What the Dead Professor Taught Me
Famed Archeologist Professor Ehud Netzer ate, breathed, and slept Herod the Great. Netzer had many accomplishments in his celebrated archeological career. He discovered the world’s oldest synagogue in Wadi Kelt. He co-led the digs Masada. But for 35 years his primary obsession was his hero Herod, and his tireless search for Herod’s grand tomb described […]
Read MoreThis Week’s Best Videos, Photos, and Links
Love this catchy Succot song by Sinai Tor. The chorus is: “God will send us an abundance of holiness and purity from the 7 elevated and holy Ushpizin, may their merit guard us.” I love especially when it jumps up suddenly…
Read MoreMy Son, the Pilot
I remember 1-year-old, round-faced Mendel wearing a yellow sun hat in his stroller. I remember 3-year-old Mendel walking hand in hand with his Eema, Rachel, on their way to Gan Carmela. I remember 9-year-old Mendel, the little league the pitcher in his baseball uniform. I remember his moving bar mitzvah (here’s a 2-minute must-see video […]
Read More46% of “Secular” Israelis Fast on Yom Kippur
I never kept the Yom Kippur fast before I became religious…It felt way too hard to keep, and I didn’t really even try (the one year I did actually try, during my sophomore year of college, I ended up breaking Yom Kippur by eating a big mac on Yom Kippur morning!) So I find it […]
Read MoreA 3-Year-Old on the Jewish Holidays
My 3-year-old Tsofia is a baby no longer… In August she started attending a big-girl gan with prayer and parshat hashavua and more doll strollers than she can count on both hands (I mean, if she could count. Now she counts like this: “One, two, eight, nine, ten!). Tsofia is thrilled to be in a […]
Read MoreArchie Bunker Does Shabbos (2 Funny Videos)
In 1978, Archie and Edith Bunker of “All in the Family” became the guardians of a 9-year-old Jewish girl who was Edith’s distant relative. In this episode, Archie makes kiddush and hamotzi before a Friday-night meal. In this episode, Archie discovers that his dear friend and coworker Stretch Cunningham has died of a heart attack, […]
Read MoreSuccot: Achieving Immortality (10-Minute Mommy Peptalk)
King Herod tried to achieve immortality through building a wide array of massive structures, but the small, rickety succah teaches us about the true path to immortality. photo credit: Eric.Parker via photopin cc
Read MoreHow to Make Stress Your Friend (14-Minute TED Talk Video)
Here’s what TED Talks says about this paradigm-shifting video: Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal […]
Read MoreIsraelis Among Happiest People on Earth
Israelis are among the most hated people on earth. We’re also among the happiest. This year, Haaretz reports, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development “examined quality of life among its 34 member countries, which includes Israel, and two nonmembers, Brazil and Russia. Its Better Life Index is based on 11 criteria: housing, income, labor […]
Read MoreWinning the High Holiday Marathon (14-Minute Mommy-Peptalk Video)
Burnt out from Rosh Hashana? Some words of JewishMOM inspiration to cheer you on to the High-Holiday finish line…
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