By: Yafo Mardakhayeva In my native language, the word for the holiday of Pesach is known as Nisonu, obviously taken from the month in which it belongs, Nisan. Even if the Soviet Union tried to dismantle Judaism for the far away Jews of the Caucasus’, our redemption will come from the frenzy that goes on…
By: Boris Braverman Do you remember your first Pesach? I do. I was a young child, 4-5 years old at the time. My family, like many of yours, had recently emigrated from the Soviet Union. We were getting by everyday with the dreams and hopes that your rigorous efforts to move were not in vain…
By: Fanya Donin It’s no secret among those who know me well, that Pesach (Passover), has never been on my list of favorite holidays. Yes, the Zionist story is a good one. Yes, the Jewish people overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds in order to become a nation is inspiring. But still, I don’t associate the same…
By: Fanya DoninRaje Manhattan 2018-2019 The Jewish holiday of Purim is quickly approaching, and I honestly couldn’t be more excited. We commemorate how the Jewish nation was saved from the wicked Haman who had planned to kill us all. And growing up, I always found the best part of the story to be that the…
By: Danielle Ostrovsky Raje Manhattan 2018-2019 When one opens up any book of historical significance, one is not only putting him or herself in the context of a basic plotline; rather, one is immersing him or herself in the many layers and secrets that is contained within the period of time. One book that not…
by Timothy P Mohoney What is the validity of history found in the Bible? Is it fact or fiction? What does the hard evidence really have to say about the foundational story of the Old Testament: the Exodus out of Egypt? An in-depth investigation by documentary filmmaker Tim Mahoney searches for answers to these questions…
by Barbara Penn Stalin had plans to murder millions of Russian Jews. Like Haman, the tables suddenly turned. Jewish holidays are not merely a commemoration of an event in time. The time of year in which the a miracle occurred was an opportune time for the conception of that miracle. As we make our way toward…
By: Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (extract from Koren Sacks Sukkot mahzor) Of all the festivals, Sukkot is surely the one that speaks most powerfully to our time. Kohelet could almost have been written in the twenty first century. Here is the ultimate success, the man who has it all – the houses, the cars, the clothes,…
With Rosh Hashana fast approaching, I wanted to share a short idea that I hope will inspire. On Rosh Hashanah it is written and Yom Kippur it is sealed; “How many shall pass away and how many shall be born, who shall live and who shall die….. who shall be at peace and who shall…
by Rabbi Efrem Goldberg A practical guide to real change. It was an ordinary day in Judge Mindy Glazer’s Miami-Dade courtroom when 49-year-old Arthur Booth appeared before her for his bond hearing. He had been arrested the previous day for breaking into a home, stealing a car, and running from police. He caused two accidents before…
