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Hebrew is an ancient language still spoken in Israel and by Israelis worldwide. We all know that. This is history. Hebrew was revived about 130 years ago by Zionist Jews coming to Palestine, and those of us who speak Hebrew…
With the school year in full swing, and with Chanukah just beginning, I’d like to take the opportunity to offer a single wish for Jewish community life in Canada. It’s quite specific and straightforward but, I believe, far-reaching. I hope…
As a boy growing up in the foothills of Berkeley, my parents encouraged me to have pets. From guinea pigs to parakeets to even a pet chicken named Fwedwika, my home was full of little critters throughout most of my…
Consider an unbearable rift forced between a human being and his/her native place; between the self and the true home. Its essential sadness can never be surmounted. If you were born in this country, you are not an exile –…
Traveled thousands of miles Inching my way Between mothers, children, prayer books Vying for space, so that I may touch Your precious stones Stones that have heard millions of tears Stones that hold hope and anguish Weeping and praying surround…
Rabbi Susan Talve at an NAACP march in Ferguson, Mo., with recent bar mitzvah boy Terel Wooten Jr. (photo by Philip Deitch) Though the relationship has at times been conflicted, throughout the 20th century, particularly in the 1950s and ’60s, the…
President Reuven Rivlin Rivlin addresses the Nov. 30 ceremony at his residence marking the first Day of the Expulsion and Deportation of Jews from Arab Lands and Iran. (photo by GPO/Mark Neiman) It may have been 47 years ago but Yossef…
Mountain Baby’s Chanukah wares on display. (photo from Judy Banfield) For most of us, preparing for Chanukah is fairly simple. When it comes to finding candles, dreidels and even menorahs, there is no lack of stores and gift shops in…
Ilana Ben-Ari at work, play. (photo by Laynna Meyler) For her design diploma thesis project, Ilana Ben-Ari created a toy that people with visual impairments could play with their sighted classmates, developing a language around communication and empathy. The formation of…
My wife is a lovely person. She reads every word I write. The last time I wrote a light, humorous commentary describing her few imperfections, she raided our mailbox and mugged the mailman (depriving a magazine of a great story).…
Honey Island Swamp tours take passengers through a landscape untouched by time. (photo from louisiananorthshore.com) Our Jeep is stationary and I’m marveling at the scenery when I feel someone nuzzling my back very gently. Turning slowly, I find myself eye to…
There are a few vestiges that remain of the Jewish community in Calcutta, including the Jewish Girls’ School and Nahoum’s. (photos by David Berson) It was family history, alongside a taste for discovery, that took local Jewish community member and…
A 17-year-old Jewish refugee in Paris on Nov. 7, 1938, shot Nazi diplomat Ernst vom Rath. The assassination provided Nazi Germany with a golden opportunity. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, portrayed the teenager as an agent of the international Jewish…
Eugene Yelchin’s illustrations are an integral part of the storytelling in Arcady’s Goal. What a special tribute to a parent. Eugene Yelchin’s most recent children’s book, Arcady’s Goal, started with a 1945 photograph of the Red Army Soccer Club. One…
Men’s books. Normally, I don’t classify the novels I read along gender lines, though I have read and reviewed “chick lit.” Both Wiseman’s Wager by Dave Margoshes and Fun & Games by David Michael Slater are far removed from that…
(photo from chabad.org) Bubby’s crispy latkes, Grandpa’s melodious singing and the image of multiple generations gazing at the Chanukah flames – these are among some of our most cherished memories of Chanukah. But what are we to do when someone…
There was an old lady who swallowed a dreidel … perhaps it’s fatal! There are many great stories to read to your kids over Chanukah. What a wonderful way to spend time with your family – curling up with a…
The holiday season is a time many of us look forward to – sometimes with anticipation, sometimes with dread. Peace on earth may seem impossible if you don’t have peace of mind. The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) suggests that…
Narrated by the dog himself, Latke, The Lucky Dog by Ellen Fischer (Kar-Ben Publishing, 2014) is a charming book for kids 2-7 years old. In it, Latke the dog tells readers how lucky he is that a family with two…
With kids off school and parents home from work, the winter holidays are perfect for creating family time to play and learn together. ABC Life Literacy Canada offers these holiday family literacy tips to warm your heart and feed your…
VTT’s HannukkaMunity of LOVE. (photo from Vancouver Talmud Torah) Vancouver Talmud Torah has two great Chanukah-related initiatives, one for the students to connect with students from other schools and one to bring parents and staff to work together and build the…
The Holiday of Light, Chanukah is approaching fast. That is why Curly Orli and I are looking to prepare Chanukah cookies with you! However, we will not need eggs, flour or other ingredients for baking – instead, we will make…
Latkes are a simple yet delicious holiday treat. Try baking instead of frying, or dress them up with dill sauce and fish. (photo by Barry A. Kaplan) They’re sometimes greasy, sometimes salty and soggy, and they are fried in oil.…
There are so many flavors of sufganiyot to be found in Jerusalem around this time of year. (photo by Barry A. Kaplan) From Israel have come two popular foods for Chanukah: sufganiyot (doughnuts, often filled with jelly) and ponchikot, which are…
Aviva Kanoff has been described as “the Indiana Jones of cooking,” and the subtitle of her latest book, Gluten Free Around the World (Brio Books, 2014), is “a journey of food, travel and extraordinary adventure.” She is a graduate of…
Many scholars believe that the menorah is a stylized version of a tree. The Knesset Menorah, pictured here, was built by Jewish sculptor Benno Elkan, and presented to Israel by the U.K. parliament in 1956. (photo from commons.wikimedia.org) For the…
How can we explain the mitzvah of the Chanukah light? What about two of its features? One, the lights are to be placed by the door of one’s house that is next to the street or public domain, and they…
Major League Dreidel attracts many competitors. (photo from facebook.com/majorleaguedreidel) The word dreidel is Yiddish, and comes from the German verb dreihen, meaning “to spin.” Dreidel literally means “little spinner.” The first dreidel players were Yiddish-speaking Jews in medieval Europe. In…
Reb Cantor discovers that some families, like Chelm’s Gold family, light eight candles on the first night of Chanukah. (photo by Dov Harrington from commons.wikimedia.org) “I’m sick of Chanukah,” Reb Cantor, the merchant of Chelm, muttered. His wife, Shoshanna, looked up…
