History’s Lessons: Jewish Couple Wed in Graveyard to Stop 1918 Flu Pandemic
The wedding of Harry Rosenberg and Fanny Jacobs was unusual for several reasons.
For one, the bride and groom didn’t know each other prior to...
The Day We Stop in the Name of Love
By Rabbi Shawn Zevit
Shemini Atzeret
“On the eighth day (of Sukkot), you will have a holy day ... it is a day of cessation, of...
With Zoom Singing a Bust, Choirs Get Creative About Joining Voices
After 52 people in Washington state became infected with coronavirus during a choir rehearsal in March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published...
Making the Most of Sukkot
By Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner
Sukkot
These are tough times for everyone. Only two weeks ago, we recited “who shall live and who shall die.” This...
First Person: On Rosh Hashanah, I Didst Laugh
A stranger tells Sarah that she’s going to have a baby, and she laughs; it’s well past the time for such things. When God...
Our Torah ‘Inner Ear’ Equilibrium
By Rabbi Eric Yanoff
Parshat Ha’azinu
What day is it again? Where am I? Where should I be?
Time in quarantine can be a bit disorienting, wouldn’t...
Shanah Tovah! A Message From the Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia
The Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia
On Rosh Hashanah eve, Sephardic communities recite a liturgical poem called “Ahot Ketanah.” Each stanza closes with the...
Breaking Down the Boxes
By Rabbi Tsurah August
Parshat Nitzavim – Vayeilech
“You are standing today, all of you, before Hashem your God: the heads of your tribes, your elders,...
High Holiday Kits Turn Homes Into Sanctuaries
Candles. Honey. Challah. Decorations.
These are just some of the items being packed into boxes and bags at synagogues across the country this fall.
The packages...
Some Philly-Area Shuls Are Planning for In-Person High Holiday Services
The mystics teach that on Rosh Hashanah, God pauses to reflect on creation, and the universe enters a state of suspended animation. In that...