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Shakshuka Day – Yes, It’s a made up “holiday”

(Shakshuka_by_Calliopejen1 on Wikipedia) On a trip to Israel together, my dear friend Laurie, fell in love with the Israeli dish, Shakshuka. So she invented Shakshuka Day. It falls on the last Shabbat of the secular calendar year and it involved eating shakshuka, pretty easy. This year Laurie is hosting her special day after services at…

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Isn’t Christmas JUST ONE Day?!

Dear Dawn: I moved in with my Jewish boyfriend in July. At that time, I agreed not to have Christmas in our apartment. Now I’m having second thoughts. I do Passover and Hanukkah with him. Christmas is just one day a year and I have so many beloved traditions. For me, getting and decorating the tree, shopping…

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Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! The entire point of Thanksgiving is to be thankful. It’s a great time to express appreciation in the form of a prayer or statement. If you like prayer, consider learning – or simply reading – one or more of the Jewish blessings over food. My Jewish Learning has a terrific page that gives…

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With which family will you spend the holidays?

Where Will You Spend Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hanukkah? Non-Jewish families are often confronted with which spouse’s family will get them for Christmas. One solution is to flip back and forth for Thanksgiving and Christmas. For interfaith families the question of “who gets us?” can be, Thanksgiving with the Jewish family and Christmas with the Christian (or…

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