25 Jul These Are Not the Families We Imagined, But…
When I married in 1974 and started to have our children (1,2,3,4) we went down a pretty conventional and predictable Jewish path ...
01 Jul What’s Jewish about July 4th?
The quick answer is that Independence Day may be the most Jewish US Civic Holiday we celebrate. For a longer answer, check out the four principles below. Principle 1: How Jews and Americans Live with Canon We basically do it the same way. We debate and interpret the meaning...
10 May Chai Mitzvah Tikkun Leil Shavuot
Shavuot, which begins at sundown on May 16, 2021 and ends at sunset on May 18, is a major Jewish holiday celebrated forty-nine days after the second day of Passover. It was originally a harvest festival, but now also commemorates the giving of the Torah....
03 May Recipes for Memories
[caption id="attachment_1990" align="alignright" width="190"] Bubbie Ida[/caption]Our Bubbie Ida Paperny, lived in the kitchen. Seriously. She also “loved” in the kitchen. She loved when her four daughters helped her cook up a huge family Shabbat or holiday meal. Our mothers too, excellent cooks both, worked for...
11 Mar Ten Minute Virtual Dayenu Seder
Passover begins on the evening of March 27, 2021 Once again, this night will truly be different from all other nights. We are pleased to offer the updated “Ten Minute Dayenu Virtual Seder” designed for multi-generational families to use on the shared video platform of your choice. Please...
02 Mar The Plague and Promise of Darkness
A d'var Torah (Torah Discussion) Presented by David Raphael at Congregation Or Hadash, Sandy Springs, GA January 22, 2021Then the LORD said to Moses, “Hold out your arm toward the sky that there may be darkness upon the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be...
09 Dec Counting Latkes
There are fifty latkes on this tray,” my 95-year-old mother says.I nod and continue peeling potatoes. My sister is frying. My niece is chopping onions. My mother spreads another paper towel on a cookie sheet, and continues counting.It’s that time of year. Where the women...
05 Nov Thanksgiving 2020: Finding Gratitude When We’re Gathering Differently
How to have a meaningful and fun COVID-19 Thanksgiving celebration! Thanksgiving will be here in a few weeks. For many of us it will not be the Thanksgiving of years past. Even as that saddens us, we yearn for greater connection with those we love and...
18 Sep Frog Tashlikh OR if a frog jumps into a pond…
Intro to Frog Tashlikh: We are taking a frog that grew from a tiny tadpole as part of an egg sac accidently dropped (we assume) by a bird into a container near my garden earlier this summer. This event became part of our ongoing lesson in...
27 Aug Rosh Hashanah Books for Children and their Parents and Grandparents
The High Holy Days are upon us, and this year most of us will not be gathering with family or attending services in person. Luckily, we can still connect with loved ones by video chat to share special holiday moments on Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangouts,...