Judaism

Elat Chayyim

A Jewish spiritual retreat center providing space for deepening spirituality, including yoga, meditation, healing, and the arts.

Commentary

A monthly magazine of the American Jewish Committee.

Chabad

A website of the Chabad-Lubavitch organization, intended to “unite Jews worldwide, empower them with knowledge of their 3,300 year-old tradition, and foster within them a deeper connection to Judaism’s rituals and faith.”

Anti-Defamation League

Fights for civil rights and opposes anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry and discrimination.

American Jewish Committee (AJC)

Works for the security and continuity of the Jewish people and promotes the basic principles of religious pluralism as the best defense against bigotry.

Tree of Life Says its Building will Reopen as a ‘Center for Jewish life in the United States’

October 21, 2019
The Tree of Life synagogue building, the site of an attack a year ago that left 11 worshipers dead, will reopen as a “center for Jewish life in the United States.” The Tree of Life Congregation issued a statement to announce its “vision” for the building on Friday. The building, which was home to three different congregations, has not reopened since the Oct. 27, 2019 attack. The attack left the building “unsuitable for worship,” according to the statement. It was in need of serious repair and renovation before the attack took place, it also said. Source: ... Read more about Tree of Life Says its Building will Reopen as a ‘Center for Jewish life in the United States’

Jewish Prisoners in Michigan Will Get Certified Kosher Meals Under Proposed Settlement

October 15, 2019
Jewish prisoners in Michigan could start receiving certified kosher meals due to a proposed settlement to a class-action lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections. There are about 200 Jewish prisoners in Michigan jails who have requested kosher meals but have since 2013 been provided with a vegan meal that is supposed to be appropriate for prisoners of all non-Christian religions, the Detroit Free Press ... Read more about Jewish Prisoners in Michigan Will Get Certified Kosher Meals Under Proposed Settlement

Breaking Down the Sukkah Business 

October 11, 2019
Once Sukkot begins, observant Jews will spend the eight-day festival in outdoor huts that remind us of the fragility of our existence. If that sounds heavy, Avi Lazar, founder of Luxury Sukkahs, is here to remind everyone that Sukkot is all about joy.  “It’s a beautiful holiday, the happiest of all the Jewish holidays,” the 38-year-old told the Journal. “It’s called zman simchateinu — the time of our happiness.” Source: Breaking Down the... Read more about Breaking Down the Sukkah Business 

Gemara

The Gemara refers to the second major layer of Jewish commentary on the Torah (Mihsna being the first). The Gemara is the written account of the legal deliberations of the generations known as the Amoraim, who lived approximately from the 3rd to 5th centuries CE. Stylistically, the Gemara is a commentary that dissects the Mishna line-by-line, elaborating on the terse prose of the Mishna to draw out contemporary concerns touching on almost any aspect of life imaginable.

Lubavitcher

Lubavitchers are members of a branch of Hasidism, a Jewish pietistic movement. They take their name from a Russian town called Lubavitch and follow a line of spiritual masters or rebbes, the last of whom was Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), whom many of his followers regard(ed) as the Messiah.

shtetl

Shtetl is the Yiddish diminutive meaning “small town”. Shtetl refers primarily to the Jewish villages which existed in Eastern Europe starting in the 16th century and continuing until World War II. Though they varied greatly in size, the shtetls had a unique socio-cultural communal pattern.

Deuteronomy, Book of

The fifth book of the Humash or Five Books of Moses, Deuteronomy (or Dvarim in Hebrew, meaning ‘Words’) is composed of the final speech of Moses’ life, followed by the narration of his death. Deuteronomy contains many retellings of events and laws that appear earlier in the Torah, most notably the Ten Commandments.

kehillah

Kehillah is a Hebrew term for community, and generally refers to the formal communal structure of European Jewish communities.

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