In light of the horrific terror attacks on Israel, something like a video game may seem trivial. However, so much of the supposed problem of Jews living in Israel is the false narrative that we are white European colonizers. Jews, are in fact, indigenous to the Middle East, and were colonized and oppressed throughout the […]
It still doesn’t feel real. It feels like I’m walking around in a daze. I kept waking up last night with images flashing in my mind of innocent hostages taken by Hamas terrorists…wondering if it was just a nightmare…realizing it still is one. Images of women, men and children plastered in my brain that could be […]
Hi JITC- What is the point of inviting these guests to our sukkah? Thanks, Max Dear Max- Thanks for your question. I see from the subject line of your message that “these guests” refers not to your corporeal yom tov guests but to the Ushpizin. “Ushpizin” is an Aramaic word that means guests. Aramaic is […]
I watch her in awe – the way a sports fan might watch a great athlete – but the thing that this woman has mastered is herself. Every time I’ve been a guest in this friend’s home over the last fifteen years, I am blown away by what a person looks like when she truly […]
While Purim gets much of the credit for being the Jewish holiday for expressing artistic skills, Sukkos is underrated as a time of year when creativity can thrive. With many rules inherent in sukkah building, many people stick to the wood, laminate, canvas or lattice walls that are relatively easy-to-build and that meet the halachic […]
This week I’m going to do something different. I’m going take two questions that were submitted separately and combine them into a single post because (a) they’re related and (b) my answers are relatively brief. The first question is: Dear Jew in the City, “Why do we shake the lulav and other arba minim […]
