Celebrating Chanukah this year is just different. While we’re still eating our donuts and latkes, we’re lighting with extra prayers for hope, for miracles, for salvation. This year, it’s normal and expected to light with a heavy heart, as we continue to mourn the atrocities in Israel and the soldiers that continue to give their […]

Sunday night, as I lit the first candle of the Menorah, I thought about my personal journey of performing this incredible commandment with pride and joy. My story begins in 1982 in Odessa, Ukraine, which at the time was controlled by the Soviet Union. I was raised in a traditional Soviet family at a time […]

Dear JITC- Is it true that the only holidays we’ll still celebrate when Moshiach comes are Chanukah and Purim? If so, why? Sincerely, Chaya Dear Chaya- Thanks for your question. This is a topic that I addressed a few years ago in a different context, so please forgive me if I repurpose what I wrote […]

With Chanukah just days away, many people are looking past the Thanksgiving cooking crush and beyond to what they are making for the Festival of Lights. If you’re tired of the same latkes every year, you’re just like us! Not to worry, we’ve combed the internet to find these four innovative and tasty takes on […]

What’s the purpose of a miracle? There are of course many answers, including those that are specific to the particular miracle in question. For instance, I recently learned how Abarbanel (15th-century Portuguese commentator) explains the purpose of one particular miraculous moment in the Book of Judges. In Judges Chapter 13, a malach appears to the […]

Dear Jew in the City- What’s the significance of the number eight in the Chanukah story? Thank you, Noam Dear Noam – Sometimes I read a question and I have to ask, “What’s this person really asking?” This is one of those times. The reason I don’t take your question at face value is because […]