The night of November 9, 1938 saw the horrific pogrom known as Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, signaling a new phase of the oppression of the Jews in Germany that had begun in 1933. Jewish homes and stores were vandalized and over 1,400 synagogues were burned. The world had swallowed all Germany’s earlier violence […]
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With Purim over, it’s time for me to start updating Tri-Valley Cultural Jews’ Secular Humanistic Passover Haggadah for our community seder April 27. It has always been pretty easy to include references to current events that can be informed by the Pesakh story, but this year, I’ve got a problem. For many years, our haggadah,
Chanukah, Purim, Pesakh – all our stories end happy. But do they, really? Let’s take a look at what happens after “they lived happily ever after.” Let’s look at the real stories of Jewish holidays and find out why we tell only half the story. We tell the story of chanukah, the retaking of the
Why do we tell only half the story? Read More »
The situation in Israel and Gaza torments decent people of every ethnicity. The murderous rampage of Hamas terrorists creates rage and despair among Jews everywhere, not just in Israel. Is there no place Jews can ever be safe? The relentless coldhearted siege of Gaza resulting in the needless deaths of civilians is heartbreaking. The Gazan
Why I Have Been Quiet Read More »
Keeping despair at bay. I’m distraught and feeling on the verge of hopelessness about Israel’s democracy. Israel is approaching 75, a time when you’d think a democracy would have had time to mature and become entrenched. But Israel’s democracy, like those of so many other countries, is under attack. Israel is on the verge of
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We Are Who Believe We Are Read More »
