The Jewish New Year

By Rabbi Howard Siegel

Source: Houston Chronicle

 

“Fact” is defined as “a thing that is indisputably the case.” One such indisputable fact is Change. Nothing in life stays the same. This is the result of another indisputable fact-Time. Time and Change co-exist in tandem with one another. The passing of time is often measured by change.   A baby is born, learns to walk and talk, grows into adulthood, marries, has children, ages, and dies. Every stage of life is accompanied by changes in fashion, culture, and philosophy. One may argue the only constant in the entire universe is God, and even God changes!

A Carnival with a Jewish Flavor for Everybody

Source: Your Houston News

 

Jews have their own Halloween? Who  Knew? Purim is the Jewish celebration which some compare to Halloween. Well, the comparison is not quite correct: Indeed, people – children as well as adults – put on costumes, but that’s where the similarity ends.

“Mom, Who Killed Jesus?”

by Rabbi Laura Sheinkopf

 

Among the top ten things you do not want to hear coming out of your Jewish child’s mouth is, "Mom, who killed Jesus?"  I will always remember the moment I heard those words.  They came from my then five-year old son as he was sitting at the kitchen table in our home in Austin, TX.  It was the week of Passover, which coincides with Easter, and because we do not eat pasta or bread or anything with a grain that has risen, he was eating the staple of the Passover diet: a hard-boiled egg. It was actually the millionth hard-boiled egg of the day, and as I stood there at the sink, my back to him, peeling potatoes I was worrying about his cholesterol level and asking myself if that was something you should be concerned about in a five year.  And then, out of the blue I heard from behind me, "Mom, who killed Jesus?"

It's Not What You Say, It's Where You Stand

By Rabbi Laura Sheinkopf

As a rabbi I have done my fair share of invocations and benedictions for community events, interfaith gatherings and organizational meetings. I think of it as the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to interfaith relations.  Coming from the liberal east coast circles where I was raised, being a female rabbi is not all that interesting but it’s a different story down here.  There are a surprising number of people I meet who know very little about Judaism and even fewer who are aware that there are female rabbis.