- NEWS & COMMENTARY
Kerry says Israelis, Palestinians must make tough decisions
Israeli and Palestinian leaders must decide soon on whether to revive long-dormant peace negotiations to end their decades-old conflict, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday.
Industry is best bet for peace, Israeli billionaire says
On a new industrial park in Israel's largest Arab town, a software plant belonging to a multibillion-dollar U.S.-listed firm sits cheek-by-jowl with two small Arab-owned businesses: a metal factory and one producing tools for brain surgery.
Adelsons donate $40 million to Birthright
Casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, donated $40 million to the Birthright Israel Foundation.
- HOLLYWOOD
Billy Crystal to star in Larry Charles’ FX series
Looks like FX is going to be injecting some humor into their lineup. Not a bad idea, we think, after many seasons of the awesome yet dark series “Justified” or…
Civility replaces violence in ‘Last White Night’
In June 1965, during the most violent days of the civil rights movement, 21-year-old Paul Saltzman drove from Toronto to Mississippi to become a freedom fighter with the Student Nonviolent…
Spielberg to produce ‘Halo’ television series, plus other news from the Xbox One announcement
Microsoft Corp gave the world a first look at its new Xbox One on Tuesday, announcing that its first gaming console in eight years will come with exclusive video and…
- LIFE & CULTURE
A talent agent turns yogurt maven
Amy Salko Robertson — producer of such films as “The Oh in Ohio,” “Lab Rats” and “When Do We Eat?” a comedy set at a Passover seder —realized that she…
Maccabi Tel Aviv back on top but coach future uncertain
Champions Maccabi Tel Aviv have reasserted their dominance of Israeli soccer but media reports on Tuesday suggested they might have to continue their revival without coach Oscar Garcia.
Angelina’s breast cancer victory isn’t for celebrities only
Actress Angelina Jolie just announced that she underwent a preventive double mastectomy after learning that she was genetically predisposed to cancer. Her disclosure was a powerful show of solidarity with…
- BLOGS
Propaganda lies in a disguise
Muhammad al-Durrah, the little boy who became the symbol of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, is returning to the headlines after a decade. A photo of him, crying, leaning against a wall…
Male Eating Disorders: A Real Thing
Recently, People Magazine came out with an article about Ashley Hamilton talking openly about his struggles with an eating disorder. I applaud Ashley for coming out about having an eating…
Religion at the End of The Big C
Last night, Showtime’s The Big C aired its final episode. After three seasons of half-hour installments, this comedy returned for a shortened final season consisting of four hour-long episodes. Subtitled…
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At White House, Chanukah’s light comes from Sandy-ravaged shul’s menorah
It has become something of a White House Chanukah tradition. For the second time, the Obama White House used a menorah from a hurricane-hit region to mark the holiday.
Mayor Villaraigosa joins Chabad at Menorah lighting
On Dec. 7, the dancing rabbis of Chabad and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa came together at Los Angeles City Hall to celebrate the Festival of Lights.
N.J. shul claims new menorah-lighting Guinness record
A New Jersey synagogue said that it set a new Guinness World Record by lighting 834 menorahs on 90 tables in an airport hangar.
David Arquette and Rabbi Cunin light 800lb menorah ice sculpture at L.A. Live [VIDEO]
Let it shine with these unique menorahs
Artists and designers in the United States and Israel are broadening and updating the ways in which we pay tribute to Judah Maccabee through the emblematic menorah, commemorating the miraculous endurance of the fabled lighting oil and the resilience that keeps Judaism’s fire lit, so to speak.
How Technion students light the menorah [VIDEO]
Jay-Z’s Brooklyn menorah
Santa Monica nativity ban hits menorahs, too
The Santa Monica City Council has banned all future nativity, anti-nativity and Chanukah displays at the oceanfront Palisades Park. The 5-0 vote on June 12 ends a nearly 60-year winter tradition.
Menorah of 25,000 dominoes constructed in Jerusalem
A Chanukah menorah made of 25,000 dominoes was constructed at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Holiday Card Etiquette
700 menorahs lit simultaneously
Some 700 people lit Chanukah menorahs simultaneously.
Second Temple artifacts uncovered in Jerusalem
Artifacts from the Second Temple period were found in Jerusalem.
The Colbert Report’s Government Shutdown Menorah [VIDEO]
Boca Raton under fire for menorah display
A Catholic civil rights organization is accusing Boca Raton, Fla., of discrimination for buying and displaying menorahs in public buildings without including a nativity scene. "The City of Boca Raton is effectively discriminating against Christians by allowing one religious symbol, namely the menorah, to be displayed in public buildings, while censoring nativity scenes," Catholic League President Bill Donahue said in a statement issued Tuesday. According to the statement, the U.S. Supreme Court and district courts recognize the menorah as a Jewish religious symbol.
Jewish troops in Iraq can practice their faith, thanks to Navy rabbi
A short distance from the area where many historians believe the Talmud was written, Rabbi Jon Cutler leads one of the only functioning synagogues left in Iraq.
MUSIC VIDEO: ‘All I want for Christmas is Jews’
Relax -- it's comedy
The many miracles of the family menorah
From painted-clay preschool classics to sterling silver family heirlooms, the eight bright lights of the chanukiyah have a unique and artful way of revealing our values, holding our histories and telling our stories.
Got a light? Pass the candle
My interview in Mumbai with Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg
VIDEO: Rabbi David Wolpe—Lessons of the Chanukah Candles
There are lots of 'drashim about Chanukah, the candles, the menorah and the Maccabees. Sinai Temple's Rabbi David Wolpe offers a new and fascinating look at the significance of the ceremonial candlelighting.
Eight days of Chanukah candle lighting - Day 7: Taglit Birthright party
VideoJew’s Eight days of Chanukah candle lighting - Day 6: The Melech of Rock and Roll
VideoJew’s Eight days of Chanukah candle lighting - Day 5: Adam, the dreidel wiz
Menorah-mobile cruises the ‘Hood
Eight days of Chanukah candle lighting - Day 4: Gino
Eight days of Chanukah candle lighting - Day 3: Temple Emanuel musical
Eight days of Chanukah candle lighting—Day 2, The Latke Experiment
Eight Days of Chanukah candle lighting - VIDEOS…with VideoJew Jay Firestone
Imaginative menorahs give new twist to ancient tradition
Moses made the first menorah. God commanded him to hammer out an ornate, free-standing, seven-branched candelabrum, replete with cups, knobs and flowers, from a solid piece of gold. Back then, in the desert tabernacle, and later in the First and Second Temple, the menorah fulfilled a largely inspirational and symbolic function. It was lit with the purest oil in an outside area, and it was meant to illuminate the world with the light of God and the Torah.But the menorah has changed over time.
U.S. Jewish Population Rising; California and Israel Join in Tourism Pact
Briefs
Make a festive meal fit for your Maccabees
It's important during Chanukah to teach children and grandchildren about Jewish traditions and to recall the miracle of the oil, when a one-day supply lasted for eight days, enough time until fresh oil could be made from the olive trees to keep the flame lit in the Holy Temple.
Can public menorah lighting ceremonies pull in unaffiliated Jews?
Public lightings of Chanukah menorahs in the United States have grown exponentially since 1974, when Rabbi Abraham Shemtov of Philadelphia's Chabad-Lubavitch Center lit a small menorah at the foot of the Liberty Bell at Independence Hall.
Show Decodes Early Years of 2 Religions
Whether it's good luck or good planning, the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in the Cleveland area has hit the exhibition jackpot with its current show, "Cradle of Christianity," which runs through Oct. 22. Because while the film version of "The Da Vinci Code" is generating buzz over a purported tale of Jesus, here's an exhibition with tantalizing real objects that provide an actual glimpse from the years of early Christianity.
Wandering Jew - New Year’s in Vienna
About six years ago at the University of Texas, I was asked to be the guest speaker for Shabbat 1,000, an event where 1,000 Jewish students are served full-course traditional Shabbat meals for free. There are no prayer services.
The Path for Growth
Some Torah portions lend themselves very easily to sermons. Yitro, which contains the giving of the Ten Commandments has lots of material about which to talk. Others are more challenging, like Tazria-Metzorah, which has extensive discussions about skin diseases, inflammations and rashes.
The Greatest Game
We sat at my sister-in-law's kitchen table, 11 of us from three generations of my husband's family, absorbed by a wicked game of dreidel on the fifth night of Chanukah, howling with abandon and anticipation at each seemingly endless spin. My 10-year-old daughter, the youngest present, was killing us all, amassing huge quantities of chocolate gold.
Vandals Destroy Large Menorah
Vandals destroyed a large public menorah in Orange County last weekend, an act classified as a hate crime by authorities.
The steel menorah, weighing 150 pounds and standing 15 feet high and 10 feet wide, was located in Ladera Ranch, a planned community near Mission Viejo.
Menorah on the Mountain
Kibbutz Ketura, in the south of Israel, is a small, quiet agricultural settlement, with a rich tradition of community celebration.
Illuminating Tales of Modern Maccabees
In Myra Goldberg's short story, "Who Can Retell," reprinted in the National Public Radio anthology, "Hanukkah Lights, Stories of the Season" (Melcher Media, 2005), a young girl is concerned that her school's holiday glee club is singling out all the Jewish students to sing Chanukah songs.
The Midnight Clear
When I light the first Chanukah candle this year on Dec. 25, the mid-winter moon will be waning. Every night, as I add candles to the menorah, the night sky will be darker until, on the last night when we put our chanukiah in the living room window with all nine candles burning, there will be the first small sliver of moon to meet us.
Chabad Menorahs Gain Acceptance
Ten years ago, the American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) sued the city of Beverly Hills to block the local Chabad house from erecting a 27-foot menorah in a public park near City Hall.
Chrismukkah Web site
A menorah is topped with candy canes, a mini Christmas tree adorned with a Jewish star and a spinning dreidel pictures Frosty the Snowman on one side and the tree on another: These are just some of the "interfaith" pictures featured on the mugs on the gift section of the Chrismukkah Web site (www.chrismukkah.com). Other images – which also adorn T-shirts and holiday cards – include a reindeer with a menorah for antlers, a zayde-slash-santa and other cute combo sayings like "Oy Joy" and "Merry Mazeltov," which get across the sentiment of both Judaism and Christianity.
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.
Gifts Galore From Bubbe to Baby
When it's time to celebrate Chanukah, nobody should be left out of the fun. We've scoured the holiday gift scene to find the perfect presents for Mom, Dad and the whole family.
Eight Crazy Lights
A kosher menorah can be fashioned out of any material, so why not get creative?
Bubbie’s Menorah Miracle
Bubbie, my sweet grandmother, is a small woman, barely 5-feet tall. Her candelabra wasn't just a candleholder used for the Sabbath and Chanukah lights. It was a family symbol; a magnet that brought family and friends together.
Menorah Lights Our Way
For three years, I lived in an apartment in Jerusalem next to a bus stop. The rhythm of my life quickly adapted to the bus schedule.
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.
A Holiday Hits the Big Time
At Universal Studios, all the usual characters -- Spider-Man and the Rugrats -- were out in force on Sunday, Nov. 24.
A Stamp of Approval
There was a time when the holidays meant choosing between a traditional stamp, like Madonna and child, or a modern stamp, like snowmen. But that all changed in 1996.
Chanukah-Style Reality TV
If you were beginning to feel that too much time had passed since you last saw dancing bearded rabbis on television, then fear not, because West Coast Chabad, the organization that sponsors the "L'Chaim" telethon, is broadcasting a special Chanukah party on KCAL-TV Channel 9 each night of Chanukah.
Careless Undertaking
A gruesome scandal at two Jewish cemeteries in Florida may have implications at a cemetery near you.
A class-action lawsuit alleges that Menorah Gardens oversold space at its Palm Beach County cemetery and at another cemetery in Broward County.
Calendar & Singles
Barnes & Noble: 2 p.m. Author Peter J. Levinson discusses and signs "September in the Rain: The Life of Nelson Riddle," a book about the famous band leader.
Grown-Up Chanukah
As the years went by, without quite realizing it, I'd been stylistically left behind. My poor brass menorah was outclassed by the exquisite handmade silver set made in Hungary, or even the Agam knockoff (himself inspired by the commentator Rambam) with the diagonal arms now available at places like Bed, Bath and Beyond.
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