It can be a challenge to have everyone from your neighbor’s toddler to your great uncle coming to your seder. Will people be bored? Will they get hungry? Will the kids wander from the table eliciting mumbling from other guests? Join me to discuss ways to keep everyone happy, when to compromise and when to…
Read More »Holidays
8 questions about Purim
Here’s a list of eight commonly asked questions on Purim. Plus a fun fact! Take a look. Purim commonly asked questions
Read More »When You are the ‘Other’ and other Purim events
Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in? You were the ‘other’? There are many reasons for feeling, I’m out of place, or as a dear friend of mine says, I feel like an onion in a petunia patch. Here are some: I’m Catholic in a Jewish family; I’m Chinese and Jewish; I’m gay;…
Read More »Next Holiday Up: Purim!
Purim will begin Wednesday evening, March 7. That’s the night that synagogues typically hold their Purim Schpiel – the retelling of the Purim story. Sometimes the story is chanted from a simple scroll and many times there is a comical play telling the story. It is popular to pick a theme – like Purim according…
Read More »Purim: The Jewish Mardi Gras!
Join us for a stimulating evening of cocktails, crafts, comedy, and conversation! All adults (21 and over) are welcome to celebrate this wild and crazy holiday. No Jewish experience necessary. 7:00 – Brief & boisterous telling of the Purim story by comedian Joshua Walters 7:30- Choose from four exciting conversations: *Sasha Goldberg of Keshet &…
Read More »Rituals and Memory
I received the weekly email newsletter from Netivot Shalom in Berkeley. In it their rabbi, Menachem Creditor, spoke his congregation about tonight’s holiday, Tu Bishvat. I want to share his words with you. Dear Chevreh (Friends), Tonight is Tu Bishvat, the Jewish celebration of Trees, an annual reminder to care for the world we inhabit….
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