Holidays

Food

The Heavenly Aroma of Challah

By:

Rivka Tal

Challah is the braided egg-rich loaf of bread that we traditionally eat on the Sabbath and holidays — two loaves of challah at each of the three Shabbat meals. Challah in Israel is classified as sweet, semi-sweet and “regular.” (My personal favorite is what is called baguette challah, which I have yet to duplicate at home.) But for Rosh Hashanah,...

Local

Mindful Mix of Prayer and Play for Modern Family

By:

Jonathan Kremer, Jewish Exponent Feature

A family enters the synagogue room, a little boy holding his parents' hands and an older sister looking around with anticipation. At the front, the Rosh Hashanah service is being led by congregants. On a mat in the corner, children play quietly, then pause for a story that leads to a discussion of forgiveness. Some of the parents seated on...

Food

Why Not Hold the Honey?

Take a break from tradition by trying these offbeat recipes

By:

Naomi Muller, Jewish Exponent Feature

On Rosh Hashanah, most Jews indulge in sweet foods to express their desire for a sweet year. Problems arise, however, when a guest or family member is unable to tolerate sugar and honey for either medical or dietary reasons. Obviously, we all desire a year filled with all manner of delicious blessings. The question is how to find substitutes for...

National

Casting Away Your Sins: It's Not Just Fish Food

By:

Edmon J. Rodman, Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Los Angeles Can ridding oneself of a year's sins really be as simple as tossing a piece of bread into the water? Basically that's Tashlich, or "casting away," a custom that many Jews practice each year at the seashore, lakeshore, stream or even koi pond on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, which falls this year on Sept. 17. Simply...

Rosh Hashanah

A Rosh Rush

By:

Eric Berger

When students come to Hillel of Greater Philadelphia seeking advice on how to handle a conflict between class and observing the High Holidays, Rabbi Howard Alpert said he advises them on how to discuss the issue with their professors, but he himself avoids intervening. His reasoning is that when a student has to explain such an absence to faculty it...