יום חמישי, 2 יולי 2026Thursday, July 2, 2026
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יום חמישי, י״ז תמוז תשפ״וThursday, July 2, 2026
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Potpourri

Potpourri / Recipes

Super-Charged Foods

By Levana Kirschenbaum

Supercharged foods – a term you might have heard bandied about, but what are they? A simple definition would be any food that is unprocessed, whole and nutrient rich. Below are some suggestions of supercharged foods to add to your diet.

Potpourri

Late To The Party

By Mordechai Schmutter

Yom Tov is no longer upon us, for a change, so now it’s time to get to the things we promised we’d do after it was over. I mean besides dieting. Maybe we’ll do that after the next Yom Tov.

Potpourri

The Three Best Reasons To Be A Teacher

By Penina Scheiner

"What are the 3 best reasons to be a teacher? June, July and August!"

Potpourri

Merits Of Our Fathers

By Isaac Schlesinger

The parallel lives of my father, Shlomo Ben Dovid Schlesinger, whose name was once Severin and that of his first cousin, Severin F., diverged exponentiallys shared a maternal grandmother, Raisel Schlesinger, a frum balabusta, who lived and practiced the traditional ways of her forefathers. along different lifestyles and choices. Each of the Severin

Potpourri

Or Not to Be

By Hinda Herzog

Before I invite you to peer over my shoulders as I look into the mirror, a basic tutorial in the terms JMW, rigidly enmeshed and angst is in order.

Potpourri

Not Too Fast

By Jewish Press Staff

This month, we’re going to dive right into the questions, because it seems like everyone who sent one in is in a rush.

Potpourri

A Doctor's Devotion

By As Told To S. Gross

He goes far beyond the scope of his duties as a medical expert and gives his patients much more than one could ever expect. For you see, he gives his heart.

Holidays / Potpourri

Leather – Nail Head Sukkos Wall Hangings

By Esther Ottensoser

I’m excited to introduce my new Sukkos decoration concept. I couldn’t help but notice the variety of interesting leathers and vinyls available on the market. Sorting through the many different colors and textures, it dawned on me that I could easily create Sukkos décor using one of my favorite combinations, leather and nail heads.

Potpourri

Kosher Yoga

By Rhona Lewis

In a pinewood paneled roof studio in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel, Avraham and Rachel Kolberg, Breslover chassidim, teach yoga classes to groups of men and women. Purple and blue exercise mats are neatly folded on wooden shelves. Purple foam blocks, weights of up to twenty kilos and ropes as thick as a man’s wrist are all stacked neatly along the sides of the studio. Plenty of light floods the room from large windows that face the Judean Hills. The sense of peace in this studio comes from more than just the pleasant surroundings.

Potpourri

Building On Sand

By Penina Scheiner

Sometimes, you see it coming and sometimes you don’t. You move into a community thinking, “We’ll stay here for a while,” and then things change, and your position in chinuch is not as certain as you had believed.

Potpourri

Just Imagine…

By Dvora Waysman

Just imagine you are walking through a beautiful garden. Feast your eyes on the colors of the flowers, the grass at your feet, the leaves of the trees in shades from green to silver. Listen to the birds. Let the sunshine caress your face. Smell the perfume.

Potpourri

Vacationing Tip: Get Lost

By Mordechai Schmutter

If you’re looking to get away from the irritations of technology and people in your way, the best place to go is Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Family / Potpourri

Mrs. Mike's Lasting Lesson

By Eliezer Medwed

Our daughter would tell us glowing stories about how Mrs. Mike made the pesukim come alive, tricks she taught them to memorize and recall the mitzvot, how each mitzvah perfectly fit women…

Potpourri

Safeguarding Your Castle: Home Safety Tips For Summer Vacationers

By Sandy Eller

They may call them the dog days of summer, but for me August is the best part of the steamy season. The nights are just a tad cooler, those home grown tomatoes and cucumbers are finally ready to be enjoyed, and while there is that secret thrill of getting those school bus passes in the mail (for us parents, at least), there is still plenty of time to enjoy summer and all of its glorious opportunities.

Potpourri

The Power Of Positive Thinking

By Shulamis C. Mayerfeld

We’ve all had those moments when we think we just can’t bear anymore. When it seems the walls are crashing down and we’re powerless to stop it. “What now?” we wonder, “What else can I do?” Surprisingly, in these exact moments we have a lot more power than it seems.

Potpourri / Recipes

All You ‘Knead’ To Know About Challah Dough

By Mindy Rafalowitz

For me, there's nothing like making challahs for Shabbos. But I can't say it's always been the height of my week. There was a time when baking fluffy, light-as-a-feather challahs was a total mystery to me.

Potpourri

Dinner Ideas

By Mordechai Schmutter

Ever since I started this advice column, I’ve noticed that quite a number of readers – and you in particular - haven’t been sending me questions. And I get it. You don’t know what to ask. I don’t give “real advice,” by which I mean “advice you can use without making the situation worse,” and you have no idea what kind of questions you can ask that I might have answers for. With Dr. Yael, for example, you figure that you should ask her problem-type questions. With an “ask the rabbi” column, you ask him shaylos. But what am I an expert in?

Potpourri / Recipes

One Ingredient. Three Dishes. Wonton Wrappers!

By Nina Safar

The perfect appetizers require minimal effort by the hostess and taste so good your guests will think you spent the whole day in the kitchen cooking. These recipes do exactly that. They are super tasty, sorta fancy and seriously easy! I used wonton wrappers to create wonton cups, and then filled them up with some of my favorite ingredients, such as Creamy Mac & Cheese, Zesty Taco Fillings, Savory Pizza Toppings and Sweet Whipped Cream with Fresh Fruit!

Potpourri

GPS Versus Smartphone: Which Is The Better Navigator?

By Sandy Eller

In the "How did we ever live without it?" department, there is no doubt that GPS joins the ranks of cell phones, velcro and zip lock bags as a relatively new invention that has become an indispensable part of our lives. First invented for use by the military, the Global Positioning System became av

Potpourri / Recipes

Do The Dough!

By Mindy Rafalowitz

Yeast dough is considered one of the most basic but complicated of the dough family. Just think of the first cakes you made – I'm almost sure they weren't yeast cakes. But mine were!

Potpourri

Never Mind Why

By Mordechai Schmutter

I would have to say that one of the most annoying things about having a newspaper advice column, aside from all these people writing to me and asking for advice, is that they frequently don’t tell me WHY they’re asking.

Potpourri

Wedding Etiquette For Guests

By Sandy Eller

It's hard to believe that June is finally here, but one look through the day's mail is enough to convince me that the school year is almost over and summer will be here before I blink. What makes me say that? The plethora of large cream envelopes, addressed in calligraphic letters, bearing stamps with pictures of creamy white roses.

Potpourri

Shavuos-Related

By Mordechai Schmutter

Welcome back to “You’re Asking Me?” where we attempt to answer questions sent in by people who fortunately have fake names, so they won’t be embarrassed. I don’t know how they got through school, though.

Potpourri / Interviews and Profiles

The Ultimate Revenge: Erwin Weinberg Fights Back Against the Nazis

By Ita Yankovich

Not too many Jewish World War II survivors from Germany can say that they had the distinction of being both interned in a concentration camp and liberating the captives in that same camp. Erwin Weinberg did just that.

Potpourri

The Reunion

By Dr. Sheri Rosenfeld-Grunseid and Lisa Rosenfeld

The date May 4th, 1945 will forever be etched in their memories, and now it will be forever etched in ours. That fateful day toward the end of World War II was the day that American soldiers liberated Gunskirchen Lager, a subcamp of the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria.

Potpourri

Sounds Of Silence

By Mordechai Schmutter

Welcome back to “You’re Asking Me?” where we delve into questions sent in by readers. We might as well. It’s not like we can listen to music.

Potpourri

Flaming Glory

By Rayzel Reich

I stare, and I stare, trying to connect to those deep, seeing, eyes, to the wisdom and depth within that face. And all I can think, murmurs sliding in a circle through my mind - is, hadras panim... hadras panim... hadras panim...

Potpourri

Busy Work

By Mordechai Schmutter

While Pesach cleaning, I found a whole bunch of questions that were sent in at some point that I somehow haven’t gotten to. So I’m going to address them now, in the hopes that doing so will get me out of Pesach cleaning.

Potpourri / Interviews and Profiles

G.I. Bernie

By Ita Yankovich

Recently I had the opportunity to spend some times with Bernard (Bernie) Walz and get a glimpse of his war experiences.

Potpourri

February 2013

By Mordechai Schmutter

I get a lot of questions around Purim, and I don’t always have a chance to answer them all. So let’s get started:

Potpourri / Kashrut Scene

Gefilte Fish Gone Hip at The Gefilteria

By Sandy Eller

Artisan gefilte fish. For some, the phrase seems like an oxymoron. While salmon, chilean sea bass and tilapia may all be in vogue, gefilte fish, the traditional ground fish mixture that is de rigueur in Ashkenazic Jewish households at Shabbos and Yom Tov meals, is like the Henny Youngman of fish: it gets no respect.

Potpourri

Could You Repeat The Question?

By Mordechai Schmutter

You know what I noticed since I started writing this column? That people don’t write in to ask questions so much as they write in to complain.

Potpourri

Sister Giovanna

By Devorah Samuel

The blade of the penknife sliced cleanly into my thumb and a thin stream of crimson blood appeared immediately, getting thicker by the second. I dropped the penknife onto my lap and reached for the green hem of my school skirt. I pressed it tightly against my thumb. Only then did I glance up at Sister Giovanna who was standing, as usual, slightly to the right of the black board. I raised my hand and hoped that she would call on me soon.

Potpourri

Chanukah: Then And Now

By Shalom Pollack

On the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev, over twenty-one hundred years ago, the Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated after it was wrenched from the hands of the defiling Greeks. Thus ended a war no one planned or even dreamed could happen.

Potpourri

Not Shedding Light

By Mordechai Schmutter

Welcome to “You’re Asking Me?” the column where people are basically saying, “This guy doesn’t know me at all. Let me ask him for advice.”

Potpourri

Lightening Up Your Chanukah Table

By Esther Ottensoser

I found these sleek looking shot glasses in a number of stores. Lined up neatly, they can create simple, yet striking (and certainly sweet) centerpieces for your Chanukah parties. Here is one colorful suggestion. (Tip: When purchasing the shot glasses, stick with something simple. The simpler the glass, the more dramatic the projects will look)

Potpourri

What I Learned from Hurricane Sandy

By Sandy Eller

I am writing this column as Hurricane Sandy is barreling through the greater New York area, after having sorted a load of clean laundry by the light of a group of yahrtzeit candles and having washed my supper dishes with the aid of a clip on barbeque lamp. My electricity went out almost four hours ago and thoughts of what I did right and what I did wrong in preparation for a one of a kind storm that ironically, bears my name are still fresh in my mind.

Potpourri

At First There Was Chaos

By Penina Scheiner

Chaos - that is how the world is described at its inception in the book of Beraishis (Genesis). Confusion. A lack of clarity and boundaries. Or, as I teach my kindergartners, "a mishmash".

Potpourri

Have You Made A Difference In Someone’s Life?

By Irene Klass

A rose that I picked from our garden to enhance the beauty of our sukkah is so exquisite that visitors remarked that they didn’t realize it was “real” until they noticed the water in the vase.

Potpourri

The Other Caped Crusader

By Allison C. Witty

I quit my full-time job eight months ago without another one to fall back on. In hindsight, it wasn’t one of my better decisions, but it was time for me to move forward. I was in a position that never quite suited me – like an ill-fitting pair of shoes that’s one size too small and rubs across the toes. Sure, a nagging thought called a recession cropped up from time-to-time before I resigned, but I was confident I would only be on the market for a few weeks, max. Armed with a new LinkedIn profile and a heaping dose of faith, I bid farewell to my boss and colleagues of six years to embark on my new journey.

Potpourri

Avoiding Weight Gain This Winter

By Tanya Rosen

Winter seems to be a time when many people put on some extra weight. Have you ever considered why that is? Here are some of the top reasons and what to do about them.

Potpourri

Ride To Forever

By Chava Adams

The taxi driver was old and rather shriveled, with a crop of white hair fringing his head. Ah, I recognize this one, I thought with relief, hurrying to open the door. If I recall correctly, he knows Lakewood. You would think that a taxi driver, being that his/her job is, well, driving, and being that the town they are driving in is, well, Lakewood…

Potpourri

Yad Hashem – Shown With A Foot!

By Shmuel Zundell

As the expression goes, “Hashem fir zich der velt” – Hashem orchestrates all the events that occur in the world. Most of what Hashem does is hidden from us. However, on occasion something happens in such an open way, one would have to be totally oblivious to the world around him to not see the powerful display of Yad of Hashem.

Potpourri

Talking to Myself

By Mordechai Schmutter

Ever since I started this question-and-answer column, people have been coming over and asking me questions. Baruch Hashem, right?

Potpourri

Score! Susie Fishbein Strikes Again

By Sandy Eller

Your mother may have taught you how to separate an egg and how to dice a mango, but I am willing to bet your mother never taught you to spatchcock a chicken. No, that is not a typographical error.

Potpourri / Interviews and Profiles

Writer’s Profile: An Interview With Erica Lyons

By Karen Greenberg

I grew up in Edison, New Jersey and lived in the same house until I left for college. My parent had moved in several years before I was born. I had the same rabbi for my baby naming, my bat mitzvah and my wedding (this was a first for him). My husband and I even brought our daughter back to my old ­synagogue for her naming.

Potpourri

Love And Fear…Of Food

By Penina Scheiner

Some of us climb a scale each day in terror and dread. Some of us alight a scale, with our hearts thumping and throats tightening. We may know how to jump off and on, or gyrate this way or that to create a different number. And we will stare at that all important number – which could very well dictate our mood for the rest of the day. We believe the final number to be the true judge of our worth – of how well we are doing. And we are sorry that the scale could not be fooled.

Potpourri

I Am Proud

By Ita Yankovich

As I approached the home of Irving and Miriam Borenstein in the Mill Basin section of Brooklyn, two things became clear: the pride they feel at being Jewish and their joy at living in America. On their front lawn are large American and Israeli flags with a plaque in front which reads: Never forget the six million murdered in the Holocaust and the three thousand murdered on 9/11. May G-d remember them for the good with the other righteous of the world.

Potpourri

I Don’t Buy It

By Mordechai Schmutter

There are a lot of newspaper advice columns out there. But what makes this one different is that sometimes, you don’t want to ask an expert. Sometimes you want to ask a regular guy who might not actually know more than you.

Potpourri

We Stopped Traffic On Ocean Parkway

By Helen Zegerman Schwimmer

Picture it, a busy Sunday afternoon with traffic moving briskly along Ocean Parkway, a major Brooklyn thoroughfare linking the brownstones of Park Slope in the north with the beaches and amusement parks of Coney Island in the south. Suddenly everything comes to a halt.

Potpourri

Staying Warm, On the Cheap

By Sandy Eller

Ah, fall. The magnificent display of changing colors as the trees stage their annual pageant, the indescribable pleasure of leaves crunching beneath your feet, the delightful crispness in the air after endless weeks of heat and humidity; it is hard not to enjoy the magic of autumn. Bummer that fall has to turns into winter.

Potpourri

Do It Yourself Sukkah Shelf

By Esther Ottensoser

Way back then, when we put up our Sukkah for the first time, my father-in-law added a shelf along one of the walls. Right away I was struck by how simple and practical this idea was. Years later, people are still commenting about it. So here are the details for the many who have a wood panel Sukkahs. With simple supplies, and minimal “handy man skills” your candlesticks, seforim, bentchers, flowers, etc can “hang around” the entire Yom Tov, and not be moved and removed countless times from being in the way.

Potpourri

Chic Hanging Vases

By Esther Ottensoser

For many of us, there can never be too many flowers around, so here are some “bright” ideas to add to your Sukkah decoration repertoire.

Potpourri

Fit And Trim

By Tanya Rosen

Dear Tanya, There are some diet delivery services that are kosher. Do you recommend I try them? In the past, one of the reasons I had a hard time sticking to a diet was because I hate preparing for myself, and when life gets hectic I just don’t have the time.

Potpourri

Going In Circles

By Mordechai Schmutter

When people ask me what kind of column I write for The Jewish Press, I say, “advice,” but I actually make those quotes with my fingers. I don’t think I’ve actually saved any lives yet. But this column is still great way to vent about your problems, so long as you can figure out how to put them in the form of a question.

Potpourri

Fighting In The South Pacific

By Malkie Schulman

My name is Eli Freundlich. I was 18 and had just graduated Torah Voddath in Williamsburg. America had entered the war a few years before. I wanted to be drafted so was happy when I received my notice. It was July 1943 - July 27, 1943 to be exact – when I was sworn into the American Army.

Potpourri

Celebrating Two Decades Of Special Education At YESS!

By Sandy Eller

What began twenty years ago as a support group for parents of six learning disabled children in Queens who could not find a yeshiva capable of accommodating their educational needs, has evolved into a full scale institution that not only works with its students to master academic challenges, but provides them with a Torah education as well.

Features On The Jewish World / Potpourri

Southern Hospitality

By Karen Greenberg

One of the most popular tourist destinations in the American South, Savannah, Georgia is a world of exciting history and activity. Rich with landmarks from over 275 years, the city boasts unique architecture, Civil War commemorative tours, and a long list of beautiful squares and parks. In addition, Savannah’s Tybee Island provides a beach atmosphere for those who want to relax on and off-shore. Interestingly, Savannah also hosts a small but thriving Jewish community. The Savannah Jewish Federation offers family services and community resources, and there are a number of places to find kosher food. The city has three shuls: one for Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform congregations, respectively. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak with Rabbi Avigdor and Rebbetzin Rochel Slatus of the Bnai Brith Jacob Synagogue.

Potpourri / Interviews and Profiles

A Jewish American Veteran

By Ita Yankovich

They are known as the Greatest Generation, and for good reason. As children of the Depression, they learned to make do with little, and lacked, most significantly, a sense of entitlement. As they came of age, they were called upon to serve and defend their country, and they did so magnificently, many with their very lives. They then went on to raise families and build the country into the superpower it has become – all with little noise and fanfare; continuing, through it all, to quietly do their duty.

Potpourri

A Tale Of A Recovering Internet Addict

By Henia

What exactly is the definition of an Internet addiction? Just how out of control does one have to be to qualify as having a true addiction?

Potpourri

An Appreciation: Remembering HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv, A Torah Giant, On His Shloshim

By Rabbi Raphael Fuchs

It’s hard to believe that for the past 30 days we have been living in a world without HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv, zt”l, who died at the age of 102. We may never realize the effect his longevity had on our generation. Reb Elyashiv was a true gaon and masmid beyond most people’s comprehension. Although […]

Potpourri

Fit And Trim

By Tanya Rosen

Welcome to Fit and Trim, where you can ask the health and fitness questions you've been thinking about for years - and get answers. I can't wait to hear from you. Email me at magazine@jewishpress.com.

Potpourri / Travel

Orient Impressions: China

By dvora

China assaults the senses with a cacophony of sounds and colorful sights amid its teeming masses. As we arrived for a month’s trip in October the noxious smog of vehicle-packed Beijing assailed our nostrils. But the past still dwells in the shadows of the modernized capital. At dusk a row of elderly stooped men shuffled along the road beneath our apartment in Mao-style uniforms. We would see the same gray men plodding by in the morning.

Potpourri

Look Out

By Penina Scheiner

I just finished trying on all my pre-nine day clothes. You know the drill: Wash your clothing but leave enough time to parade around in what will be worn for the next nine days. This way, it will not be freshly laundered. What amazes me is that each year I am sure it will be a very easy activity, since I have nothing to wear! Yet, somehow I find it very time-consuming.

Potpourri / Recipes

Levana’s Whole Foods Cookbook

By Sandy Eller

Ah, the joys of August. Whether it is from a farmer’s market, a roadside stand, your own backyard or even the produce aisle of your local supermarket, there is no doubt that now is the time to feast on the freshest and most delectable offerings of the year. But while many of us consider late summer to be prime time for enjoying the simple goodness of nature’s bounty, for one of the most respected names in the kosher cooking world, simplicity is the name of the game all year around.

Potpourri

Internet Filtering – It Starts With Your Mouth

By Shmuel Zundell

Let me assure you that the purpose of this article is not to weigh in on the recent Internet Asifa (gathering) that was held at Citifield in New York. Suffice it to say, that irrespective of one’s views regarding the execution and specifics of this unprecedented event, it should be crystal clear to every sane adult that Gedolei Yisroel have brought to the forefront the perils that accompany the recent monumental advances in modern technology. It is incumbent on each and every individual to devise and implement a personal plan of action that will protect his/her family from one of the greatest dangers of the 21st century.

Potpourri

The Valero Tradition

By Debbie Flancbaum

Most couples establish their own routines. They have their own rhythms that may include where they eat, when they vacation, and what they read. My husband Lou and I are no different. We like to eat Israeli food on Tuesday nights and we usually order the same—shwarma for him, grilled chicken for me. Our regular […]

Potpourri

Yidativ

By Sarah Abraham

I blinked groggily as I headed towards the kitchen sink. Avi bounced over, a huge smile lighting up his mouth, eyes, and face. He was happy, delighted, through and through.

Potpourri

Awkward Timing

By Mordechai Schmutter

Welcome once again to “You’re Asking Me?” where we answer any and all questions sent in by readers. It’s a lot like all the other “ask the expert” columns, except that, whereas the other experts are interested in giving you a well-researched answer, our interest is more in meeting our deadlines so we can get back to looking for our car keys. Most of the time, we tackle advice questions, but once in a while we have to take a break from those, because of the lawsuits.

Potpourri

Buy It Now: School Supplies!

By Sandy Eller

School supplies? I know what you’re thinking. She is, without a doubt, totally and completely insane. We just finished putting away the knapsacks, the school uniforms, the crayon stubs, errant markers and half finished bottles of Elmer’s glue that mysteriously defied the odds and survived the school year and she is thinking about school supplies??

Potpourri

A Jewish American Warrior

By Ita Yankovich

Fighting during World War II took on special significance for U. S. Jewish servicemen and women in the 1940's. They understood that they were fighting a double war - one against the Axis of Evil, and one against blatant world anti-semitism. As Americans, they fought to protect their country, and as Jews they fought to protect their brethren suffering Nazi persecution.

Potpourri

Menifa – Completion of The School Year

By Alisa Bodner, Tazpit News Agency

“You have all been through a long and difficult journey,” belted Rafi to the group of twenty-five boys at the end-of-year ceremony for Menifa’s Lech Lecha program in Gilo. “I remember the falls and climbs you each experienced.”

Potpourri

Invitation Presentation

By Esther Ottensoser

With the Omer completed and the three weeks still a short time away, there seems to be an abundance of simchas being celebrated. Here are two easy, yet professional looking ideas to enhance any simcha. You may color coordinate these ideas for your sweet tables and the cookies make great party favors as well.

Potpourri

Summer Safety

By Sandy Eller

While for many of us summer is synonymous with vacation, relaxation and a time for a well deserved break from the rigors of the daily grind, the dog days of summer bring with them the need for an extra dose of vigilance as we head for the pool, fire up the barbeque or just spend our days enjoying the great outdoors.

Potpourri

Internet Challenges: Blessings In Disguise?

By Dr. Debbie Hirschhorn

I understand the feelings of the men who gathered at Citi Field to proclaim their united position against the Internet. The problem, as we know, is the proximity to filth that we can introduce into our lives whenever we open a browser window. Those who gathered at Citi Field want us to junk our computers because we tend to gravitate toward what is forbidden—and in huge, heartbreaking numbers.

Potpourri

The Wonderful Month Of June

By Naomi Klass Mauer

To all of my friends who are always telling me that I should have a weekly column, this article is for you. The truth is, I love to write and would love to have a weekly column, but I have to be inspired. I am not one of those prolific writers who sit down at the computer and the words just flow. But once those inspirational juices get started, there is no telling where they will take me.

Potpourri

Gone With The Wind

By Mordechai Schmutter

Welcome once again to “You’re Asking Me?” – the column where people blindside me with questions, and I have to answer them, even though, oftentimes, answering questions only leads to more questions. Especially the way I do it.

Potpourri

Part VII: The End…The Beginning

By Chaim Shapiro

The first six sections of my story have focused on my struggles adapting to a strange college environment forced on me against my will. While that story is self-contained, I thought it would be worthwhile to at least partially answer the main question my book will address: What ended up happening to me? This is a fast-forwarded account that describes my watershed moment as a college student.

Potpourri

Of Comas, Mild And Serious

By Dov Shurin

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently suggested that Israelis are in a “coma” and unless “unilateral disengagement” is implemented now from Judea and Samaria, it will be too late for a peace agreement once they awaken.

Potpourri

Fan-tastic!

By Sandy Eller

Ah, the lazy, hazy days of summer. Long afternoons sitting in a lounge chair, sipping a tall glass of iced lemonade as you enjoy the latest novel, a gentle breeze caressing your face…is there anything like it? No, there most certainly is not.

Potpourri

Are Diamonds Forever?

By Rachel Weiss

This is in no way intended to dampen the enthusiasm of kallahs flush with excitement over their upcoming nuptials, but who hasn’t heard a “lost diamond ring” story or, for that matter, experienced firsthand the traumatic loss of a precious piece of jewelry?

Potpourri

Daughter of Telz: Rebbetzin Rivkah Bloch Hacarmi (1925-2012)

By dvora

Rivkah Bloch grew up in Telz (Telsiai), a historic township and renowned Torah center in north-west Lithuania. In 1939 the Jews of Telz numbered about 2,800, some 28 percent of the population. Rivkah’s paternal grandfather Reb Yosef Leib Bloch, (1849-1930) zt”l, also known as Maharil Bloch, was a distinguished personality and a prominent scholar and educator. Besides his position as town rabbi, he headed the great Yeshivah of Telz that his father-in-law Rav Eliezer Gordon, zt”l had founded. Its student body numbered around 400 students in 1900.

Potpourri

The True Meaning Of Motherhood

By Debbie Flancbaum

This past December 5, I became a Savta again. My mother always told me not to count my grandchildren, so I won't. Suffice to say, Baruch Hashem, our little tribe has expanded greatly since our first granddaughter, Aleeza, was born eight years ago. And since they all came on the scene, my husband Lou and I have spent countless hours enjoying them.

Potpourri

Big, Hairy Problems

By Mordechai Schmutter

Welcome once again to “You’re Asking Me?” – a humorous advice column that is pretty much like any other advice column, except in terms of helpfulness. Like all other advice columns, we try to answer your questions, but if you stump us, we say, “That’s beyond the scope of this article,” and we move on with our lives. That’s a nice way of saying, “We have no idea. There are people you can pay by the hour for this sort of thing.”

Features On The Jewish World / Potpourri

NCFJE’s Toys For Children: Bringing Cheer To Those Who Need It Most

By dvora

Huge plush teddy bears greet me as soon as I walk through the door. Puzzles line the shelves along with boxes of Lego and dress-up clothes. Every few inches another toy. Another game. Another child’s dream.

Potpourri

Grow Your Own Veggies

By Sandy Eller

With spring in full swing and the hazy days of summer beckoning on the horizon, our thoughts turn towards lighter meals that rely more heavily on fresh fruits and vegetables - particularly for those of us who find that despite our best efforts, we really managed to pack on the pounds over Pesach. While your local supermarket may boast an amazing array of produce, and the nearest gourmet store may feature dazzling displays of fresh fruits and vegetables, there is simply nothing that can compare to the taste of home grown. The fact that growing your own produce can save a bundle of money, makes the taste of your home grown bounty that much more delicious.

Potpourri

Technologically Speaking

By Shani Stein Ratzker

I watch in wonder as four teenagers grab chairs around a table at a local café. They seem to be friends, or at least fond acquaintances, all joining together for a ten-day Birthright tour of Israel. I watch these boys from a balcony above, and I observe that immediately upon sitting down, three of the four boys at the table proceed to reach for their laptops. The fourth boy didn’t seem to have one with him and attached himself to his friend’s laptop. They immediately logged into their Facebook accounts and spent the remainder of their meal connecting to friends in their respective countries.

Potpourri

The Hat

By Alan Magill

I do not dress like the average Orthodox man in my Brooklyn neighborhood. It’s not that I’m trying to make a statement by often going hatless and wearing blue and brown suits, it’s just that in becoming religious I have changed so much - there are certain things I don’t want to give up, especially since my religion doesn’t truly ask me to do so.

Potpourri / Aliyah

Mazal Tov! The Weddings In Israel

By Rachel Sarafraz

For Israel's Anglo olim (immigrants), the name Givat Shmuel conjures up a marriage scene to rival that of New York's Stern University for Women. Home to hundreds of young English-speakers studying at the adjacent Bar-Ilan University, Givat Shmuel has produced a vibrant, growing community of overseas students – and a reputation for their enthusiastic coupling. Each year, the community watches as many new couples are formed, engagements are announced and weddings are celebrated.

Potpourri

Part VI: Academics

By Chaim Shapiro

While things might have seemed very strange in this foreign college environment, especially because I was tossed in without any roadmap to help me navigate and understand the kinds of things I was seeing all around me, there was one area I was not worried about: academics. Northeastern Illinois has a rather derogatory nickname, “Northeasy," and it does not have a very good academic reputation. I didn’t think my classes would be very hard at all.

Potpourri

Button Down

By Sheindel Weinbach

In February, Chessed Yad L’Yad, Kiryat Mattersdorf’s local chesed organization, celebrated forty years of active involvement in the community. Beged Yad L’Yad, the Hand-Me-Down Pass-Me-On clothing gemach, was a natural subsidiary, especially with dozens of Anglo-Saxon families receiving clothing packages from abroad.

Potpourri

Sisters Of The Phoenix

By Rosally Saltsman

Less than two weeks before Pesach and days after the Toulouse tragedy, where a woman lost her husband and two sons in a terrorist attack, my son and I were discussing another horrible tragedy that had befallen a family in Rehovot, a young woman who had lost her husband and five young children in a fire.

Potpourri / Judaism 101

The Ultimate Title Match

By Rabbi Michoel Gros

Pesach is the time of redemption and salvation, which can often come from the most unexpected sources. Such is the story of a boxing title fight in Yankee Stadium that launched a young boy from Russia on a journey to discover his Jewish heritage in Israel.

Potpourri

Lifetime Guarantee

By Mordechai Schmutter

Ever since I’ve started writing “You’re Asking Me?” people have been writing in to ask for advice, like they expect me to have all the answers. Seriously. Don’t these people have any friends? Or anyone else they can ask?

Potpourri

Chol Hamoed Survival Guide

By Sandy Eller

If you are anything like me, Chol Hamoed can be just the teeniest bit stressful. Okay, maybe very, very stressful. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way.

Potpourri

Part V: The World Of Diversity

By Chaim Shapiro

Although I was very aware that who I was and how I acted would seem out of place to the diverse student population at NEIU, I never really thought about how unusual their cultures would be for me.

Potpourri

Reaching Overseas To Aid Victims Of Domestic Violence

By Sandy Eller

Bat Melech, Israel’s most comprehensive network of social service for victims of domestic violence, has reached across the Atlantic for assistance, hoping to create a funding base in America in order to be able to help even more women in crisis.

Potpourri

Before Color Photographs

By Lois Greene Stone

Horses and buggies? Gas lights on streets? Did my mother grow up in the Dark Ages of History? She told me about living in buildings without elevators, where no apartment had its own bathroom. Years later I decided it was like my college dorm in the 1950's when I had to climb stairs to my room on the 4th floor, and a bathroom with showers was at the end of each floor’s hallway; no big deal.

Serials

Feiglin May Form New Party

By Jewish Press News Desk

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