Magazine

It's extremely daunting and time consuming to basically put two strangers together and be a frequent go-between, negotiator, and adviser, but when it happens, and eventually children are born, you become a partner with Hashem in creating worlds.

In the first article on the Jews of Portugal, we reviewed the glorious periods of the history and depths of persecution to which Jews were subjected during the Inquisition.

The first Jews arrived in North America in 1654. What is not so well known is that the first qualified rabbi to settle here, Rabbi Abraham Rice, did not arrive until 1840. One might refer to the first 186 years of American Jewish history as the "Reverend and Cantorial Age," since such men, as well as some laymen who possessed better than average Jewish educations, served as the leaders of the various Jewish communities during that period.

Last week I wrote about self talk and how negative self talk can affect your whole outlook on life and give you a negative spin on how you see yourself.

In my house, I like to give my children a chance to unwind and eat dinner before homework.

Early American Jewish history is unfortunately replete with examples of observant families who came to America and, within a relatively short period of time, not only abandoned much of their commitment to religious observance but even had the sad experience of having some of their children intermarrying and assimilating. One family that did not follow this trend was the Hays family.

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It was close to midnight and I was way too tired to go out. I decided to get creative and mix together some apricot and strawberry jam I found in my fridge.

At the American Jewish Historical Society, there was an excellent program about Jewish women in the Civil War. The audience learned about such colorful women as Phoebe Yates Pember who served as a nurse, with 15,000 patients coming under her direct care during the war and Clara Solomon, a teenager who chronicled the Civil War.

Many books have been written about the Warsaw Ghetto in the 66 years since its destruction. There have been reports, memoirs, studies, albums and movies of all kinds that have tried to tell the story of what happened. But to date for the English speaker the story was never complete.

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Last week I wrote about the discovery of human remains beyond the fence of a Jewish cemetery in Bilgoraj, Poland, showing that the boundaries of the cemetery went beyond the supposed size of the protected site.

It's time to force myself to think about apple cider, cuddly sweatshirts and the end of daylight savings time.

July 4th is an important date in history. In the United States it is a day to celebrate independence from England.

There were a few times he did not have a ready answer for me. He would then say, “Please call me back tomorrow.” When I did, there was always a ready and clear answer.

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Scan those sale circulars either online or when they show up at your doorstep, check out the sale items and plan your menus accordingly.

Last week I began sharing a well-intentioned letter that was e-mailed to a well spouse and her hospitalized husband.

Some people cannot understand why others have a weight problem.

As the summer gets underway there are many events throughout Poland connected to Jewish history and culture. It usually kicks off with the massive Krakow Jewish Festival and ends with the Singer Festival in Warsaw. Also many Jewish groups come to Poland during the summer to visit their hometowns, work in the cemeteries and look for connections to the pre-Shoah past.

For the most part, though, people tend to base their decision on how long the lines in the store are going to be.

Little has been written about the lives of Jewish women during colonial times. In general, historians have focused on the lives of men who were noteworthy during that era, primarily because more information is available about men who were publicly active than women who, more often than not, devoted the majority of their efforts to the home scene.

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We turn to You, the G-d of mercy, You, who we fear and adore, Please heed our prayers and pleas and bring relief, For our battered souls cannot take too much more.

Coming home to a full answering machine of questions and calls, many insisting that you call back immediately to fill them in during a crisis, is the last thing anyone wants to face.

How could I use the word Dad again on anybody?

Just imagine you are walking through a beautiful garden. Feast your eyes on the colors of the flowers, the grass at your feet, the leaves of the trees in shades from green to silver. Listen to the birds. Let the sunshine caress your face. Smell the perfume.

American Jews have the impression that France, and Paris in particular, is a terribly dangerous place for Jews. However, to my pleasant surprise, I learnt that this was not the case.

It is a little known fact in the Jewish world that Poland is famous for its artistic posters.

“I didn’t choose the violin because of my grandfather. But I definitely had the idea that the violin was important when I was very young,” she noted.