Purim is quickly approaching and the flurry of holiday preparations include getting costumes in order and baking Hamentashen. Purim is sometimes seen as a Jewish version of Halloween or Mardi Gras, a time for drinking, partying and wearing costumes. Even the religious practices of rabbinical … [Read more...]

“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion…if I forget thee O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget it’s cunning” -- Psalm 137:1,5 This psalm expresses the Jewish longing for Jerusalem and the Land of Promise. Written during the Babylonian captivity it, history has made it an … [Read more...]

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” -- Eli Wiesel Recently a survey was conducted by Claims Conference to gauge Americans knowledge of the Holocaust. (1)  The findings indicated that only 1/3 to 1/2 of the population knew six million Jews died in the … [Read more...]

The shock from the deafening bomb blast paralyzed my 11-year-old body. This time it was closer. Chaos and panic erupted as my mom yelled frantically for me, my brother, and two sisters to evacuate immediately. Our house was on fire! Mom grabbed what few possessions she could while my siblings and I … [Read more...]

Recently our granddaughter Eliana had her Bat Mitzvah. Eliana shared with all present about a Jewish girl living in another age. It was a gloomy age, reminding us to never forget the suffering of the Jewish people in the Holocaust. WWII started... Eliana shared the story of Sima a Holocaust … [Read more...]