Advertisement
- HOME
- Community Calendar
- Arts
- Calendar
- Education
- Food
- Israel
- Kids and Teens
- Los Angeles
- Obituaries
- Opinion
- Religion
- Singles
- Sports
- Special Sections
- Torah Portion
- U.S.
- World
Advertisements
Jewish Journal Tags
Tag: Celebration
View the most popular tags overall?
Flag Day
It's a fact of life: Israel's blue and white is a red flag for the fanatics. Wave it, and they are likely to charge.
Celebration to mark raising of Israeli flag at consulate
The blue and white flag with the Star of David will be raised for the first time in front of the Israeli Consulate on Sunday, Sept. 28.
Keep the youngest wedding guests happy—and keep your sanity
Fortunately, it's perfectly possible to welcome children at your wedding without compromising the sanctity of the event or the sanity of any involved parties.
Some retirees make aliyah to San Miguel de Allende
A growing number of American Jews have chosen to retire to Mexico. Two of the largest expatriate communities, in San Miguel de Allende and Ajijic; have experienced contrasting experiences while attempting to establish spiritual leadership.
Israelis build new traditions at L.A. seders
Nitzan and Shaul Barakan had to come all the way from Israel to the United States to learn words like "afikoman" and "seder plate."
The couple, both born and raised on Kibbutz Kinneret, didn't have a clue that there is a haggadah that looks nothing like the one they used on the kibbutz.
Curacao shul offers venue with Caribbean flavor
Compared with the millennia of Jewish history, the scant few centuries of Jewish settlement in the Western Hemisphere is like a drop in the ocean those Jews had crossed from Europe. The history of the Jews in the American colonies is even shorter: more than 100 years before the Jews of Newport, R.I., built their synagogue (now the oldest continuously active synagogue in the United States), the Jewish community of the Caribbean island of Curacao had built theirs -- Congregation Mikve Israel, which holds the record as the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere.
No matter how you say it
Brotherly Love
With Chanukah recent history, I came across a fascinating review of a new book, "The Business of Holidays." The book's editor, Maud Lavin, notes that 81 percent of U.S. households celebrate Christmas with a tree in their homes, and not everybody is Christian. The line between Christmas and Chanukah has become very blurry in recent years, according to Lavin.
‘Tent’ meeting showcases new spirit of synagogues
A crowd of 4,500 gathered recently at the ornate Fox Theater in Atlanta for a celebration of Jewish spirit and synagogue life that can accurately be described as a Jewish tent meeting. "Hallelu Atlanta" was an extraordinary moment in the history of one of the fastest-growing Jewish communities in North America. The afternoon gathering held significance, meaning and purpose far beyond what may have appeared to be simply a concert featuring a who's who of Jewish music.
Chanukah and adult faith
A lot of people have trouble with Chanukah. I did, for years. I'd go to parties and nibble on my latke or sufganiyot while grumbling under my breath about how there was nothing here to celebrate. I'd light my Chanukiyah, but I'd only do the bare minimum needed to fulfill the mitzvah and I'd do my best not to enjoy it. My problem then, and the problem of the people who this year have already informed me that they're all but going to boycott the holiday, is that the history of this particular celebration is, well ... complicated.
The sweet rewards of Rosh Hashanah rituals
The change was subtle but undeniable. A slightly deeper shade of brown; carrots cut lengthwise rather than sliced; some scattered sprigs of rosemary. Any other day of the year, such a discrete rift in recipe might have gone unnoticed. But this was not any other day of the year -- this was Rosh Hashanah.
Oy Caramba! Serve a Simcha Fiesta
Generations of comics salute Mort Sahl on his 80th
"Mort Sahl changed the face of comedy. Before his, that face was Marty Allen's."
-- Jack Riley
There is more going on than just a ceremony and a party
So while my brother got punched out at his bar mitzvah -- by me -- this other kid met God. Of course, some kids start getting into trouble at this age, while others really start to excel as students.
The best of the kosher bubblies
Appeals to the middle class as well as the aristocracy helped Champagne become a mainstay of toasting at almost any occasion, from launching ships to celebrating a marriage. And with the June wedding season upon us, there is little time to waste in selecting the perfect bottle of bubbly to toast your nuptials.
Got Shavuot?
But unlike Rosh Hashanah -- which has the irresistible attraction of a new year and a new beginning -- and other holidays that have their own attractions, Shavuot seems to miss that special sizzle that could engage mainstream Judaism.
Beyond ‘the day’
Yes, once the months of training and the day has ended; once the celebration has happened and the DJ has gone home; once the gifts have been opened, the cards have been read and the checks have been deposited, there remain the most important gifts. If the preparation has been handled with care, if the tutor, rabbi, cantor and parents have done their jobs, this young adult will be moving onto the next leg of life's journey with the most valuable gifts of all.
Ladies, grab your coat and get your Red Hat
The first fashion show by the Shayna Punims, a Red Hat Society chapter based at Jewish Home for the Aging's (JHA) Eisenberg Village campus, gave former models an excuse to come out of retirement and provided nervous novices an opportunity to shine among their peers.
The Magic of Mimouna
Mimouna represented the love and intimacy of a neighborhood. There's nothing like popping in to see 10, 20, 30 different neighbors on the same night, most of whom you see all the time -- especially when you know your great-great-great-grandparents probably did the same thing in the same place.
Iranian-Americans celebrate Norooz, Persian New Year
Persian New Year, also known as Norooz, was celebrated at Los Angeles City Hall on March 16 as members of Persian American Communities Inc. -- a nonprofit organization consisting of local Iranian American Jews and Muslims -- joined with L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and members of the City Council.
A down-home way to treasure that special day
Consider orchestrating a Bar Mitzvah Treasure Hunt that you can host in your backyard, throughout your house or even in a hall rented for the occasion.
Rite of passage is not a free pass
"Keeping Up With the Steins" is an unlikely candidate for an Academy Award, but it has served a purpose if it causes us to pause and consider the cultural phenomenon that prompted its production and distribution.
Former emcee sheds light on beaucoup-buck parties
George Valencia said the inspiration for the film came from his worst memory as a bar mitzvah emcee -- he had run out of glow ropes during a party for a particularly affluent family only to discover that the bar mitzvah boy had never received one.
Unmasking Purim’s vital meaning
On Purim we are forced to confront the possibility that nothing we do really matters, because history is ultimately arbitrary, and life is therefore unalterably unpredictable. No wonder they tell us to have a couple of drinks ... But the power of Purim is not that it leaves us in a drunken stupor, vulnerable, uncertain and hungover.
The whole megillah: Ten reasons to love Purim
So what is Purim about? This short guide explains the various holiday traditions and celebrations, as well as a few suggestions of unique and fun ways to partake in the festivities.
Purim books: A time to laugh, a time to grog
Keeping in mind that singing, dancing and drinking may be the typical methods of rejoicing, its important to remember there are other ways to truly celebrate the value of existence -- like picking up and reading a great comedy.
At Party Time: Candy is dandy—charity is sweeter
As my son's bar mitzvah day inched closer, I began to see the world in a whole different light -- a disco ball light, to be exact -- for as my child grew, so did his friends, officially putting us both on the b'nai mitzvah circuit.
‘Yippee’—Paul Mazursky documents Chasids gone wild
"Jews are not cultured people," she complains. The other woman disagrees.
"They are cultured," she insists, "they are just different."
Chanukah holds important lesson for all faiths
Theologically, Chanukah is insignificant, yet its historical lesson is of great importance to all religious faiths.
Follow your heart to a vegetarian Chanukah feast
In keeping with an annual tradition started 35 years ago, Canoga Park's Follow Your Heart's Jewish owners, Bob Goldberg and Paul Lewin, will hold their Chanukah Feast on Dec. 19, 4 p.m.- 9 p.m.
A Chanukah for the party people
On the first night of Chanukah my true love gave to me...social justice? That's the theme of one of the hottest parties of the Chanukah season, "Vodka Latka: The Festival of Rights," sponsored by the Progressive Jewish Alliance (PJA), JDub Records and Reboot on Dec. 13 at the El Rey Theatre in Mid-Wilshire.
A wish list of guilty pleasures and goofy gifts
We've all been there.
You go to the store, turn on the TV or pick up a catalogue and see something incredibly silly that you never in a million years would buy for yourself (it's also called a "guilty pleasure"). But you can always say you are buying it for someone else. So in the grand tradition of the Pet Rock, the Moses action figure and the snow cone machine, The Journal presents the Chanukah gifts you really want but won't admit it.
Originality trumps repetition in the holiday songs battle
I will be frank. I'm tired of hearing the same holiday songs over and over. So the best Chanukah present I've received this year is a pile of Chanukah-themed CDs with lots of new holiday songs, many of them quite good.
Books: Wrap up new worlds for your young readers
Books
Eight ways how ‘tis better to give back
Having trouble finding the perfect gift for the one who has everything? Want to give back to the community this holiday season and into 2007? Here are eight great ways to contribute.
Has your gift list got game?
Demand for PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii is outstripping the available supply, and analysts predict the shortage could lead to increased demand for Microsoft's Xbox 360.
But how will you know which system is the right fit for your family?
Mamma Mia! That’s a Chanukah
The Skirball Cultural Center has chosen to focus on Italian Jewry as the theme for its upcoming "Hanukkah Family Festival," a series of performances, workshops, exhibits and other activities on Sunday, Dec. 10.
Powerful Trio; House is a Home
It was a night to acknowledge accomplished women Nov. 1, when 300 people celebrated the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) 12th annual Deborah Awards. This year's honorees, Louise Bryson of
B’nai Mitzvah: Celebrate sunrise prayer with breakfast outdoors
If you were in Jerusalem at the crack of dawn on a Monday or Thursday, you would see dozens of bar mitzvah boys davening by the Western Wall, being taught to lay tefillin for the first time. In Persian families this practice includes a morning prayer service and a breakfast for close family and friends.Since the b'nai mitzvah ceremony is rife with spiritual meaning, a lovely way to start the sacred day is an early morning gathering to greet the sunrise.
B’nai Mitzvah: It’s OK! Go ahead and cry
I don't remember much about my own bat mitzvah many years ago, but I do remember this: My father cried as he turned to speak to me after the conclusion of the Torah reading.
Sense of past leads Loyola Marymount to remember Kristallnacht
Father Michael Engh thinks it's only natural that a Catholic university host the citywide commemoration of Kristallnacht, which is marked by many historians as the beginning of the Holocaust.
Live in the ‘hood: lingering Shabbat
Understanding the unique power of Shabbat. Shabbat does not just come and go every week. In fact, it never really goes away.
Live from the ‘hood: we’re gonna party like it’s 5667
I can see going a little nuts on Purim, when we celebrate a seminal victory that saved the Jewish people, but going bananas on a day of Torah?
Circuit
Circuit News.
When Birthday Party Blowouts Blowup
Fortunately, it's perfectly possible to plan a kid-friendly birthday bash without compromising our values, sanity and pocketbook. All it takes is a little panning for gold.
Sinai Dinner Prompts Revamp of Biblical Proportions
Although Irwin S. Field couldn't reserve the International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton more than a year in advance, he wanted to make sure that his favorite Israeli chef would be available.
Remembering Zvika
A 42-year-old Apache pilot, Zvika rose to the rank of colonel in the Israeli Air Force. He was, according to his peers, "professional and talented," and he did his job with diligence and dedication. Since he had enlisted in the air force at the age of 18, he was due to retire in a year.
Tisha B’Av Dilemma: Day of Solemnity or Celebration?
"There's a challenge for Reform Jews around the observance of Tisha B'Av, and communities make all kinds of choices," said Rabbi Sue Ann Wasserman, the Union for Reform Judaism's director of worship, music and religious living.
The Sinai Century
How do you sum up 100 years of history? That's the task of historian Florie Brizel, who was hired by Sinai two years ago to write the history of the shul. She just completed "Sinai Temple: A Centennial History," a narrative that runs more than 200 pages.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah - B’nai Mitzvah Menu Dishes Up Bonuses
With the flurry that surrounds a b'nai mitzvah celebration, we often lose sight that this day -- this passage from childhood to adulthood -- will be one of the most meaningful memories of his or her life.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah - Author-Baker Rises to Bimah—at Last
Joanne Rocklin is obsessed with food. On her 60th birthday, she began summarizing her life with the essentials: "I love to cook. I love to eat". But it's her passion for writing that has enabled her to come to terms with her life and her faith.
Pentecostal Revival Embraces Israel
The focus of the centennial celebration was on exuberant worship services and prayer. For these unshakeable believers in the literal truth of the Jewish and Christian bibles, a kinship to Jews and especially Israel is a given.
‘Steins’ Skewers Simcha Rivalry
"Keeping Up With the Steins" proves that you don't have to be Jewish to make a funny, insider Jewish film, or that if you grow up in the Bronx or went to school in North Hollywood, you become a Jew by osmosis.
Avoid an Oops in Shooting Your Video
Whether you're trying to capture a wedding, b'nai mitzvah or 50th anniversary celebration, the day will come and go whether you're ready for it or not. Unless you're prepared, the opportunity to capture family history can easily slip through your fingers.
Throw a Party With a Purpose
It's not that glitz, glamour and secular themes at b'nai mitzvah are inherently problematic, like in the soon-to-be-released one-upsmanship film, "Keeping Up With the Steins," but when they're inadequately balanced with Jewish values we can be left with an empty shell of a party that undermines the entire point of these meaningful milestones.
Eco-Friendly Parties Mix Mitzvah, Simcha
Selecting an environmental mitzvah project is a good starting point. But consider adding eco-friendly substitutes for white plastic tableware, Styrofoam centerpieces, Mylar balloons and elaborate banners. Are your invitations printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks?
PASSOVER: The 11th Plague: Boredom
Not all seders are sit-down affairs. When "Dayenu" begins at the home of Simone Shenassa of West Orange, N.J., everyone takes bunches of scallions and hits everyone else, to imitate the whipping of the slaves.
The Circuit
Circuit
Curtain Rises on Mozart’s Jewish Tie
"Mozart does not belong to any nation. It would be a total misunderstanding for anyone to lay claim to Mozart," said Peter Marboe, Vienna Mozart Year artistic director. "That makes it obscene that the Nazis should claim him as an example of a great German artist and all the while hide his Jewish collaborators."
Bonding Over Torah
Generally taught once a year, with 10 to 20 girls enrolled per class, the program affords mothers and daughters special time together. It also introduces the girls to peers from other schools, allowing them to view bat mitzvah as a more universal experience.
Ode to Chanukah
Enjoy this poem by Sinai Akiba fifth-grader Shana Saleh as you munch on
those latkes.
Menorah on the Mountain
Kibbutz Ketura, in the south of Israel, is a small, quiet agricultural settlement, with a rich tradition of community celebration.
Holiday Celebration of Arts and Eats
But, for the past 15 years, the festivities have included our special friends, artist Peter Shire and his wife, Donna. It all began when we invited Peter to visit the Skirball Museum, which was then located on the campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, next to USC.
Orthodoxy Has Chance to Reshape Role
Jewish community. With courage and vision, we need to act on this opportunity by understanding the important changes that have occurred over the last decades and rethinking the way we engage the broader Jewish community.
Snip Judgment
If you were circumcised as an adult and have experienced sexual relations both before and afterward, then Emily Bazelon wants to know about it. Why that concerns me -- and may concern you -- takes a little explaining.
The Circuit
Circuit Updates.
How to Keep Your Love Alive
Couples who have created a partnership and life together consistently talk of the effort involved. Yes, some relationships seem easier than others, but all say it takes time, energy and a true willingness to face whatever comes along on their journey together.
The Circuit
The Circuit
Burning Bush Meets Burning Man
In a tent on an ashen desert plain, seven Jews take refuge against the beating sun.
Spectator - Lessing’s Shots of Liberty
Erich Lessing received his first camera when he exited the synagogue from his bar mitzvah in Vienna in 1936.
"There was no idea of taking up photography as a profession," said Lessing, 82, from his house in Austria. "In a good Jewish family in Vienna you would only be a lawyer or a doctor."
Hope for At-Risk Youth at Yemin Orde
One of the notorious ways that overwrought Israeli parents get unruly kids into line is by threatening to send them to a pnimia -- a boarding school.
Briefs
Community Briefs
Kids Page
Kids Page
Kids Page
In Los Angeles, our Israel Festival is on May 15 at Woodley Park in Van Nuys.
Abraham’s ‘Children’ Connect at Seder
Interfaith Passover seder participants dine in a banquet hall at Wilshire Boulevard Temple. The April 29 seder grew out of an 11-day interfaith trip to Israel and the West Bank in February.
New ‘Design’ Adds Flair to the Holidays
With flavorful and fun recipes that use ingredients and combinations far from what used to be considered traditional Jewish cooking — think Juniper Berry and Peppercorn Crusted Skirt Steak with Spiced Onions — this book can add flare to a tired repertoire for both connoisseurs and amateurs.
Let Your Tasteless Chicken Go
For many years, my daughter and I were lucky to be invited out for Passover. Besides joining a big group of people, and sampling a variety of Passover foods, I relished the added benefit of not having to plan, shop and cook for the daunting seder (first and second night) meals.
Let My Students Go
Cecelie Wizenfeld is not alone in her efforts to find memorable ways of helping children connect with the holiday. While model seders, seder plate illustrations and handmade afikomen bags have become standard educational fare in the classroom, many Southland religious and day school teachers are finding that creative and unusual holiday projects make more of an impact.
Prices Too Low to Be Kosher
It happens every year, said Daryl Schwarz -- who opened this 100 percent-kosher market in 1989 -- only lately it's been getting worse. Large supermarket and discount chains are able to undersell kosher specialty markets on the very products that, traditionally, have been the Jewish stores' lifeblood.
A Flashlight Through History
On no holiday are we instructed to feel God's participation in our lives more palpably than on Pesach. The hagaddah teaches: "In every generation, each person must see himself as if he personally left Egypt."
Add Inclusiveness to Your Seder Table
For non-Jewish partners, even with the best good will, the seder experience can be strange and unfamiliar. Jewish family members prioritize coming together at this time of year.
Winning the Great Sponge Cake Battle
It's that time again. With Pesach here, it's time for my annual wrestling match with my nemesis, the dreaded sponge cake.
Make Your Seder an Affair to Remember
By using your imagination and listening to the tried-and-true advice of the experts, you can create a stylish and sophisticated Passover seder that will have your guests wishing for another invitation next year.
Tell Me a Story
Passover is a time for families to gather, to enjoy each other's company and to recall the story of our shared ancient history.
It is also the perfect time to preserve your family's greatest treasure: the memories and stories of your own family elders.
Don’t Get Plagued by Tricky Desserts
Many a great cook has been sent over the edge trying to produce some beautiful Passover baking.
Time to Leave Your Mitzrayim
We learn in the haggadah, "B'chol dor v'dor, chayav adam lirot et atzmo k'ilu hu yatzah mi'mitzrayim" -- "In every generation it is one's duty to regard himself as though he personally had come out of Egypt."
For Iranians, Purim Is the Real Thing
Holiday Frivolity for Young at Heart
At every age, we must be connected to life's fun side, and Purim, the boisterous and tumultuous holiday that begins this year at sundown on March 24 and celebrates the triumph of the Jews in ancient Persia over enemies determined to destroy them, gives us that opportunity.
A Minor Holiday’s Major Following
It's easy to understand why getting dressed up, eating lots of candy and hamentaschen, drinking the night away and partaking in a festive meal appeals to many. But it's only really in the post-war era that Purim has become a major player in the Jewish calendar.
Make Menu Shine With Splash of Wine
Purim is always a special celebration for the children -- they dress up in costumes, sing and dance. The grown-ups have their rewards, too, because it is the only holiday when everyone is encouraged to drink a generous amount of wine.
Talmud Celebration Evokes Joy, Tears
The Disney Concert Hall was the site of one of the largest Torah celebration in modern history in Los Angeles. On Tuesday, March 2, 3,000 Jews celebrated the Daf Hayomi Siyum, the culmination of the study of the entire Talmud.
Creative Calm Over Shower Stress
Are you the designated bridal shower giver this season? Don't let the happy occasion of your daughter, your best friend's daughter or even your fourth cousin-once-removed's daughter give you the jitters.
New Chuppah Honors Terror Victim
On the eve of her wedding, 20-year-old Naava Applebaum and her father, Dr. David Applebaum, the director of emergency medicine at Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Center, sat at Jerusalem's Café Hillel. The two were celebrating her upcoming nuptials with a father-daughter talk. But Naava Applebaum never made it to her chuppah. That night, Sept. 9, 2003, she and her father's lives were taken by a terrorist's bomb.
Calendar
Calendar
7 Days in the Arts
Fine-print dealers from across the country convene at LACMA this weekend for Los Angeles Print Fair 2005.
Protection Does Grow on Trees
Well, no. Tu b'Shevat is an annual celebration for a reason.
Thousands of years ago, our rabbis knew that we would need to be reminded on a regular basis about how important trees are to our lives. We must always remember to protect, plant and care for more of them.
Give Teen Party a Pizza Makeover
Unlike the bar and bat mitzvah parties of my youth, which were often like pint-sized weddings, where barely a dozen preteen friends and a smattering of cousins ate grown-up food, mingled, and danced awkwardly among a sea of elders
Awards Appreciate the Unappreciated
The Jewish Educator Awards luncheon, hosted by award sponsors the Milken Family Foundation (MFF) and the Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE) of Greater Los Angeles, is a yearly fest of pride, love and admiration for the wide swath of Jews who belong to Los Angeles' day school world.
Xmas Shabbat Grounds Some Merry Mitzvahs
Consider this year's fluke on the December Dilemma: Christmas Day usually occurs during the workweek, with Jews often handling this day off by filling Dec. 25 with some volunteer work -- then Chinese food and a movie.
But the quirks of the calendar find this Dec. 24 falling on a Friday, meaning Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are in a rare calendar co-existence with Shabbat.
When Xmas Enters the Classroom
Five days a week during this holiday period, Jodi Braverman sits in a room that conjures up images of the North Pole. The walls are covered with pictures of jolly old St. Nick, and not one, but two miniature Christmas trees serve as obstacles to the seating area. From time to time, Yuletide carols serve as background music.
Tom Tugend, Contributing Editor
"This project marks the convergence of two traditions, without detracting from the integrity of either one," said Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels of Beth Shir Sholom, the "Progressive Reform" congregation long active in interfaith relations. "In both traditions, trees symbolize new life and hope."
Through God’s Eyes
We call it the Festival of Lights, but Chanukah starts in a very dark place. It begins with two stories, each very serious.
Welcome to Our Wedding!
A very nice added attraction to your ceremony is the wedding booklet. This is a personal supplement to your wedding that the ushers will give to each guest as they are taken to their seats. The bride usually chooses a white or ecru linen material with black ink.
The cover states "The Wedding of ... " and usually has both the English and the Hebrew dates. We recommend art of flowers and we added the quote "Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li" -- "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."
Gift of Chanukah
Maybe the answer isn't Jewish day school, a bar or bat mitzvah, a Jewish summer camp, a Birthright Israel trip or a subscription to Heeb magazine. Maybe the answer is as simple as this: unmemorable Chanukah presents.
Ex-Communist ‘Burb Makes Menorahs
All the menorahs made at the factory have seven branches, a departure from the nine-armed versions most American Jews light to celebrate Chanukah.
Perfect Gadgets for Jetsetter, Homebody
When it comes Chanukah, you've got eight nights to get your gift giving right. Our Gift Guide points you toward a cornucopia of categories for every evening of the Festival of Lights.
It’s All About the Olive Oil
While some food writers automatically push the same old latke and brisket menu at Chanukah, Susie Fishbein offers a lighter touch by mixing in Mediterranean fare. And although she tweaks culinary tradition, she honors it. Fishbein believes in presenting beautiful food in unique ways.
How the Maccabees Reshaped Jerusalem
Less well-known, according to a leading Israeli archaeologist, is that the Maccabees also were major builders who transformed the face of Jerusalem and restored the centrality of the Temple in Jewish life.
Applesauce Warms Holiday Celebration
On the day preceding the first night of Chanukah, I was too tired to make yet another trip to the grocery store for latke fixings, so we had warm bowls of soup, lit the Chanukah candles, and without much fanfare, my daughter opened her first present. But on the second day, I re-entered my kitchen and found one box of instant latke mix and a refrigerator drawer full of apples.
Maccabee Meaning Changes With Time
Ironically, the Chanukah story, with its many tellings, preserves those nuances better than almost any other holiday in Jewish tradition. It celebrates a variety of ways to be Jewish -- ways which have changed through the generations, the challenges and the times.
Fritter Away Your Time for Chanukah
We just returned from a trip to Italy, concentrating on the provinces of Puglia and Campania close to Naples. It is a region that we enjoy because of the diversity of the foods and wines available.
Create Festive Table in a Blue Mood
Following are pointers on livening up your Chanukah table from "Kosher by Design" by Susie Fishbein (Mesorah, 2003).
Calendar
Calendar
Calendar
Temple Ner Tamid: 9:30 a.m. Creational Service. Informal learning-oriented service with a creative, participatory style. Potluck lunch follows.
Visiting History
I have always had a soft spot for Brazil. I spent the summer after high school graduation there, and my wife and I spent our honeymoon there.
A Single Thread Links Generations
Becoming a grandparent is a very exciting event.
Chocolate Cake
The 3-by-5 file cards are yellowed with age, carefully covered in Saran Wrap and taped in the back.
Soup for the Sukkah
Sukkot is called the Jewish Thanksgiving. It offers thanks for the bountiful harvest of fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains.
Give Your Sukkah a Shot of Style
After the high of the High Holidays, twice-a-year Jews hang up their kippot for another 354 days, or so, and in the process miss out on the lesser-known treat of Sukkot.
Ease Your Kids Into Holiday Services
Ah, the High Holidays. The mere words conjure up memories of long services, uncomfortable clothing, endless Hebrew passages, Mom and Dad dozing off, semi-fasting against my will, and, most of all, not quite taking in what the holidays were all about. What can I say? I was a kid.
Holiday Breads Worth the Calories
With the no-carb craze sweeping the nation, Atkins Diet adherents make sure to avoid pasta and potatoes, but when the High Holidays roll around, even purists are tempted by succulent Jewish breads.
A Day on the Bimah Changes Everything
No, you didn't have to leave New York to discover Jewish observance, but something had to plant the desire. In my case, it was my bar mitzvah.
Mom Was There
"We only have your dad and my mom left," I told my husband then. "The rest of the week is too hectic for visits. We've got to get them over here for Shabbat."
I could never imagine how much more precious this time would become, having had no inkling that it would be so limited.
Bar Mitzvah Cheer—Without Cheerleaders
"Did you book the Lakers cheerleaders?" asked Rabbi Steven Leder, referring to a notorious bar mitzvah party in Los Angeles, where he is rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple.
Twinning Makes for Double Mitzvah
Who is Marion Pritchard and why would a Jewish girl choose to share her special day with a non-Jew more than six times her age?
Wonderousness of the First Time
When the date was set, everything came into focus. He really will become a bar mitzvah. How exciting the whole year became. Bobby knew his prayers and haftarah very well. No one was concerned about that. He began to work on his sermon and master that, too.
Confessions of a Bar Mitzvah Teacher
It is a job that demands a great deal of patience with parents as well as kids. Everything depends on: a) the cranial size of the student, and b) the size of the bribes offered by the parents to the kid.
B’nai Mitzvah Planning Guide
When the child is born, start saving! It's not a bad idea to start two savings accounts; one for college and one for the bar or bat mitzvah.
Mother of the Bat
My husband and I spent our courtship on the protest fields of Washington, D.C. Yet here we were, in the thick of planning what I am sure we once believed to be the most bourgeois enterprise imaginable: a "catered affair," entertainment that would cost thousands and be over in a matter of hours. How had we gotten ourselves into this?
Playing in Uketopia
It's Sunday night and a half-dozen people are onstage at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. Jumpin' Jim Beloff and his wife, Leapin' Liz, are leading the sold-out crowd as they strum their ukuleles and sing "Farewell."
This is the climax to Uketopia, Beloff's annual celebration of that four-stringed wonder: the ukulele. It is an evening in which almost a dozen performers, from 20s to 90s, including the self-declared "Mr. Ukulele," Charles "Soybean" Sawyer, Fred Sokolow and "King Kukulele," played two-song sets each of Hawaiian, Jamaican and Tin Pan Alley tunes -- everything from Sophie Tucker's "Making Wicky Wacky down in Waikiki" to a soulful rendition of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song."
Thou Shalt Eat Pound Cake
I saw a simple loaf cake wrapped nice and tight on the kitchen counter. My sister gladly parted with a thick portion, as she said she couldn't afford to keep eating it. With one taste, I understood.
Adding Mitzvah Multiplies Simcha
Sometimes the smallest details are the ones that make the biggest impression.
For the Kids
A child's poem to celebrate Jerusalem Day
After 45 Years,
Berkeley, 1959. The Berkeley Gazette announced the marriage of two students at Temple Beth El.
New Torahs Mark Holiday Celebration
Shavuot, the holiday that celebrates the receiving of the Torah, will be honored this month with special tributes by two area congregations. Figuring prominently is the holiest of all Jewish books, but each event has its own twist.
Israel Fete to Focus on Music, Culture
Israeli entertainers often get a jumpstart on a civilian career following military service, which they spend polishing their act at morale-boosting performances for the armed forces.
Independence Fest Turns Sweet 16
There was good news and bad news when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office phoned Yoram Gutman, executive director of Israel's 56th Independence Day Festival, three weeks ago.
The Circuit
The paparazzi lined the halls of the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on March 31 hoping for a glimpse of some of the A-List guests arriving to watch producer and Revolution Studios founder Joe Roth receive the Dorothy and Sherrill C. Corwin Human Relations Award at the American Jewish Committee's (AJC) annual dinner.
7 Days In Arts
Make a play date today or tomorrow. The Celebrity Staged Play Reading Series performance of "Talley's Folley" presents husband-and-wife team Alan Blumenfeld and Katherine James reprising their roles in last month's Pasadena Playhouse production.
Ten Tips for a Great Speech
"I'm more nervous about the speech than I am about reading the Torah," Jonathan Shainberg told The Journal. "When you are reading the Torah you aren't looking at people, but when you give the speech you have to look out at the whole crowd and seeing the faces makes me nervous."
Michael and Bob
As I watched our friends pin pale purple orchids to each other's lapels, sadness and outrage mingled with the happy excitement I had been feeling all afternoon. This was a bold, historic time in San Francisco and hundreds of city employees and volunteers were working themselves weary to make it happen.
C’mon, a Bat Mitzvah Is, Like, So Uncool
"I don't want a bat mitzvah," she told her parents. "It's just for you and your relatives. You don't even need me there. So why don't you just throw your own party?"
Oh, Not to Be 13 Again
The service was uneventful (including the requisite rabbi's sermon on "The Passion"). The party was great -- classy in a way affairs that expensive rarely succeed in being. But as the day progressed, a subtle feeling I barely remembered kept sneaking up on me. The insecurity of 13.
Do Party Invites Right
The index-card box is one of the most important items in your home and is referred to each time an affair is coming up -- as well as when you need a gift for that person's party.
Alternative Invitation to a Simcha
Tricia called Jewish National Fund (JNF) to find out if she could plant a tree in Israel for each guest invited to Danielle's bat mitzvah. "It turns out JNF has exactly such a program set up already," Tricia said.
If It’s Saturday, It’s Another Bar Mitzvah
The Los Angeles bar mitzvah is a sitting duck. Wild tales of gross excess put fear, disgust and embarrassment into the heart of every Jewish parent I know.
B’nai Mitzvah Planning 101
So you're going to have a mitzvah -- whether it is a bar or a bat, the planning begins early.
A Buffet Fit for Your Kings and Queens
This year, the family is invited to an "after-the-Purim-carnival buffet" inspired by the elaborate banquets that were served in biblical days. One long table in the dining room will be set for all the guests, and our collection of Purim groggers (noisemakers) will be arranged at each place setting for everyone to use during the retelling of the Purim story.
Purim Briefs
Purim Briefs
In Remembrance of Ringerman
A mentor to many, Jerry Ringerman left his handprint on California's education, music, camping, environment and Jewish life.
Here Comes the Bridal Shower
Instead of spending upwards of $30 per person and having the whole family kvetch about "prosaic pasta" and "commonplace chicken," or spending even more money hiring a caterer to tramp through your house and schmutz up your kitchen, how about making our delicious, do-able menu and toast the bride with a heartfelt "mazel tov!" and a glass of Champagne in your garden?
Thanksgiving’s Sukkot Roots
Did you know that Thanksgiving is really a Jewish holiday?
An Afro Judeo Beat
Tired of the same old synagogue music? Want to put a little lift in your liturgy? Then give your cantor the gift of Ugandan Jewish music, Say what?
Yes, Smithsonian Folkways has just released a singular CD titled, "Abayudaya: The Music of the Jews of Uganda."
This is a sometimes lilting, often haunting and always fascinating collection of African Jewish music in which the rhythms and harmonies of Africa blend with Jewish celebration and traditional Hebrew prayer.
The Circuit
A movie about the "big 3-0" and a good cause drew the famous and the wannabe famous to Club Ivar in Hollywood as "Gretchen Brettschneider Skirts Thirty" had its L.A. premiere on Sept. 28.
Bias Hits Rabbis on Mommy Track
Today, the 377 women in Reform's Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) constitute about 20 percent of Reform rabbis -- closer to 25 percent when retired and inactive rabbis aren't counted -- up from about 10 percent in 1991. Currently, there are 246 Reconstructionist rabbis, 45 percent of whom are women.
Part-Time Work, Full-Time Families
Women form slightly more than 11 percent of the RA's membership today, with both JTS and the University of Judaism (UJ) ordaining them as rabbis.
The Blow by Blow on Shofarim
Yossi Mizrachi stood in front of a class of second-graders at Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy with a dark, ridged, 4-foot-long buffalo horn in his hand.
Higher Ed. and the High Holidays
Mizrachi Options to Liven the New Year
Middle Easterners turn to the more exotic, like dates, quinces or pomegranates during the High Holidays. So if you're looking for some unique recipes this High Holiday season, you might want to turn to Faye Levy's latest cookbook, "Feast from the Mideast: 250 Sun-Drenched Dishes from the Lands of the Bible" (HarperCollins, $29.95).
An Experience Worth the Price of Admission
So what is Ron Wolfson's opinion when it comes to those $100 and $150 price tags on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur seats? Are the charges really necessary? Is the cost too high?
The Synagogue Makes the Woman
When Muriel Zollman decided to study beginning Hebrew with Rabbi Sally Olins at Temple B'nai Hayim in Sherman Oaks a couple of years ago, it was only so she could follow the prayers during services like everyone else in her family.
Eleven Things to Know Before You Go
Congratulations! You have been invited to the bar/bat mitzvah of a friend or family member. Now what?
The Big Question
The fact that Tisha B'Av falls in the summer is not just a stroke of bad luck. God deliberately destroyed the Temple in the summer. Summer, when the world is outside their closed homes and offices, taking vacations, having fun.
Simcha Stress and Bridal Blues
Planning and executing a wedding, the implication suggests, are psychologically only slightly less taxing than death or divorce.
A Match Made in Cyberspace
"Sometimes fate takes too long." So reads the tagline on the home page for matchmaker.com, an Internet personals site.
Book Helps ‘Design’ Delicious Simchas
If Pesach signals the emergence of spring, with Shavuot, the season bursts forth in a riot of color and luscious flavors. "Kosher by Design" by Susie Fishbein, captures the beauty of every holiday with a feast for the eye as well as the palate.
Here Comes the Price: Buying Gifts
Please follow me through a short exercise (choosing from the options in parentheses to tailor it to your own experience): Your friend (since elementary school/from graduate school/of the family) calls to tell you that she's gotten engaged.
Israel Fest Expands Celebration Borders
UCLA Hillel special events coordinator Guy Kochlani was born in Tel Aviv, but he was never actively involved in supporting Israel -- until the day three years ago when a group of Palestinian students interrupted the Yom HaAtzmaut celebration on campus.
Goodbye, Rabbi
"Sandy is everything a rabbi should be," Dan Giesberg, LBT's president, told The Journal. "He has filled the spirit of the temple for years."
Kids Page
Kids Page
Community Briefs
The faces of The Jewish Federation's main fundraisers are changing.
60th Anniversary Reunites Orphans
Miriam Dybnis, vivacious at 83, insists she and her husband never expected to be honored for their deeds. Still, she's deeply gratified that so many of the young orphans have thrived as adults.
Precision Procession
Jewish and military traditions combine for a unique wedding celebration
The Dayenu Diet
We know you check out our top as we walk in, and our bottom as we walk out. Which is one reason why this Jew-Lo spends hours at the gym sculpting her curves. Pilates, spinning, weights and running. All in the name of a taut tuchis and a tiny waist.
Cherishing Passover
One of the purposes of the Passover seder is to teach our children the story of how the Jewish people came to be. Passover is a history lesson taught not by impersonal teachers in a sterile classroom, but by our families seated around the dining room table. When done correctly, the Passover seder should instill a sense of pride. Because with knowing who we are, we should feel proud to be Jews.
Passover commemorates the departure of the Jewish people from Egypt some 3,000 years ago and marks the birth of a nation. This is as much a celebration of our spiritual freedom as it is a jubilation of our physical liberation from slavery.
Snooze-Proof Seder
Guests at one of Heidi Kahn's Passover potlucks stepped into a desert oasis. That year, her Irvine tract home was transformed with a Bedouin makeover achieved by suspending a tent inside. Another year, guests, who always contribute to the feast, were also asked to bring household goods and were put to work assembling care packages for Jews trying to flee the former Soviet Union.
Typically, the amphibian plague, one of many inflicted on ancient Egypt in the biblical story of Exodus, gets a star turn at Kahn's seder. Plastic frogs croak unexpectedly at arriving guests, who can fold origami frogs while waiting for latecomers. Some guests even don frog masks.
"When you've sat through a lifetime of tedious seders and create your own tedious seders, and then go to Heidi's place and play, no seder will ever compare," said friend and past guest, Gail Shendelman, of Irvine. "I'm spoiled for life."
7 Days In Arts
Workmen celebrate women today (and tomorrow), as The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring presents "Rosa: A Play About Rosa Luxemburg."
Not Just for Kids
Not Just For Kids
Serious Fun
No matter what the profit, most synagogue administrators agree that the yearly celebrations are helpful morale boosters.
Sadness and Joy Mix on Mitzvah Day
It was supposed to have been a happy day. Strangely enough, it was.
Candles Shine From L.A. to Tel Aviv
The event, which was staged by Cafe Europa, a Jewish Family Service program that serves as a social outlet and offers financial assistance and emotional support to Holocaust survivors, allowed those who shared a common experience to also share the joy of Chanukah with one another.
7 Days In Arts
So lovely is that scene of Gene Kelly skipping along, Arthur Freed song in his heart, umbrella in his hand, that it's become a part of our cultural memory.
Commercial Success
At Universal Studios, all the usual characters -- Spider-Man and the Rugrats -- were out in force on Sunday, Nov. 24. But they weren't just there for photo ops with children, instead they were lighting menorahs, spinning dreidels and eating the world's biggest latke at the Chanukah celebration in Universal City.
"We thought that Chanukah was one of the best Jewish holidays that lent itself to the fun family entertainment, and so we worked with a consultant and spoke with a number of rabbis from a variety of groups to create this event," said Brian Pope, Universal vice president of marketing services, who said he hopes that the event -- attended by Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn, the Dodgers' Shawn Green, and actor Justin Burfield from "Malcolm in the Middle," -- will become an annual one.
Your Letters
Your Letters
Inspiration Burns in Flames of Menorah
Every Chanukah, I am struck by the beauty of my chanukiyah as the flames glow steadily against the darkness around them.