As Jewish communities complete the cycle of the High Holy Days, we emerge from a period devoted to an accounting of the soul: reflection on the year that has passed, acknowledgment of failures, repentance, reconciliation and, ultimately, the possibility of…
More than 30 years ago, Vancouver community leader and volunteer Norman Franks recognized a simple but urgent need: ensuring no one in our community would go without food. Inspired by a hunger-relief initiative in the United States, he approached local…
I took my twin teenagers to the pediatrician’s office for a checkup on a Friday morning. When they were born, we three had complicated health issues. We were “frequent flyers” when it came to medical appointments. Things have improved but…
As usual, I spent as much time researching what I might create for the Independent’s holiday cover as I did creating it. Lots of themes went through my head, as did lots of possible styles. When I shared with my…
As Yom Kippur approaches, teshuvah, forgiveness, looms large on Jewish minds. It’s a time to think about wounds we may have inflicted on others and fractured relationships. What’s our responsibility to apologize? Where should we be mending bridges? These fractures…
Every Jewish New Year, just before we stand to hear the sound of the shofar, I get nervous for the blower. What if they can’t produce the sound? I remember a Rosh Hashanah when this occurred, and the red, exasperated…
A Moroccan proverb states: “The one who wants honey must endure the sting of bees.” The meaning is that nothing worthwhile comes without effort. For most of us, the extent of our effort at eating honey on Rosh Hashanah is…
The High Holidays and the start of school are coming up. My twins have acquired new, bigger backpacks for Grade 10. We’ve also been serenaded daily by our resident teen baritone saxophonist. He’s practising so he can play in a…
The Hebrew month of Cheshvan, or “Mar Cheshvan,” is the second month on the calendar after Tishrei. It comes right after all the fall holidays end. The rabbis called it “mar,” or bitter, because it doesn’t have any holidays or…
This year, I volunteered to help during High Holidays at my congregation. As a result, I became one of the “ticket ladies” on Rosh Hashanah. I used a cellphone that scanned bar codes on service tickets. When I first saw…
