The pandemic has not only changed most students’ lives it has also changed the way Jewish communities on campus operate. Generally, pre-Covid, Jewish organizations such as; OU-JLIC, Hillel, Chabad and JAM would be a safe haven and a place for…
COVID Revives Kavanah: A Personal Jewish Journey
Every Friday night, I would eat Shabbat dinner with my family. And every Saturday morning, we would arrive at our temple ‘fashionably’ late –– before the Rabbi’s sermon but after the start of the Haftarah. Always on PST: ‘Persian Standard…
Have You Ever Wondered What Jewish Life is Like at Other Universities?
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I joined the “Zoom University Hillel” Facebook page alongside nearly 15,000 other young Jewish college students from around the world. It has since been utilized for many purposes, including the sharing of memes,…
Life in Quarantine: Expectations vs. Reality
It’s quarantine 2020. First week of quarantine we were all in a panic, thinking the world was over and then slowly realizing that the world was still going on. After the initial panic and realizing that life is still going…
Life in Quarantine: Surviving the Zoomiverse
Welcome to the Zoomiverse, Bruins! By now you’ve probably figured out that this quarantine isn’t going anywhere (and—neither are you). That’s okay! We’re all in this together. It’s definitely tough navigating our new day-to-day world, but our HA’AM Team is…
A Jewish Girl’s Guide to Understanding Kosher
So what exactly is kosher? What does it mean to keep kosher? And what exactly are all the rules one must follow to keep kosher? For someone who (kind of) identifies as Jewish, I found myself asking these questions quite…
The Art that Fought the Holocaust
“Black milk of morning we drink you at dusktime We drink you at noontime and dawntime we drink you at night We drink and drink We scoop out a grave in the sky where it’s roomy to lie.” Those are…
Historical Ha’Am: “Shakespeare and the Jews” by Natasha Zwick
When I was flipping through some old Ha’Am newspapers this week while searching for a Historical Ha’Am article, I came across the title “Shakespeare and the Jews,” and my attention was immediately fully devoted to this piece. As an English…
Hanukkah Gift Guide
As Hanukkah fast approaches (Dec. 22 this year), there arises the annual question of what gifts to get for your friends and family. If you’re tired of giving and receiving socks, gift cards, or body wash, you’re not alone. With…
From Rap to Rock: Top Ten Modern Hanukkah Songs… Besides Adam Sandler’s
“Hanukkah is The Festival of Lights Instead of one day of presents We have eight crazy nights!” – Those are the words famously sung by Adam Sandler on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update on December 3rd, 1994. By that point,…