יום חמישי, כ״א אלול תשפ״וThursday, September 3, 2026
Follow Us
When an opportunity for a fresh start is handed to us, when that new door opens, it is often viewed as a gift from Hashem. In most cases in order to completely realize it, we must fully embrace it. For people transitioning into marriage the second time around this is often the reality they face: a new opportunity seldom comes without a price, without us having to, in some way, compromise the life we were accustomed to. Seamlessly blending “pre re-marriage” life with “post re-marriage, new blended family” life is difficult at best and often times takes many years to sort its’ way out.
Dear Brocha, Hello! My name is Dovid* and I am a Gambling Addict. I am 37 years old, with bli ayin hara, three wonderful children, and a special wife who is the source of my strength and recovery.
One of the most powerful dimensions of a successful marriage is a couple’s ability to keep focused on each other's good points and unique personality traits. Too often, people become fixated on the negative, sweating “over the small stuff," and forgetting the positive points that brought them together in the first place.
Chanukah was a happy swirl of activity for many in South Florida Jewish community. Every day and every night was filled with festivals, events, parties, and menorah-lighting celebrations. Diets were suspended, dreidels were spun, presents were exchanged, and in every Jewish school little Maccabees sang and danced with glee.
The Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy of Miami Beach recently participated in the American Airlines Arena Court of Dreams. This unique opportunity allowed student athletes to play on the Miami Heat’s home court.
The Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy’s Early Childhood division entertained family and friends with a spectacular Chanukah festival.
The Keystone Jewish Center held a public menorah lighting on Wednesday, December 12, in front of the City Hall of North Miami. The celebration took place for the ninth consecutive year at the city’s building and featured a 15-foot menorah, the largest on city municipal property in South Florida. The menorah was lit throughout the eight days of the holiday.
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.
By Aliza Mayer
Unless you are one of the lucky few who were born with picture perfect hair immune to frizz and flyaway's, you have got a few curly hair problems - just like me.
I still don’t cross the street on the corner of West End Avenue. Just looking at that intersection causes a chill to run down my spine, and my thoughts suddenly wander back to November 22, 2011.
In my weekly Jewish Press column, “Dear Dr. Yael,” I occasionally recommend books that will enhance shalom bayis, parenting skills and the quality of the Shabbos table. Lilmod Ulelamed, eloquently written by Rabbi Mordechai Katz, is a newly revised and expanded version of the original that was published by Feldheim Publishers in 1978. It is a book that can truly improve your Shabbos table.
A Jewish educator anywhere in the world can now seek the accumulated knowledge available at the The Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. With the introduction this spring of a degree that can be completed online, geography is no longer a bar to attendance in an Azrieli Master’s program.
Silence. There is an overwhelming silence that dominates the Isidor Kaufmann masterpiece, Rabbi with Young Student (catalogue #93) offered for sale at the Sotheby’s December 19th auction. Kaufmann’s most engaging paintings for me are the deeply psychological portraits, usually of Hasidic men, young women and youths. It is noteworthy that Kaufmann (1853 – 1921) and Freud (1856 – 1939) were contemporaries and both lived in Vienna during the same period.
By Pnina Baim
Oh, Chanukah! Chanukah, the festival of lights and the powerful story of the unlikely military victory of the Maccabees. One lesson we’re able to glean from the Maccabees is the importance of doing just a little bit more then you think you are capable of. As we all know, the Maccabees were quite aware that taking on the mighty Greek army was a suicide campaign. Yet, they succeeded.
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.”
Conversations in my head always there but never to be said, Can't escape my childish dreams, my fantasies, the unreal realities, Talking to myself again no one seems to be around, I hide myself inside myself, never thinking I'll be found… -Jamie Sue Reinhart
By dvora
In Part I of My Soul Is On Fire, I told my readers about Allan, a very distraught nineteen year old who, in a moment of dire pain, told me he felt his soul was on fire.
By Irwin Cohen
As of early December, some 72 former major leaguers had died in 2012. The number is much higher than any of us would have guessed.
By JTA
The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution proposed by Israel that establishes entrepreneurship as a critical development tool for countries around the world.
By Marc Gottlieb / CulinartKosher.com
Let's get this out of the way up front; I'm a shredded potato latke man. Ground up or processed potatoes have their loyal following, but for me, it just doesn't taste the same. And frankly, fried baby food sounds nasty. Latkes have a reputation for being messy, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. I have a few tips […]
By Adina Jaffa
A child, who can’t swim, jumps into the deep end of the swimming pool. A man chokes on his food while eating in a restaurant. A friend goes into shock. A woman faints. All of these scenarios share common ground. They all include a victim who is lacking oxygen. People need to know what to do in these emergency situations.
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)
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.
In the 2013 Terravino wine competition held this year in Jerusalem, 13 wines won the coveted double-gold medal. Four of those wines are from Israel. 21 countries and 500 different wins participated in the contest. One of the winners was the Tura boutique from the Shomron, which won 2 gold medals.
Heeb Magazine Publisher is looking to promote his tribute to his late brother and his fight with cancer.
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".
“Fill the Void” is the title of Rama Burshtein’s film that played to critical acclaim at the recent Toronto International Film Festival and earned seven Ophir Awards -- the Israeli Oscars -- including one for best film and best director, and has become Israel’s entry into the 2012 Oscars' foreign language category.
For most observant Jews, the eruv is invisible. Each week we prepare for Shabbos: ready our food, conclude our mundane affairs, shower, dress and put the house keys in our pocket and check the web that the local eruv is up. Unless there has been a storm or other physical disaster, we can assume everything is okay. Just like the Shabbos calm that descends for 25 hours, the eruv operates for us in the background: essential but unnoticed.
Chanukah is just about upon us and Jews across the planet are looking forward to family gatherings, delicious food (you can’t feel too guilty eating oily latkes and high carb donuts on the chag – hey, it’s practically a mitzvah to do so); giving and receiving gifts and in general celebrating our survival – our spiritual continuance as God-fearing Jews. (Our physical survival is an event we acknowledge on Purim.)
Dear Dr. Yael: I am a female driver dealing with challenges of derech eretz while driving in my community. Every time the light is about to turn green, the person behind me seems to immediately honk the horn, yet no one has a problem double-parking, making me feel as if I am driving on an obstacle course.
Self esteem is one of the most important factors influencing human behavior. Despite what some people believe, self esteem can be a critical issue in marriage, where unresolved identity issues from childhood can place unwanted stress on a relationship.
Recently, a porcelain bathtub appeared atop a jetty off Miami Beach. The gleaming white object was perched upon craggy rocks. Ocean waves lapped around it. The origin of the tub was a mystery.
The NBA champion Miami Heat and the Florida Jewish community will gather on Wednesday, December 12at American Airlines Arena for Jewish Heritage Night and to celebrate the 5th night of Chanukah. Several thousand tickets are being made available exclusively to the Jewish community.
Young Israel of Bal Harbour, located at 9592 Harding Avenue in Surfside, presents a wide array of classes and activities for the communities of Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor and Surfside. Talmud classes are held Monday through Friday before Shacharis at 6:20 a.m. Daf yomi classes are held Sunday through Friday immediately after Shacharis.
A hundred cars with menorahs on top of their roofs are expected to participate in Chabad of Boca Raton's annual car menorah parade on Monday December 10th. The fleet will depart from the Central Boca Chabad on Military Trail at 5:30 p.m. and then head across town for a Chanukah concert and menorah lighting hosted by Chabad of East Boca.
What: Israel Bonds Aventura Turnberry Brunch (honoring Ursla Kersh and Myrna and Robert Kopf; guest speaker – foreign policy analyst Dr. Ralph Nurnberger) Where: Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center, 20400 NE 30th Ave, Aventura When: Sunday, Dec. 9 at 10:30 a.m. Cost: $36 per person Contact: 305-937-1880 * * * * * What: Chabad of Kendall/Pinecrest’s […]
The average Israeli salary rose by 2.2% in September to NIS 8,935, according to a report by the Central Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.
Just in time for Hanukkah, an Israeli startup is helping kids to handle their gelt responsibly.
While it is not known precisely when Jews first settled in Baltimore, we do know that five Jewish men and their families settled there during the 1770s. However, it was not until the autumn of 1829 that Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, whose Hebrew name was Nidchei Yisroel (Dispersed of Israel), was founded. This was the only Jewish congregation in the state of Maryland at the time, and it was referred to by many as the “Stadt Shul.”
Israel's National Archives has released a photograph of Golda Meir's chicken soup recipe.
The operator of Australia’s Pluto liquefied natural gas project, Woodside Petroleum, will buy a 30 percent share in Israel’s Leviathan natural gas field for $2.5 billion, becoming a strategic partner in the drilling.
Make your website festive for the holidays with some simple graphic enhancements.
By Tzvi Fishman
The journey from Zichron Yaacov to Jaffa took almost three days. For Tevye, it was a chance to see another part of the Land of Israel, the sandy, swamp-infested coastline bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Most of the landscape was barren, with only an occasional settlement along the way. The colonies of Hadera, Kfar Saba, and […]
By Vardah Littman and Rimonah Traub
The bronze, four and a half meter high Menorat HaKnesset stands in the Menorah Plaza by the main entrance to Gan HaVradim. This impressive menorah, in the shape of that which appears in the Arch of Titus, was created by Jewish sculptor Benno Elkan of England. It was given in 1956 by the English parliament as a gift to the State of Israel.
The family: Carol & Shmuel Hezi and their six children, Asnat, Eitan, Amichai, Vardit, Harel and Maital
A joint American-Israeli startup has developed the world’s first breathalyzer attachment for smartphones, in order to prevent drunk driving.
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.
By Ron Ansel
People who are out of work will often use every means at their disposal to find employment. Career Fairs are a popular way for employees and employers to meet on a large scale. Instead of (or more likely, in addition to) sending endless resumes, a Career Fair allows the job seeker to meet with multiple employers in a short time frame.
Dear Dr. Yael: I am writing to you in regards to your article, “Easing The Trauma Of Divorce” (Dear Dr. Yael, 11-16). Now in my 30s, I am the product of a divorced home in which my parents made me, an only child, a pawn. Throughout my life the trauma and hatred I witnessed between my parents was unbearable. As a result, I am terrified to get married, despite the desire to do so in a normal and happy setting. I have gone for therapy, but this great fear is hard to overcome. I wonder if this feeling will ever leave me.
Dear Brocha, Thank you so much for your column and for shining light on this matter. Addiction has been gnawing at the souls of our community for a long time. Yet, it still remains a disease that is swept under the table.
By dvora
Allan is a very troubled nineteen-year-old who has been coming to see me since August. Actually, I’m never sure if Allan will make it to the next appointment. Since we first met, I have been amazed at the amount of emotional turmoil and pain he is in. Every appointment seems to bring another “cry” for help. His anguish is noted by his constant crying and threats of harm to himself and others.
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.
The Friedman Law Offices recently hosted a breakfast reception honoring Los Angeles mayoral candidate and the city’s current controller Wendy Greuel. The breakfast was attended by numerous rabbis and other L.A. clergy members, along with special guest speaker Rabbi Eliyahu Abergel, the chief judge of Jerusalem’s Rabbinic Court.
By dvora
More than 1,200 members of the Los Angeles Jewish community gathered recently to witness the observance of the mitzvah of petter chamor. Organized and led by Rabbi Yehuda Lebovics, a Los Angeles mohel, the event was held in the immense outdoor courtyard of Yeshiva Aharon Yaakov Ohr Eliyahu.
Recently I went to a shiur on Yitzchak Avinu and found that it applied in many ways to my own father whose name was Yitzchak.
Israel Corp. and the Tamar partners signed a $4 billion contract on Sunday, agreeing that Noble Energy, Delek Group, Isramco and Alon Natural Gas Exploration would provide for Israel Corp’s gas needs.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on Monday urged American pediatricians to provide prescriptions for post-intercourse contraception to underage patients, as well as making them aware of the ability to take medications to prevent pregnancy even after engaging in sex.
By dvora
Among the many things we were tested with during Hurricane Sandy was the way in which we can preserve our food in the middle of a disaster.
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.
Joel Silverstein is a comrade-in-arms. We share many ideas about the creation and nature of contemporary Jewish Art, as well as a commitment to the growing Jewish Art community, exemplified by the Jewish Art Salon of which we are both founding members and curators. This exhibition of his recent work at the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life at Columbia/Barnard gives us the crucial opportunity to examine the complex richness of his artwork.
Arthur Szyk (1894; Lodz, Poland – 1951; New Canaan, USA) was a driven man determined to serve his people through his art. A passionate supporter of Jabotinsky’s Revisionist Zionists from at least the mid-1930’s, Szyk’s art almost always had a political edge. As we noted on these pages arch 12 & 19 2010, the Szyk Haggadah (1934 -1936) was originally an explicitly anti-Fascist creation. Therefore the recent publication by Historicana of “Heroes of Ancient Israel: Playing Card Art of Arthur Szyk” is notable for its lack of overt political content. Indeed, its strength lies in a subtler affirmation of Jewish sovereignty and wisdom.
One of the off the beaten track areas in Eretz Yisrael that I enjoy taking adventurous visitors to are the southern Hevron Hills. As we drive south from Yerushalayim, passing through the very cradle of Jewish history, with its rolling green hills along the Patriarchs and Matriarchs path or the “Road of Heroism" as it is some times called, we resist the magnetic pull to stop at Gush Etzion or Hevron and continue south, fully cognizant that more Jews walked on this path than on any other road in history.
The Baltimore Jewish Community and The Young Israel of Wavecrest and Bayswater Present a ‘Welcome Home!’ Carnival Extravaganza on Sunday, November 25th.
In a recent New York Times article, Robert Lipsyte, a sports author, posed the following question: “Boys and Reading: Is There Any Hope?” For years, I have been dealing with this question in my office. In fact, the U.S. Department of Education’s reading tests for the last thirty years show boys scoring worse than girls in every age group, every year.
By Alti Bukalov
It’s the classic image - the pumpkins; the berries; the squash, the turkey. It’s the beginning of a season that brings with it a sudden, exciting feeling. It’s the crisp fall air turning to gray winter; the strings of perfect, colorful leaves decorating doors and houses, the bright hues of reds and oranges. It almost feels like the cinnamon in the pumpkin pie is somehow in the air.
Yad L’isha - Helping Hand for Woman is a Legal Aid Center and Hotline where free legal advice and representation is offered to women locked in marital prisons who would otherwise have nowhere to turn.
Dear Readers: The following short story is fictitious, but the situation of Jewish children during the Holocaust being raised by gentile families or in Catholic convents and orphanages is not. While some were re-united with family members who survived the death camps – many were not, and remain lost both physically and religiously. This story is in memory of all the lost children. May they be reunited with their families with the coming of Moshiach.
Dear Dr. Yael: I have an issue and it is causing problems in my marriage. The home I grew up was not a warm one and I never received much love. For that reason, showing love to others is difficult for me – and for my husband. He is a warm and caring person and does not deserve my lack of affection. While I am working hard to change, I was wondering if you could offer some suggestions that might be helpful to both him and me. Anonymous
Creating direction in a marriage is similar to going on a long journey. To get to where you want to go, you need to have a plan that includes directions, supplies and the ability to navigate along the way. You will also have to be prepared for many possible factors that may interfere with your trip, including wind, rain, unpredictable mechanical breakdown and human error. Most importantly you will need a map to guide and help reorient you in case you lose your way.
It’s that time of year again. Turkey, cranberry sauce and a harsh lesson in the reality of “land for peace” deals.
The 33rd annual South Florida Chassidic Chanukah Festival is getting bigger and better. Over 10,000 people have attended the event since it was moved to Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach in 2007, and the upcoming festival set for Thursday, December 13, will include a star-studded show that is guaranteed to attract the largest attendance yet.
The South Florida Shomrim Society was formed to meet the needs of Jewish law enforcement officers and support personnel in Miami-Dade County. The organization has grown from a mere handful of members in 1984 to nearly three hundred. And Shomrim supports more than thirty charities each year with donations and hands-on physical help.
The Dr. Abe Chames High School of Yeshiva Toras Chaim Toras Emes will hold its annual Open House for prospective ninth grade talmidim and their parents on 19 Teves, Sunday evening, December 2 at 7 p.m.
Passover Resorts, which hosted Passover for 13 years at the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach and a couple of years at Loews South Beach, is back in South Florida at the spectacular Omphoy Ocean Resort & Spa on the beach in Palm Beach. This spectacular luxury hotel has 128 rooms and all are dedicated to Passover 2013.
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…
If you look up the word "role model" in the dictionary you will find the following definition: "a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people.”
As the cold weather settles upon us, snow and ice become our constant companions. Although it is often uncomfortable, both snow and ice are not always associated with freezing weather. In the Alps, which are located in various European countries, snow and ice can be found throughout the year in breathtaking forms.
By Erica Lyons
A Hong Kong symphony of sounds fills the air as local laborers shout across the shul courtyard in Cantonese while tossing bamboo in a pile for the sukkah: Filipino maids chatter in Tagalog hovering over the children in their charge, the radio of the Nepalese gurkhas, the Synagogue security, crackles and jackhammers provide the background music. The thick air and humidity within the walls of the partially constructed bamboo sukkah sharply contrasts with the crisp fall air of Sukkot in the northeastern corridor of the United States, where the sukkahs of my childhood were laden with dried fruit and autumn color. Dozens of colorful miniature Chinese paper lanterns dangle from the sukkah and here replace the burnt orange and golden gourds of autumn.
By Tzvi Fishman
With the birth of Hodel's baby, the time had come for Tevye to journey onward. Family was a matter of tantamount importance, but a Jew had an even higher allegiance to God. Had not the Almighty warned that life in the Holy Land must be lived according to the commandments of the Torah? That meant observing the laws of the Sabbath and the holidays, eating kosher food, donning tallit and tefillin, guarding the treasures of marital purity, and observing all of the six-hundred and thirteen commandments – most of which were flagrantly ignored by the young pioneers on the kibbutz.
By Pnina Baim
My oldest daughter loves school. In fact, over the long holiday break, whenever her school was mentioned, she would say in a little sad voice, “I miss my morahs.” I repeated this story gleefully to my friends. Some of them, the ones with older kids, looked at me with a blasé face and said, “don’t […]
September 4, 2026 
