For the past eight days, Jews around the world have been publicizing the Chanukah miracle. But when it comes to getting the world excited about the Maccabees, no one does that better than Akiva Poppers. “It’s the ultimate underdog story,” proclaims Poppers. But Poppers isn’t just talking about the ancient Maccabees. Poppers is the voice […]
My fourth child was born 6 weeks early, but otherwise healthy. Or so we thought. In the moments after delivery, the OBGYN and neonatologist exclaimed over the baby’s umbilical cord. Part of it was a normal tube, but part of it looked like a thick, flat pancake. “Is that a problem?” I asked. “Doesn’t seem […]
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 […]
Yeshiva University Punished Itself in NCAA Tourney Loss Yeshiva University’s first trip to the NCAA Division III men’s basketball Tournament was brief, and it didn’t include one of its best players. The Orthodox Jewish school from Washington Heights, which drew acclaim on a variety of platforms after winning the Skyline Conference, fell to York (Pa.) […]
Meet ‘Supergirl,’ the World’s Strongest Teenager Most days, Naomi Kutin, a high school junior from New Jersey, is a mere teenage mortal. During weekend powerlifting competitions, when the crowd is revved up and that bar is loaded with hundreds of pounds — Naomi squats 321 pounds and dead lifts 365 pounds — she turns into […]
Houston’s Top Chefs Cook Kosher Next Monday Top chefs from across Houston will join in to cook a five-course meal as part of the Gourmet Kosher Extravaganza, an annual benefit dinner for Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Houston branch. It’s one thing to eat an all-kosher dinner prepared by some well-respected secular chefs, but when’s […]
