The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival began its 2015 season last Thursday and they have their usual fabulous line up of films. I’ve told you in the past that it was suggested to me that I cosponsor films about Jewish & Muslim couples, typically living in Israel or Europe. But that topic doesn’t apply to…
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Cantor Jennie Chabon on Learning from Strangers
I love this article by Cantor Chabon of B’nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek. Have you ever heard of ‘lamed vavniks’? No? Read on. A couple of weeks ago, Steve and I took our boys on a family trip to Portland for a few days. We rarely have free weekends to travel together because of Shabbat,…
Read More »How to Make a Shiva Call
This is an excellent article from Kveller on how to make a difficult shiva call. Frankly, all shiva calls are difficult. You are going to the home of a mourner and sitting with their terrible grief. How to Make a Tragic Shiva Call offers eleven rules that can apply to any shiva call. As the…
Read More »The Chuppah (Wedding canopy)
Having a chuppah is a beautiful Jewish custom. Chuppah, חוּפָּה in Hebrew means “covering”. On ReformJudaism.org, Rabbi Victor Appell describes the chuppah this way. The canopy under which Jewish couples stand when they are married is called a chuppah. The chuppah represents the new home a couple establishes through their marriage. It also represents the…
Read More »Culturally Jewish
Cultural Jews “I’m culturally Jewish.” How many times have I heard this? Too many to count. What does it mean? It means different things to different people. The common thread is, “I don’t believe in God.” Let’s not even go into what “God” means; let’s jump right to what does “cultural” mean? For the non-Jewish…
Read More »Let’s Go to the Movies!
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival is in its 35 year. Building Jewish Bridges is delighted to be a co-presenter of the following films at this year’s festival. Dough Food has always represented more than sustenance in Jewish culture, and its transformative power is on display in this delightful British dramedy which unites a widowed…
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