic toast: “Next year in person!” Well, it’s next year, and many of us are once again preparing for a socially distanced Passover. You probably didn’t want to do this twice, but there’s some good news: After a year of online observance, there’s a…
It’s amazing how a slogan that wasn’t hackneyed two weeks ago is already tired: Why is this Passover different from other Passovers? But it’s apt. This is the first Passover in my lifetime that Jews will be forced apart during a holiday that is entirely about being together. This is the first Passover for many…
Jewish rapper Kosha Dillz (the stage name of Rami Even-Esh) is carrying on the Jewish tradition of having a seder – at the Coachella festival, no less. #nationalhaikuday. Go To Coachella – Don’t do lots of drugs..kanye? passover seder — Matzahchella aka Kosha Dillz (@koshadillz) April 17, 2019 Appropriately named “Matzahchella,” the event will be…
For so long, in Judaism and elsewhere, “getting stoned” meant getting literal stones thrown at you until you died. Now it means getting high on marijuana. And isn’t that freedom? Well…said the seventeen rabbis and spiritual leaders contacted by the Forward for this story. Not — well — uh, not exactly? This year, the second…
Just ten minutes into the documentary “Homecoming,” new on Netflix on Wednesday, Beyoncé stands at the peak of a pyramid, wind rushing through her hair, and sings a freedom song to her people. The 37-year-old icon’s voice whisks over the melody of “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” the African American national anthem, like a flag…
