Are you familiar with the Magnes Museum in Berkeley? It is a small treasure of a museum on the UC Berkeley campus. The curator is Professor Francesco Spagnolo, a brilliant, funny Italian Jew with whom I have worked before. He is a delight. Prof. Spagnolo will be one of the speakers at an evening event…
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A mohel performs a circumcision during a bris (or brit milah) ceremony. (Cheskel Dovid/Wikimedia CC BY 3.0) Circumcision still a volatile topic I received the following letter sent to my Mixed and Matched column at the J-weekly. Dear Dawn: I came across your response to a Jewish mother who was upset that her daughter didn’t want to circumcise…
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What is Judaism’s Belief about the Afterlife? G-d Talk with Rabbis from Across the Jewish Denominations One of the most frequently asked questions of Rabbis is “What is Judaism’s Belief about the Afterlife?” As with most Jewish beliefs, this one has many answers. Plan to attend this program and hear the panelists talk about what…
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(Image from Song of Names) The East Bay International Jewish Film Festival will run from Feb. 26 to March 15. The films are divided into 8 categories (sections) so that you can jump to Historical Dramas, Family Friendly, Mysteries, Documentaries, etc. There are some hard to find, FABULOUS films! A few of my favorites are: The…
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(Image by Deborah Breen Whiting from Pixabay) I’ve had people specifically tell me that they are visual learners and that reading is not easiest learning method. Luckily there are hundreds of films from which you can learn A LOT about Judaism. One site that is particularly fun is Rabbi at the Movies. It’s a mini course just to…
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(Image: A hamentashen bake with friends) We just observed Tu B’shvat and are now coming up on Purim. Both of these are minor holidays in the Jewish calendar. It can be tempting to say, we don’t need to do anything for them; they aren’t really that important. But pause and consider, why might they be…
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