Happy 60th Birthday to the State of Israel

By Dr. Debbie Weissman

In this brief article, we will mention six areas of accomplishment, one for each of the decades of Israel's existence, with a seventh area—more of a hope, than an achievement—for the future. This can be compared to putting an extra candle on a birthday cake, for next year.

Mayn Yidishe Hagode

By Sylvia Schildt

The story of slavery in and the Exodus from Egypt was, and is, interpreted as a metaphor for subsequent situations involving humiliation and liberation experienced by the Jewish people throughout its history.
The author remembers the haggadot of her infancy, which were permeated with Yiddish language and culture, as she shares her messages following poetic and historical threads.

Ask! – The Significance of Asking Questions on the Seder Evening

By Sandra Anusiewicz-Baer

“Why do you Jews have to answer every question with another question?” “Why not?” This Jewish joke is frequently told. To apply this saying in reference to Pesach, we could slightly change the wording of the joke: “Why do you Jews always have to ask so many questions?” Consequently, this would be the answer: “Why do you want to know?”

Saving Budapest’s Jewish Quarter: Can It Be Done by Second Life?

By Julian Voloj

Purim is the festival that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from imminent danger in the Persian Diaspora. Of all the Jewish holidays, Purim is the most boisterous, and its focus on dressing up in colorful masks and costumes and holding public parades leads some to characterize it as the Jewish Mardi Gras. At the moment, Attila Seres, a Hungarian Jew, is using a “virtual Mardi Gras” to bring about the rescue of Budapest’s Jewish Quarter.

How To Write and Create Effective Publicity Materials

By Sylvia Schildt

You just got stuck with writing the next publicity release or press alert for a major event for your organization. “Whoa!” you say, “I’m a (teacher, program coordinator, rabbi, volunteer … you fill in the appropriate designation.) No way is this in my job description.” But after several lame, ill-fated attempts to pass the burden on elsewhere in the organization, you realize resistance is futile.

Role Models from the Megillah

By Dr. Debbie Weissman

The Megillah, or Scroll of Esther, which we will read soon on Purim, includes two role models of Jewish leadership: Mordecai and Esther. How have they been viewed by classical Jewish commentaries and what can we learn from their examples?

Tu B’Shvat: Homage to the Tree and its Symbolism

By Kate Palley

Many people talk of Tu B’Shvat as a way of connecting to the environment, of connecting to Israel, of connecting to our community through environmental awareness. Is there a way to understand Tu B’Shvat as a holiday in which we connect to G-d? Is there an inherent holiness to trees?

Jewish Insights into Leadership
"A Family of Leaders"
Third installment: Moses

By Dr. Debbie Weissman
Having looked at Aaron and Miriam, it is now time to turn our attention to the third and most famous of the trio of siblings, Moses.
Moses seems to have been quite different from the models of leadership we have explored up to now. He certainly was not an outstanding communicator, frequently lost his patience and even his temper... Then, what can we learn from Moses' actions as a leader?

Reuven Fischer: The Slightly Different Chabad Rabbi

By Julian Voloj

“Second Life, for me it’s an opportunity to meet other Jews, talk to people, make new friendships,” Fischer explains. On Saturday evenings, when he’s in Second Life after the Sabbath ends and he accesses his virtual Western Wall, he always meets new people. “Most of them are totally enthusiastic about the SL Kotel and think it’s cool that a Chabadnik is in Second Life.”

Chanukah: Increasing the Holiness

By Kate Palley

We often think of Chanukah being a holiday of the past. We often think of Chanukah being a holiday of the past. It causes us to remember: we remember the attacks on our people in the Hasmonean period, the rededication of the Temple, the candles we ourselves lit in the past. The candles, however, are asking us to look forward, to think about how we are working to increase the holiness in the world, how we are preventing holiness from being decreased.