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...
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...
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...
Jewish Philly Celebrates Shavuot Online
Jewish organizations are helping Philadelphians celebrate a socially distant Shavuot with virtual events and study sessions.
Center City Kehillah, which usually hosts an all-night interdenominational...
Wind Doesn’t Halt Lag B’Omer Bonfires
The evening of Lag B’Omer 5780 — also known as May 11 — was windy and unseasonably cold. Not exactly ideal conditions to celebrate...
Celebrity-Studded Seder Raises $2.6M for Charity
By Ron Kampeas / JTA
With its glittering assembly of stars, jokes that worked and attendees who could, well, sing, it was the Zoom Seder...
Avoiding Confrontations at Passover
There’s the presidential election. There’s the coronavirus pandemic. There are massive layoffs around the country. And, on top of all of that, people will...
How Do You Mark Passover When Gluten-Free?
Debbie Greenberg’s son, Aaron Mazer, was diagnosed with celiac disease at the age of 17.
For Mazer, that meant the end of school cafeteria lunches,...
Three Picks for Passover in Film, TV
At Passover, we recall the 10 plagues, recite the four questions, have two seders and leave one cup empty for Elijah.
And now, here are...