"What did you learn in Sunday school today?" Mrs. G asks her son. "We learned that Jews left Egypt and came to the Red Sea, Moses built a bridge for the Jews to cross, and then when the Egyptians got on the bridge, Moses blew it up..." "Is that really what happened?" asks Mrs. G, skeptically. "Mom," the young boy responds, "if you don't believe that story, you'll never believe the one my teacher told me!" That's right; the whole story of our Exodus hardly makes sense. In fact, our entire existence simply …More

An antelope was grazing peacefully on an African plain, with her fawn close by her side. Suddenly, the fawn said with alarm, “Mommy, I see a pair of lions in the distance! The mother calmly replied, “Yes dear, I have been watching them for some time.” Puzzled, the fawn asked, “Aren’t you afraid? Shouldn’t we run away?” Replied the mother: “Let me tell you something very important. Listen carefully for your very life may depend on this: a lion in the distance is …More

Tu Bishvat, a holiday celebrating the new year of the trees, is honored annually on the 15th day of Shevat. This year, the holiday begins at sundown on January 25, and Jewish groups have put out plenty of resources to help in commemorating the day. The Israel Forever Foundation has organized a comprehensive Web source for users across the globe, offering tips on how to celebrate this green holiday in 2013. Tu Bishvat recipes as well as instructions on how to host an at-home Tu Bishvat seder are helpful guides …More

An old Polish Jew immigrates to the "Golden Land," the United States of America. There, he experiences the culture shock of his life. Everything is big, industrialized, impersonal, cold, materialistic... where is the human passion of the old country? "America!" He shouts the word in disgust as he walks down a busy street. "No one cares about anything here! There is no one idealistic in this place!" The man behind him overhears his comment and protests. "Not true, Americans can be idealistic about everything! You …More

Pauline Dubkin Yearwood is managing editor of the Chicago Jewish News. Shortly after I became a vegan, around 20 years ago, I ordered my first “vegan option” at a Jewish organizational dinner. It arrived: a plateful of raw celery and carrot sticks arranged around a cup of something ranch dressing-ish that probably wasn’t even vegan. Since then, things have changed considerably. Teenage servers at fast food places know what vegan means even if they have to deliver the news that there is …More

Yom HaTorah in Italy, a day devoted to group study of the Torah in 13 Jewish communities across the country, excluded women, critics complained. Sunday's Torah Day, promoted as a milestone in Jewish learning in Italy, included lectures, discussions, study sessions led by rabbis and teachers, and post-study parties. It was organized by the education department of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities and dedicated to the memory of the noted 20th century Italian Jewish scholar Rabbi Elia Samuele Artom. In Rome …More

Reacting to violent skirmishes that erupted during last year's parade in East Jerusalem, Rabbis for Human Rights-North America are urging the Jewish community to engage in discussion and pray for peace on Yom Yerushalayim this year. The organization is among human rights organizations drawing attention to the need to end the vandalism and racial slurs that marred recent Jerusalem Day events. The Israeli national holiday, which began Saturday at sundown, celebrates the recapturing of the Old City and the …More

Lag B’Omeris a fun holiday for Israeli youth who celebrate by lighting bonfires and partying around the flames. Yet the festivities come at a high cost. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, pollution spiked dramatically during Wednesday’s festivities, particularly in Kiryat Ata and Beersheba. This is not the first time pollution levels have reached dramatic highs on the holiday. Satellite images of past Lag B’Omer fests show a haze of smoke swirling around the Israeli airspace. …More

As Kyle so heartbreakingly learned on “South Park,” it’s hard to be a Jew on Christmas. Who among us hasn’t had a bit of Santa envy? Hanukkah Harry just can’t really compare. No matter how we console ourselves with fried donuts and annually blowing a minor holiday out of proportion, the Christmases we see our goy friends celebrating always seem a bit, well, jollier. Sarah Silverman has it right—Santa should give the Jews some toys on Christmas. After all, Jesus was a Jew, …More

There has long been a war brewing in America over a December religious holiday and no, I don't mean the silly non-issue "War on Christmas." I'm talking about the heated debate that has pitted brother against brother, rabbi against gabbai: The Hubbub Over How to Spell the Jewish Festival of Lights." Every year around this time we at the Jewish Outreach Institute receive several "correct spelling" requests for the holiday's name, usually from well-meaning grade-school teachers who want to present a multicultural …More

United States post offices unveiled their seasonal stamp collection last month, which included a Hanukkah design. The Hanukkah Forever stamp commemorates the annual Jewish festival, with eight letters backed by colorful, kinetic shapes. “This year, for the first time, all of our holiday stamps are being issued as ‘forever’ stamps,” said Stephen Kearney, executive director of Stamp Services. “These popular stamps rank among our best sellers, with 1.3 billion being sold from October …More

After a month filled with high holidays and other festivals, the Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah holiday finishes the month with excitement and enthusiasm. Although many often group them as the last days of Sukkot, they are indeed distinct and Independent festivals. In Israel these two are celebrated on one day and in the diaspora they are celebrated over two days. This holiday, which translates as rejoicing with the Torah, has several components to it, but all have Torah as the central theme. In the evening of …More