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May 3, 2026, 6:29 AM

Lag B’Omer, Turn On Your Love Light!

One of my favorite songs that the Grateful Dead used to cover is “Turn On Your Love Light,” written by Joe Scott and recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961. The chorus of this composition is powerful: “Turn on your...

Apr 22, 2026, 7:01 PM

From One College Campus — Todah Rabah Shlichim

Third Floor Window, Burack Hillel at 439 College St May 21, 2021 5:25 PM. (courtesy)

Last night at our UVM Hillel’s Yom HaZikaron dinner I deeply felt the impact of the Jewish Agency for Israel shlichim on our campus and around the world. That day our Israel Fellow spent hours in the kitchen cooking the...

Shamai Leibowitz

Dec 19, 2025, 6:03 PM

How Hanukkah Was Hijacked—and Why It Matters

After the Maccabees won their war against the Syrian-Greeks and the Hellenists, the Hasmonean dynasty they founded eventually collapsed into a corrupt, expansionist regime—a historical warning for certain countries today. Centuries ago, the Sages foresaw this danger. When they codified Chanukah, they...

Shamai Leibowitz

Oct 19, 2025, 1:30 PM

The Dot That Bears Witness

On Shemini Atzeret, we began adding to the Amidah the words: מַשִּׁיב הָרוּחַ וּמוֹרִיד הַגֶּשֶׁם “ cause the wind to blow and the rain to fall.” What's the root of the first word, mashiv? If you answered נ.ש.ב (N-SH-V) - you're a Hebrew grammar maven. But where...

Annette Poizner

Oct 6, 2025, 12:24 AM

Upright of Heart, Upright Qi

Reflecting on the holiday we just observed, we will recall that on the eve of Yom Kippur, as the sun sets and the congregation gathers in white, the service begins when a single verse pierces the air: “Light is...

Sep 16, 2025, 5:52 PM

Being the Shofar

Shofar

I'm a light sleeper with a gentle startle reflex, so the metaphors of waking up for the High Holidays resonate strongly with me. A brief sampling: The Rambam interprets the sounding of the shofar as saying, “Wake up you...

Apr 11, 2025, 6:44 PM

The Wisdom of the Simple Child

Photo of students dancing as the Seder concludes. Courtesy of Hillel at UVM.

"What is the meaning of this?" As we are preparing for 200 Jewish students, families, and friends at the University of Vermont Hillel on Saturday evening, I find myself drawn to the wisdom of the simple child and what the...

Dec 7, 2024, 5:22 PM

Bias to Box Graters: Jewish Life Then & Now at UVM

You should have seen it; the pure joy emanating from students' faces as they accepted a glittery blue bag filled with potatoes, an onion, a couple eggs, oil, stickers, swag and yes...a box grater. It was a look I haven't...

Nov 18, 2024, 11:40 PM

Cheshvan and the Marathon of a Semester

There’s something peacefully unique about Cheshvan at UVM Hillel. No major holidays. No rush to prepare challah bake marathons or big community dinners. Just a quiet month tucked into the calendar between Tishrei’s high holidays and the lights of...

Eric M. Leiderman

Dec 8, 2023, 12:13 AM

Illuminating Resilience in the Festival of Lights

Dear My Beloved Jewish Community, As we stand within hours of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, and the radiant glow of the Hanukkiah (the trademark nine-branched candelabrum of Hanukkah), I find myself compelled to address you with a plea...

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