God Almighty Herself induces Egypt to give birth. We simply need to listen for the birth mother’s screams in the delivery room. We hear the screams throughout the plagues, as they become increasingly intensive, starting with the first plague, blood.…
“Moses and Aaron Appear before Pharaoh,” from Gustave Doré’s English Bible, 1866. (image from Wikimedia Commons) Stubbornness is a complex and harsh characteristic. It is no surprise, then, that Pharaoh, who is considered to be one of the most wicked…
Photographs from an unidentified event, possibly a University of British Columbia event, likely in honour of Harry Adaskin, 1985. In the photo immediately below, of the women socializing by the piano, Shirley Kort is second from the right. (above photo…
The Hungry Jew, one of the signature sandwiches at Buzzy’s Luncheonette. (photo by Adam Bogoch) My friend, Adam Bogoch, pitched it as the “Smoked Meat Story.” Soon after that email, he would write his own review, for narcity.com, titled, “This…
Owner Cynthia Miller in front of Sechelt Inlet at the Pacific Peace Retreat. (photo by Efraim Gavrilovich) Travel can be one of the most stressful activities there is. The challenges of packing “light” so you don’t have to pay for…
Purim in Tel Aviv last year. (photo by Igor Zed) What is the origin of wearing costumes on Purim? One theory relates to the fact that the Jews in the Purim story live in the galut (“exile,” outside of Israel).…
Nessim Menashe, born on the Isle of Rhodes in 1887, came to Portland in 1909. By 1914, he had established a shoe repair shop in northwest Portland, which he operated until 1921. (photo from Oregon Jewish Museum and Centre for…
Helsinki Synagogue, in the heart of the city, was built in 1906. (photo by Dave Gordon) Helsinki’s a city where you can experience high adventure, or simply chill, by taking in the sites on an easygoing walking tour. Elements of…
It was an uber-yummy pot roast that spawned the Accidental Balabusta. (photo by Shelley Civkin) The definition of balabusta goes like this: 1) an impressively competent homemaker; 2) female head of household. I recently saw balabusta used in a sentence:…
