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Jul 12, 2018, 6:43 PM

The House of Death is Life.

I was always told by my grandfather that everybody was gone, deported, murdered, exterminated, burned, it was ‘the unspoken’, an unspeakable pain. There were no graves and therefore we never spoke of Jewish graves, cemeteries, or burial in general...

Jul 10, 2018, 10:57 AM

The Idiot’s Guide to Ulpan

Benji Lovitt

Some highly-motivated students insist on speaking Hebrew and only Hebrew. Those are the ones we don't like

Jul 8, 2018, 5:46 PM

Why I’m Not Studying Abroad

Studying abroad junior year of college has become a bit of a cliché. Hypothetically, it’s a great opportunity for young people to learn about another country and themselves. I genuinely think that everyone should study abroad if they can....

Jul 5, 2018, 11:10 PM

How do you inherit your heritage? Ritual!

Illustrative: Russian-speaking Jewish Americans at Limmud FSU in Princeton, NJ (Courtesy Ross Den)

Jokes and borscht from my parents' Russia pale in comparison to the customs and practices of Judaism

Walter Hilliger

Jul 2, 2018, 11:10 AM

The Judeo-Spanish origin of sugar cane

In February, just before the Symposium, I had very good news: The Royal Spanish Academy has recognized Judeo-Spanish as an official Spanish language. It will be included in the international dictionary of the Spanish language. This took place 525...

Jun 28, 2018, 7:01 AM

Nature Speaks — Listen! The Grass Has Something to Say

Since early childhood I’ve been spellbound by the endless varieties of life that pop out of simple clumps of grass. Now it’s a delight to pass this tiny adventure on to my toddler grand-daughter. It’s hard not to feel...

Jun 21, 2018, 7:01 AM

Nature Speaks — Listen! Lightning Has Something to Say

On the East Coast of the US we were inundated with unusually heavy rain throughout the late winter and spring, and even Israel has seen unseasonable rains recently. Yet even during the storms and in the brief glimpses...

Jun 19, 2018, 7:00 AM

Nature Speaks — Listen! Earth Has Something to Say

In springtime it’s hard not to feel Nature singing God’s praises…in the birdsong, the breeze, the fragile and brilliant blossoms that suddenly burst in my garden, even the tiny tomatoes that are finally appearing. The medieval Jewish classic,...

Jun 18, 2018, 11:14 PM

The 2,000-year-old synagogue at Gamla, the oldest yet found in Israel.

Under a burning sun, I climb a rocky basalt ridge on the Golan Heights, surrounded by deep gorges, high above the Sea of Galilee, eager to view the ruins of the ancient city of Gamla. There is a fantastic...

Jun 18, 2018, 3:04 PM

Choosing Judaism

I have just returned from a very intense trip to New York. I cannot overstate the privilege it is to join the fellows of our leadership programs during the section of the program that we immerse ourselves within a...

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