The night of the Jewish “Valentine’s Day” -15th of the month of Av (Tu B’Av, August 11/12, 2014) is a popular day for weddings. It is the night of a full moon. We had no ready- made Chupa and had to build it by ourselves. Three of the people holding the Chupa are Jews by […]
Is Poland A Valley Of Dry Bones?
To understand this passage from the Biblical book of Ezekiel, you must know that the Hebrew word Ruach has four different meanings; wind, breath, spirit and inspiration. Our passage uses these various meanings in teaching God’s message to the depressed and despairing Jews living in exile in Babylonia. While living among the exiles from Judah […]
Jewish Youth Still Arrive In ‘An Israel Under Rocket Attack’
Despite rocket fire from Hamas terrorists in Gaza, six thousand young Jews including several from Poland who are searching for their Jewish roots, have arrived in Israel in the last several weeks to be part of a ten day ‘summer in Israel’ experience. “Seven groups arrived on July 24 just from from North America” said Gail […]
Reeh 5774
There is almost nothing more constant in human life than change. Each of us changes as we move from one stage in life to the next. Societies and cultures change with accumulated collective experience. Even the mitzvoth which were handed to us by former generations of Jews have been transformed radically since they were first […]
Becoming Jewish Is Like Falling in Love
The transition from not being Jewish to feeling and thinking Jewish is a gradual one. In Islam and Christianity God comes first. The proclamation that “Allah is God and Muhammad is his Prophet” makes a person a Muslim. Accepting Jesus, the son of God as your savior, makes a person a Christian. But for […]
Awesome Jewish Women
In the Land of Israel during Biblical times there were Jewish women like Miriam, Deborah and Huldah who were Prophets (Exodus 15:20, Judges 4:4, and 2Kings 22:14) yet in Poland during the reign of Orthodox Rabbis there were no female rabbis. The first female rabbis were ordained by the Reform Jewish movement in England, Germany, Israel […]