Sunday November 23, 2008
I admire people like Maggie Anton. Anton, a mother and clinical chemist, was not given a strong Jewish education. Later, though, she started to take classes in Talmud. She felt so passionate about her learning that she decided to write books.
If you'd prefer to snuggle with a good book than watch football over the holiday weekend, you might want to try Anton's first book
Rashi's Daughters, Book I: Yoheved. While I don't think this book is for everyone, as a feminist who happens to like historic fiction and love Jewish history, I found the book entertaining and enlightening.
Tell Me Another Morning, by Zdena Berger, is a second recommendation for those who prefers books to footballs.
Wednesday November 19, 2008
An awful lot of young American Jews today don't care at all about Israel. A 2007 study, which polled 1,700 non-Orthodox American Jews, found American Jewish detachment from Israel is growing and strongest among younger Jews. The study, conducted by Professors Steven M. Cohen and Ari Y. Kelman, found that of American Jews under 35, only about half (48 percent) think "Israel's destruction would be a personal tragedy" and only about half (54 percent) are "comfortable with the idea of a Jewish State." For Jews over 65, those percentages are 78 percent and 81 percent. (
Jerusalem Post).
Fortunately, one program is working hard to fight this detachment.
Taglit-Birthright Israel has sent approximately 200,000 young Diaspora Jews to Israel since its founding in 1999. Read about the program's goals and success, and find out if you qualify for a free trip to Israel.
Photo © 2008 Lisa Katz, licensed to About.com, Inc
Tuesday November 18, 2008
American Jews have a great deal for which to be thankful. In the long history of the Diaspora, Jews have never been as prosperous, organized, influential and accepted as they are today in the United States. The secular holiday of Thanksgiving is an opportunity for American Jews to express their appreciation for the bounty and religious freedom they enjoy.
Find
articles about Thanksgiving that are of special interest to Jews, including:
Happy Thanksgiving!
Photo © 2008 Lisa Katz, licensed to About.com, Inc
Monday November 17, 2008
"Is it okay to serve kosher and non-kosher food at the same table on Thanksgiving provided the food and dishes are clearly marked? One of our guests is a rabbi, and I don't want to do the wrong thing. Some of the non-observant guests that are coming might bring non-kosher foods even if I request otherwise."
See what Reform Judaism has to say about your kosher Thanksgiving table.
Find Kosher Thanksgiving Recipes