Dear Jew in the City, How is Tu b’Shevat connected to the land of Israel? Best, Jonah Dear Jonah, Thanks for your question. We discussed Tu b’Shevat a few years ago, so let’s make a quick recap. The first mishna in tractate Rosh Hashana tells us that there are four “new years,” as follows: […]
In a time when it seems like the world is turning against us, when people all over are crying out that a Jewish state shouldn’t exist, we keep getting gifts that show us just how true to the land we are. (If only others would take note!) The discovery by researchers at four Israeli universities […]
It was the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college and I had an internship at a prestigious public relations firm in NYC. A friend’s brother helped me snag the internship — my first big one. While I was excited about it, and learning a lot, a career in magazines was my big dream. […]
Yotam Haim was one of the three hostages mistakenly and tragically killed by IDF soldiers last week. His mother, Iris, sent a voice message yesterday to the soldiers who shot her son. She said: “I want to tell you that I love you very much. I know that what happened was not your fault. There […]
Would you set out on an important road trip if you only had enough gas for the first 20 miles and no forseeable way of filling your car up for a week? If you were a Maccabee you would. I recently started wondering why the Jews decided to light the menorah with the paltry sum of oil they found. Why bother lighting an eternal light that you […]
For far too long, the stories of persecution against the Jewish people have been brushed aside as exaggerations or even complete falsehood. Despite Antiochus IV Epiphane having been a real historical figure — as is the Hasmonean War — there are elements of the Chanukah story which have been met with skepticism. That is now […]
