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The complicated history of Mahjong
In case a pandemic wasn't quite enough, over the past year we watched the world erupt with desperate calls for social justice, and our society turned an eye toward the tensions of belonging....
The origins of mahjong
Mahjong was the popular game played by my mother and most Jewish woman of her generation. I heard somewhere that it originated in China and that Chinese men are those who have played it religiously. Only recently was I given an article from Newsweek...
Joyful Shabbats at Cascade Heights
"Bim Bam" by Nachum Frabkel is a simple Jewish song that has become a well-known anthem to children of all ages in many different communities. It is also a favorite song at Shabbat services led by...
Jewish History in Film: 'Munich' - a mediation on the cycle of violence
It was just 36 years before the Munich Olympics in 1972 when Hitler used the event as a means to push Nazi propaganda onto the world. It was now Germany's moment to show the world how much they...
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This is sooo personal ... It actually hurts to write about, but I will. I refer to the beautiful love song, "Our Love is Here to Stay." There is a very interesting story connected to this song....
I'm a Hillel director, my fiancé is a pastor - here is how we are making it work
"It's like when one person likes chocolate and one person likes vanilla, but they both hate bigotry," I said, explaining to my father how his son, a Hillel director, was dating an ordained Christian...
Overcoming his heroin addiction and helping others struggling with drugs
Doug Rosen is using his difficult struggles with drugs to help others. By 24 years old, Doug Rosen was making money faster than he could spend it. A producer in Hollywood, he was flying around the world, sporting designer clothing, and driving a...
A local resident's perspective on the NO FEAR Rally Against Antisemitism
An email appeared in my Inbox on Thursday, July 8, from The Jewish Agency for Israel. The message informed me that a rally was planned for that coming Sunday, July 11, on the grounds facing the U.S....
Back at the lake and canteen: Jewish campers express relief just 'getting to be kids again'
(JNS) - The countdown started weeks ago, and it's finally time for many to return to sleep-away camp after a year of lockdowns, Zoom school, and separation from friends and family amid a worldwide...
George Washington's famous letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport
This letter, written by George Washington in 1790, is a response to Moses Seixas, warden of the Touro Synagogue in Newport. In it, Washington addresses the tolerance and freedom of religion in the newly established nation: Gentlemen. While I...
The chance to head a nation like no other: A letter to Israel's incoming president, Isaac Herzog
(JNS) —To the honorable President of Israel, Truth be told, I’m a little envious of you. In a short while, you will find out exactly how magnificent the privilege of the presidency is. Over the next seven years, you will meet Israelis from all...
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I must mention and salute ... I'm talking about DAN NEWLIN, (probably not Jewish). I want to take this opportunity (on the 4th of July!) to thank him for his care and generosity to our military. Mine...
Why I wrote 'The Sword of David'
Given my life experiences, which I share in this article, I have conveyed my wild dream of peace in my thoroughly researched, new thriller, "The Sword of David." The novel's goal has been to educate...
12 books to help you understand Israel's history
As Israel made headlines across the world in recent weeks, we at ISRAEL21c noticed people’s growing interest in understanding how things got to where they are, the ins and outs of the country’s history and the matters that influence public...
Rabbi addicted to opioids uses his experience to help his congregants
(JTA) - For Rabbi Michael Perice, the hardest thing about counseling congregants who have family members dealing with addiction had been holding back his own experience with substance abuse. "I...
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Brilliant and Jewish ... Jonas Salk was an American virologist and medical researcher who developed one of the first successful polio vaccines. He was born in New York City and attended the City Colle...
Sarah Aroeste uses the power of Sephardic music to revitalize a lost Jewish community
At the turn of the 20th century, the city of Monastir, present-day Bitola in North Macedonia, was home to the country's largest Jewish community, 11,000 people. That's about half of the current Jewish...
Jewish History in Film: First Israeli film to achieve international success - 'Sallah Shabati'
Jewish History in Film is a new series exploring how our culture and history is represented in films from all over the globe. Israeli cinema is such an overlooked contribution to the film world, birth...
How Fleischmann's yeast built the Jewish Catskills
Many home cooks this past year, in an Instagram-inspired spirit, upped their challah-baking game with new braiding patterns, interesting flavors and vibrant colors. Yet it was a more standard...
How a non-Jewish Swiss baker's challah wowed the Internet
Challah baker Katharina Arrigoni lives in a town in northern Switzerland with 3,000 residents, none of whom - including Arrigoni – are Jewish. Entirely self-taught, Arrigoni has never tasted a...
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I don't sleep well at night ... I used to wonder why, but now I know. What kind of a world is this coming too? I am worried, not so much for myself but for my children and grandchildren. I probably...
In 'Lansky,' Harvey Keitel puts the legendary gangster's Jewishness front and center
(JTA) - Perhaps no American Jewish actor has been so closely associated with crime films as Harvey Keitel. During a career now in its sixth decade, the 82-year-old Keitel has appeared in "Mean...
'Unorthodox' wins prestigious Peabody Award
(Israel Hayom via JNS) - The highly acclaimed miniseries "Unorthodox," starring Israeli actress Shira Haas, won the prestigious Peabody Award on Tuesday in recognition of the most "compelling and empo...
Cicadas are edible. But are they kosher?
(Washington Jewish Week via JTA) - Brood X, the once-every-17-years emergence of cicada swarms across much of the Midwest and Eastern U.S., has again left its mark, with trillions of the insects...
Tevye in New York' imagines the famous 'Fiddler' hero's life beyond Anatevka
LOS ANGELES (JTA) — The last time we saw Tevye the Milkman on Broadway in “Fiddler on the Roof” was in 2016, escaping Anatevka as a pogrom swept the shtetl. Now, almost five years later, he is...
