Pumpkin Soup Pumpkin soup is one of my family’s favorite post Thanksgiving traditions. This delicious soup is made with our leftover un-carved pumpkins from Halloween. This dish is healthy but hearty, and can be enjoyed on its own or as…
A review of Geraldine Brooks: stories that transcend time
School was out and it was time for my customary summer bookstore expedition. After taking an unnecessarily long, albeit usual, amount of time browsing the shelves, I happened upon People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. Based on the history…
A tale of two communities: Jews and Thanksgiving
For those of us still recuperating from a turkey and pumpkin pie torpor and the ensuing blitz of shopping and sales, the holiday season often fails to elicit any meaningful discourse on appreciation and thanks. Instead, it seems the principles…
A helpmate opposite him: the Jewish vision of respecting women
This article is in response to the piece published in Ha’Am on October 21st, 2012. I would like to make it clear that I respect the writer of the original article, and welcome all further discussion of this issue. Religious…
Kosher Korner: Thanksgiving Pot Pie
Many of us spend the third Thursday in November being thankful for our family, friends and freedom. One of my blessings comes the next day: I am thankful for leftovers. This unique dish is the perfect way to get rid…
Eco-pollution: Israel’s silent threat
Israel is advertised as one of the most environmentally conscious countries in the world. Perhaps most well known is the Israeli irrigation drip system, which involves a hose that slowly drips water directly to the root of the plant, strategically…
Election night: a look at a congressional legend
From 7 a.m. today until 8 p.m. tonight, millions of Americans will engage in their ultimate civic duty and vote for the president of the United States and various other local politicians and initiatives. While it would be foolhardy to…
First Farsi Holocaust text connects Iranians to Jewish history
On October 14, I was privileged to be a student delegate at 30 Years After’s 3rd Biennial Conference. 30 Years After is the civic and political voice of America’s Iranian Jews, the first and only organization of its kind. The…
Israel and apartheid: a lesson in the risks of media bias
For Israel, a country trapped under the brutally judgmental microscope of global scrutiny, public image is everything. A recent poll published on October 23, 2012 by Haaretz (a leading Israeli news source), and its accompanying piece by Israeli journalist Gideon…
Anti-Semitic graffiti “un-Kiwi?”
Sprayed in black, the swastikas show up clearly against the pale gray tombstones in a historic Auckland, New Zealand cemetery, where vagrants drift and troublemakers lurk. The Hebrew words meaning May his/her soul be bound into the bond of life…