יום חמישי, כ״ה חשוון תשפ״זThursday, November 5, 2026
Follow Us
You might be scratching your head (do diaries have heads????) and wondering why this irresponsible wife did not call the paramedics and rush hubby to the hospital for CT scans and MRIs. That would have been the proper approach for a younger and healthier person.
Then I started working. I worked for two years at the sales office of Max Factor Cosmetics. Benno started working at Neutra’s, and then we, little by little, became very integrated into American society. And we wanted to. We wanted to become Americanized.
The map is rather rudimentary, with just a border and a few place names, but its appearance in print was a major achievement, anything other than text was very labor-intensive to include in the printing blocks of the day and thus costly.
Over and above his public welfare efforts on behalf of milk pasteurization and preventing tuberculosis, Straus’s largesse and contributions were by no means limited to Jewish institutions and causes.
By the time Pesach rolls around on the calendar, we’ve already been through some. We’ve endured slavery, built the golden calf, and begged for water in the desert. Our practical day to day has not always been easy – our cleaning is practical.
Although not present in my circles, it's hard not to admire the grandeur. It’s also hard to mistake the shtreimel as anything but a sign of proud Judaism.
By Jordana Baruchov Grreenfield
The shtreimel serves as a tangible connection to the rich cultural heritage of Eastern European Jews. By wearing the shtreimel, individuals affirm their identity and connection to their ancestors who also wore similar attire.
Shtreimel signifies pride in Judaism and in traditions. It’s pride in connecting our current to our past.
My shtreimel is my symbol of Jewish pride and not because it’s become trendy, but because I’ve been wearing it since the day I got married in the tradition that goes back in my family several generations. It’s my greatest honor and privilege to do so.
By David Curwin
Another possibility is that shtreimel is related to the Polish word stroj meaning uniform, clothes. Maybe it meant the “uniform” of those Jews wearing it, or perhaps it also had a specific association with head coverings.
Dementia is a bear. The questions he is asking are valid. The conclusions are not.
You didn’t have to be rich to have a cleaning girl in the house, a live-in. You always had live-in help because there were so many of those peasant girls who would come and… We would have sometimes two in the house.
By Ariela Davis
The challenges of making aliyah on a short timeline and in the midst of lockdown were many, but Tali says, Once we made the decision, Hashem carried us on His back to our new life...
Another well-known example that I obtained recently is the first edition of the Shu"t Meshiv Davar, containing the responsa of R. Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (1816-1893), best known by his acronym the Netziv, who served as rosh yeshiva of the Volozhin Yeshiva for decades.
Wilson recognized in American Jews a spiritual force that had adapted itself to the American spirit and made broad contributions to the advancement of the welfare of the nation and of the world.
This partnership comes at a critical time, following the tragic events of October 7th, underscoring the urgent need for balanced and nuanced educational material that can counter the surge in global anti-Semitism.
My watch is eight years old, its age unforgettable because my husband bought it for me the year I was in aveilus for my father. His death had left me untethered, disconnected; the watch promised connection – no more missed phone calls and texts delivered instantly to my wrist.
These days, as was the case during many such difficult periods in our long history, doing the bris on the eighth day has taken on new meaning.
During the Pesach Seder, we say that eight is the days until the baby’s bris. But there is something else which also has the significance of the number eight, and that is Shmini Atzeres.
Have you ever considered that even the Hebrew word for eight, shemonah, literally means to nourish.
As my father, Rabbi Uziel Milevsky, of blessed memory, taught me, it is the number beyond the natural.
They say one mitzvah leads to another, and that is certainly the case with Tops Liquor. Cohen says the place has become a hub with customers now inviting him to their homes for meals, bringing over challah, and he was even gifted with a new pair of tefillin.
The Jewish community stood up and showed we are not going to be intimidated, we are going to stand up for our rights, and we’re not going to let outsiders interfere with our programming, said Steve Fox, president of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Teaneck.
On the one hand, I really do not mind if he is confused about these things. On the other, he is so anxious about the confusion that he tries to sort out the information by asking the same questions over and over again.
Suddenly in the minds of others you become somebody because you survived. You know everyone who died had stories up to the point of his death.
Although Brandeis has a student body which is now about only 35% Jewish – half of what it used to be in the 1970s, it still offers a rich religious and cultural Jewish life on campus.
The U.S. government offered to spare the lives of both Rosenbergs if Julius provided the names of other spies and if they admitted their guilt, but they refused, saying that they were innocent and would not bear false witness.
By Eli Lebowicz
One perk is that on Simchas Torah, being a Kohen or Levi is like having TSA PreCheck. I know I just got here five minutes ago and I get an aliyah all the time, but I guess I’ll go straight to the front of the line.
The relatively small measure of honor paid to them is more of a historical reference to their ancestral heritage than a reflection of their personal celebrity.
Maybe it had to be that way. Maybe the lack of emphasis on wealth is baked into sharing Torah and sharing song.
It's an ancient Hebrew name, a tribal affiliation, that also confers social status and serves as a surname. This status is meticulously preserved through the generations – a non-Levi would not dare claim this status to obtain the second aliyah, and if one did, he would soon be discovered.
By Nachum Segal
Personally, I love the distinction of being a Levi. As a Levi you are encouraged to excel at tefillah and zemiros and there is an expectation that a Levi's voice will inspire and touch others.
Last night, I asked Hubby if he remembered the film. He did not. Still, as the film progressed, he began to connect with bits and pieces. He always loved Streisand’s voice and it touched him once again.
The camels all have names and most have been born and reared on the ranch. Ariel’s favorite is Golda, though he says he doesn’t like to play favorites.
For this column, I thought I would share some interesting items relating to Purim that are in a museum or are from my personal collection.
When we first came to Stuttgart, at the very beginning, June, July, August, we really didn't know what is going to happen. And then also, we were all terribly upset right away because of the policy of the world. You see, we knew – like we were saying – nobody's going to say thank you to us for surviving.
It appears that while the original responsa presented here was the original response that was sent, in preparation for printing many changes were made and effort was made to make the text easier to understand.
I wanted to create something that could help a lot of people by making listening and understanding easier in class and making learning more fun and enjoyable, said Chodos.
The scope and variety of Purim celebrations over the past few centuries are truly remarkable, and I present here some of my favorite such Purim announcements and invitations from my extensive collection of Purim materials.
B'chol dor va’dor. Haman is an archetype of antisemitism that appears again and again in time, from Hadrian to Hitler, from Amin Husseini to Arafat. And so too in every generation G-d protects the Jewish people and the eventual defeat of the bad guys is foretold.
By Avi Ganz
Haman and Amalek will always exist. Their goal is to bolster their own self-esteem by introducing us to our own inadequacies. And our answer to that attack is to vanquish them.
Had Haman done nothing, nothing would've happened, but the greater and greater he propped himself up, the further he could fall.
This is what Haman has become. His name heralds a raucous time of celebration for the Jews, gathered together on the cusp of a day we spend joyously.
What is this seemingly illogical hatred that our enemies appear to be possessed by, their anger akin to idol worship?
By Alan Zeitlin
You know, it seems they’re [the protesters] are upset that I played for the IDF soldiers, which is straight up antisemitic and racist, Matisyahu said. We’re not allowed to have our own army? That’s what their problem is. They don’t know anything about me, who I am, or my fans.
You are a liar! was followed by more epithets and expletives that I would prefer not to put into print. This was coming from my beloved husband who treated me with respect and kid gloves for over forty years.
Thousands of people crammed shoulder-to-shoulder, to imbibe the simcha and emunah laden in this historic affirmation of our covenant with Hashem. Not every day is there an opportunity to join a simcha the likes of which may not have happened since the days of Avraham Avinu.
There is no denying that the current barrage of M16 bullets ricocheting across the battlefield and the heavy bomb smoke billowing over Israel and the Gazan sky are making it hard to see very far, clouding the vision of both our physical eyes and our mind’s eye. Nevertheless, if one looks really hard, one cannot help noticing the tremendous spiritual, cultural, and sociological potential waiting on the horizon.
What would they do to the Nazi's they found working in a pharmacy? I don't know. I was supposed to report to them. The whole country was Nazis, what were they going to do with them all?
More than just filing the paperwork and finding a few homes for rent or sale, Olim Advisors will help you with everything from choosing the right community for your family to finding appropriate housing.
The protest was not publicized on social media, so no pro-Palestinian protestors showed up.
The fragment I sold was from the commentary of the Ralbag, Levi ben Gershon's (1288-1344) commentary on the book of Iyov, with handwritten annotations and additions in the Ralbag's own handwriting!
Experts will be on hand to answer questions and provide valuable information on when and how to get a colonoscopy, risk factors, prevention strategies, and available treatment options.
The religion of the von Trapp family is the subject of some discussion among critics, with some claiming that they were Jewish.
By Rabbanit Dr. Adena Berkowitz
It was the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt”l, who pointed out one of the paradoxes of Havdalah: that its ultimate function is to join and unite the very things it comes to differentiate.
For those of us outside of Israel, there is the added discomfort of feeling separated from the epicenter of our people. We feel the longing for our other half and the guilt of feeling absent as the next chapter of our history is being written by those on the ground.
Failing to distinguish between categories leads to a blurring of values, such as the Harvard professor who wrote a whole book about how animals are just as important as people or the Spanish philosopher who posits that plants have feelings, too.
The separation was never total, and our religious freedoms are a freedom to not a freedom from.
We constantly ask Hubby to tell us when he wants to rise up from the sofa or a chair, so that we can assist him. We remind him because we are programmed to do so. That is what normal people say to others, it is reasonable. What is not easy for caregivers to absorb, is that the person in their care will not be able to process the message.
We waited another few days. Then came this order that all the slave laborers have to come to the camp. If somebody would be caught outside, he'd be put in – whatever they were threatening us with. So we did.
While nearly every correspondence of the Rayatz was collected and published for posterity in his Igrois Kodesh, this letter appears to be unpublished and the discussion within lost until now.
After the chag, when the horrors became known, they said, Shai, just go do whatever you have to do. Shiva homes, supporting orphans, injured soldiers – whatever it is, we’ll support it.
My Mother, a”h, passed away last August. That meant I needed to find many minyanim along the way. I figured if there were ever a place to do it, it was Israel. What follows are the highlights of my adventures in minyanim.
By Robert Isler
As a child, Bertram knew little about his father’s service to his country other than the fact that he had been a “radio man.” When pressed to reveal more, such as whether he had ever killed anyone during the war, his father would respond by rolling his eyes, which taught young Bertram not to ask too many questions.
Havdalah and Kiddush are therefore flip sides of the same coin; the essence of Kiddush is to distinguish between the mundane (weekdays) and the holy (Shabbat), and the essence of havdalah is to differentiate between Shabbat and weekdays.
We’re at a point where very few Holocaust survivors are left to speak up, she said, describing the extraordinary rise in Holocaust denialism. The flaws in secondary education explain why colleges are fertile ground for a surge in antisemitism, continued Finkelstein.
Hearing the word can also conjure a sizeable shul we may remember from childhood or the comfort we feel when we slide into our seat on Shabbos morning.
By Maayan Zik
One definition of sanctuary is a holy space. One way to create a holy space involves defining boundaries as indicated by the above passage from Shemot. Another definition of sanctuary is a place of refuge and safety.
What if we approached our fellow person in distress with the same amount of thought and consideration? What if we took time to think about the recommended guidelines instead of just saying or doing what popped into our minds?
While on the subject, there is one other sanctuary that we are indeed all familiar with, although we never refer to it with this term. And that is the chuppah.
A modern-day version of sanctuary would be a foreign embassy. If the good or bad guy being chased by local authorities could get into the embassy, he was untouchable.
It appears as though he is now unable to retain any new information. At the same time, he is still able to discuss his career from 70 years ago with a moderate amount of accuracy.
In the beginning, I think, you know, from the heat of the battle, they were all very rude, the Americans – I mean to the Germans. There came this Dr. Hauser, who was actually a very decent fellow, and this American officer who kept spitting all the time, just spitting as far away as he can. But later on they all behaved very well.
What I found most interesting about this letter that Rav Meir Shapiro also wrote down for himself many inscriptions. One side lists an outline for a sermon or shiur he was giving, with a brilliant array of sources jotted down in brevity, stringing together a concept and theme for his lecture.
Chief Taylor has been recognized and honored by the Mayor’s Office and the NYPD on numerous occasions including receiving a Proclamation of Excellence from Mayor Eric Adams and recipient of the September 2016, 61st Precinct “Cop of the Month Award” for making a firearm arrest while solo.
Some rabbanim through the centuries have encouraged Jews to mark Purim Katan specifically with a joyous feast... One of the great supporters of Purim Katan observance was the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
At the height of the minyan’s popularity, there were so many participants that 18 buses were chartered from Jerusalem, subsidized by Eitan Ben-David, another of the founding members. But events such as the Intifada, Covid, and the recent war have seen a fall in attendance.
By Adina Broder
Mistakes are evidence of effort. They show that we attempted to do something. Even though things didn’t work out as anticipated or hoped, at least we took a chance which provided us with the possibility of success.
It’s better that you not make a promise than to promise and then not pay.
I once heard someone say that our job is to keep them from making mistakes that are so bad, they can't recover from them.
By dvora
Life is a series of blunders, missteps, and errors in judgement. We take chances, we err, we grow.
I remember the first time I heard that failure creates courage. I was confused; I thought success made a person confident. Until I actually experienced it.
My mother never served me a meal like this! That is Hubby’s ultimate insult about a meal he is not pleased with.
So they needed someone to work in this dining room. When we first came, we really had to clean it up. We had to wash all the windows and bring it into shape. Then again, I don't know.
While I wasn't able to find confirmation as to his appearance at the event, it is worth noting that R. Kahaneman kept a relationship with the Rayatz's successor, R. Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, and there are records of their meeting and friendship until the passing of the Ponovezher Rav, in 1969.
Some of the older men were telling grand tales of where they were and what it was like attending previous Birkat HaChamah ceremonies, but the story that I will never forget was told by a 92-year white-bearded rabbi, who merited to attend his fourth(!) such service.
When there’s a war, we know there’s a risk, says Rav Eitam, but we also know that it’s important to protect Israel. We are paying a heavy price, but on the other hand, we are building the future of Am Yisrael.
By Sara Blau
My last name happens to be Blau – which means blue in German. And so, when I get a prompt for the word blue, I automatically associate it with my last name and the Patriarch of my husband's family; his grandfather Rabbi Moshe Yehudah HaKohen Blau.
By Keshet Starr
Throughout the Torah, water too, contains contradictions – it symbolizes Torah itself, but it can also connote chaos, as in the times of Noach when flood waters overwhelmed the earth and destroyed all but vestiges of humanity.
Blue holds a profound significance in Jewish life, symbolizing depth, wisdom, and divine intervention.
By Hillel Fuld
What is it about blue? Well, think about the color blue in nature. It barely exists. Even blueberries are not really blue. Blue is the rarest of colors. That is the lesson of techelet, the uniqueness of Hashem and His children, the Jewish nation.
There are many shades of blue. Royal blue, light blue, navy, are just a handful of colors. Keep expounding on the color blue and you might touch on techeiles. Which is another shade of blue, although people might argue that techeiles is its own color.
October 30, 2026 
