I was unexpectedly moved when, 18 months ago, the chestnut tree outside Anne Frank’s hiding place in Amsterdam fell over. Rotting and ancient, the tree collapsed along with its support structure.
Idolatry (avoda zara) is one of the gravest sins in the Torah. In fact, it is one of three sins for which one must accept death before succumbing (Yoma 82a). But is it merely an ancient relic? As 21st-century Jews who have demythologized the world, we simply cannot relate to the worship of trees, rivers, and statues. Nonetheless, today’s desire for idolatry is as strong as ever, clothed deceptively in new forms such as slave labor and unethical consumption.
Davven the Gay Away? Chaim Levin, an orthodox Jew from Crown Heights Brooklyn, discusses his journey coming out as a gay man when others urged him to suffer in silence.
During a recent educational tour in Canada, Noam Bedein, director of the Sderot Media Center, an independent advocacy organization in the Negev, encountered a surprising amount of support for Israel among the members of the First Nations — the country’s indigenous people, like the Native Americans here — he met. As often-displaced groups, they told Bedein, a Sabra, they understood Israelis’ love for their land.
I've come to realize that mushrooms tend to be a polarizing food. Most people I know (anecdotal evidence, of course) either love or hate them. Well I fall strongly in the former camp, and I will put mushrooms in just about anything - pasta, chicken, salad - I'm working on a mushroom dessert.
Anyone who has seen the movie “Jaws” will surely remember the opening scene. A woman swims peacefully in the ocean and all appears to be well, until we hear that pulsating, foreboding music. You can’t see the shark yet, but you know it’s out there, and before too long, it will make its appearance…
Adrienne Cooper was scheduled to perform “Ghetto Tango,” a cabaret piece, with my father towards the end of January. Due to her illness, the singer, who played a leading role in the Yiddish revival, withdrew three months before the performance, and the decision had to be made whether to cancel the show or continue with different singers. Adrienne and my father decided to proceed. I was asked to participate and did so with a heavy heart.
