With Rosh Hashanah quickly approaching - this year it begins at sundown on Sunday, October 2nd - we thought we’d answer a few questions you might have about this celebration that’s centered around family and friends. What does Rosh Hashanah mean? It literally means “head of the year”. Yes, it’s a time of celebration, much like when we’ll ring in 2017, but the Jewish New Year is something more than just a party - it’s a time of reflection, atonement and renewal. What year will

Before we dip our apples in honey and party like it’s 5777, we need to take stock of ourselves and our lives. Elul is the name of the month that precedes the Jewish New Year. Think of the High Holidays as the Super Bowl and Elul as the final month of practice. We can feel the excitement of the big game as we feel the power of G-d. But we know we’ve still got a lot of work to do so we have to train for the big game. But, instead of push-ups and sprint training, we look within

Anti-Semitism is rising dramatically worldwide and, with the start of the new school year, we as American Jews need to educate ourselves about an alarming fact: anti-Semitic activity on US college campuses has skyrocketed. According to the nonpartisan watchdog group, AMCHA, during the first six months of 2016, 287 anti-Semitic incidents occurred at 64 campuses that have the largest Jewish population…a 45% increase from a year ago! What’s significant to mention is that this sp

When you close your eyes and think of Gene Wilder, so many wonderful images come to mind. Him as Frederick Frankenstein (“That’s Fronkensteen). Or sitting in a jail cell with Cleavon Little (“My name is Jim. Most people call me….Jim.”) But childhood impressions last a lifetime so for many of us he will always be Willie Wonka - siting on the banks of the Chocolate River singing “Pure Imagination.” Childhood impressions lasted a lifetime for Wilder, as well. Born Jerome Silberm