Holidays
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Item Done with gefilte dogs, Manischewitz launches a new look in time for Pesach: he kosher food titan is aiming for a more casual, welcoming brand(The Forward, 2024-03-26) Grisar, PJManischewitz, the most prominent manufacturer of kosher food sine 1888, has taken measures to broaden its appeal, both to a younger generation of Jews and to the broader community. “What we really were trying to do," according to the company's chief marketing officer, Shani Seidman, "is take the stuffiness out of this brand," Rolled out just prior to Passover 2024, a hallmark of this modernization project is the redesign of its famous matzoh box with a "retro-chic packaging." Click on the link to read the article.Item Purim spiels: Skits and satire have brought merriment to an ancient Jewish holiday in America(2022-03-22) Eleff, ZevA central ritual in Purim observances is the reading of the Scroll of Esther to commemorate Queen Esther's bravery in foiling the plans of Haman, the advisor of her husband, King Achashverosh, to annihilate the Jews. Less well known is the tradition of the "Purim spiel," jocular, satirical plays that are performed in synagogues and Jewish schools. Eleff, a scholar of American Judaism, believes that these spiels are "carefully curated lampoon meant to allow for a limited amount of public criticism of rabbis and the institutions that support Jewish life." This tradition of satirical spiels became deeply ensconced in the United States, which, according to Eleff, serve as a "measuring stick of Jewish self-confidence in the New World." Click on the link to read the article.Item When Jews Wearing Masks On Purim Were Arrested Under The ‘Anti-Mask Law’(The Jewish Press, 2022-03-09) Singer, Jay SaulAn article about a nineteenth century New York law prohibiting public masking resulted in the arrest arrest and imprisonment of Jews returning from Purim celebrations in 1868. The article also includes a general discussion of the history of Purim celebrations in New York State. Click on the link to read the article.Item Keep your ugly sweaters – Hanukkah isn't Christmas and doesn't need to be(Salon, 2021-11-30) Simon, JenThis commentary begins with "Hanukkah is not a Jewish Christmas. It never was and shouldn't be treated like it is. So pay attention retailers: knock it off. Stop trying to sell us dumb products." The article is about the tug of war between assimilation and differentiation, and how corporations try to package Hanukkah as a kind of Christmas. Click on the link above to access,Item Hanukkah 2021: No, it's not the 'Jewish Christmas.' Here's what to know(USA Today, 2021-11-30) Oliver, DavidThis article is interesting because it describes a constant issue for North American Jews: the tug of war between assimilation, and cultural and religious identity. Nowhere does that issue appear more clearly than in the ways that Jews must navigate the immense cultural and religious impact of Christmas and its relation to Hanukkah. Click on the link above to access the article.Item What Is Rosh Hashanah?(Chabad.org, 2019) Chabad.orgThis article describes the meaning and observance of Rosh Hashana from the Orthodox perspective of the American Jewish Chabad. The article notes that Rosh Hashana means "Head of the Year": "Just like the head controls the body, our actions on Rosh Hashanah have a tremendous impact on the rest of the year." It is the "birthday of the universe," and marks the day Adam and Eve were created. A central feature of the observance of the holiday is the sound of the shofar ("ram's horn", which is blown on both days of Rosh Hashana, and "represents the trumpet blast that is sounded at a king’s coronation," as well as serving as a call for repentance. The article describes the observances and symbols associated with the holiday. Click on the link to read.Item What Is Shavuot (Shavuos)?: And How Is Shavuot Celebrated?(Chabad.org, 2019) Chabad.orgThis Web Page discusses the meaning of the holiday of Shavuot, the commemoration of when the Jewish people received the Torah ton Mount Sinai, and how it is celebrated. It also explains why it is traditional to eat dairy on Shavuot. The Site contains a link to Shavuot recipes and to Shavuot information and resources especially for children. Click on the link to see the Web Site.Item Passover(Society for Humanistic Judaism, 2016) Society for Humanistic JudaismA discussion of the way Humanistic Jews understand Passover. Within Humanistic Judaism, Passover is "one of the most powerful myths of the Jewish people, a tale that relates the courage and determination of a people fleeing slavery for freedom." Humanistic Judaism interprets Passover, not as the commemoration of God's deliverance from the historical event of the enslavement of Jew by the ancient Egyptians, but a celebration of the actions that people take to escape oppression and improve their own lives. , "A Humanist Passover celebration is a celebration of human courage and human power, of the quest for human dignity and equality." Click on the link to read about a Humanistic Passover.Item Passover The Mitzvot of the Seder: A Holistic Picture of Freedom(Orthodix Union, 2019-04-11) Sassson, Rabbi ReuvenA discussion of how the fundamental meaning and message of the seder is freedom, the "journey from slavery to freedom." It is not simply freedom in the sense of not being in servitude, but a freedom that permeates throughput every aspect of the being. Click on the link to read the discussion.Item Pesah Guide(Rabbinical Assembly, 2019) Rabbinical Assembly; Committee on Jewish Law & Standards, Kashrut SubcommitteeThis is a guide to the practice of Passover from the perspective of American Conservative Judaism. It is intended to "help families maintain a kosher for Pesah home in accordance with the principles of Conservative Judaism and its understanding of Jewish Law." The guide focuses on the laws and rituals of the holiday. Click on the icon to read the Pesah Guide.Item Passover (Pesach) 101(My Jewish Learning, 2019) My Jewish LearningA brief article describing the origins, meaning, and traditions of Passover from the perspective of My Jewish Learning, "the largest nonprofit, nondenominational Jewish media organization in North America." Click on the link to read the article.Item Purim(2019) ReformJudiaism.orgThis web page discusses the history, customs and rituals of Purim from the perspective of Reform Judaism. It also suggests ways of using messages from Purim to practice social justice.Click on the link to see the web page.Item Purim: Laws & Customs(Rabbinical Assembly, 2013-02-12) Lucas, AlanAn explanation of Purim, its traditions and observances, from the perspective of Conservative Judaism. Lucas notes that, although Purim is a minor holiday, it is "nevertheless one of the high points of the festival cycle for Jews all over the world," and that Jews embrace the holiday, not only as an occasion to retell the story of Purim, but also as their own story that Jews are continually reliving. According to Lucas, Purim is unusual in that it is not a story of God enacting miracles, but of God working "through and within history." Click on the link to read Lucas's discussion.Item Purim and Hanukkah in Custom and Tradition: Feast of Lots, Feast of Lights(Henry Schuman, 1950) Gaster, Theodor HertzlIn this book (downloaded from the Internet Archive), Gaster argues that the two Jewish holidays of lights--the Spring holiday of Purim and the Fall holiday of Hanukkah--are linked together by the celebration of liberation.This book traces the development and significance of these holidays across generations. Gaster attempts in this book to sketch the history of these holidays, and at the same time, to describe the dynamic nature of their observances throughout the ages. Click on the icon to read the book.Item What is Purim?(2019-01) Chabad.orgThis Web Page discusses the history and significance of the holiday of Purim. how Purim is observed among Orthodox Jews, Purim customs, etc. Click on the link to see the Web Page.Item Tu Bi’Shevat(2016) Society for Humanistic JudaismA discussion of Tu BiShvat from the perspective of Humanistic Judaism. Click on the link above to access the article.Item Tishah B’Av: Questions, Answers and Relevant Texts(Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, 2019) Women’s League for Conservative JudaismAn article on Tu BiShvat, the New Year for Trees, from the perspective of Conservative Judaism, Click on the link above to access.Item Tu B'Shvat(Recontructing Judaism, 2019) Recontructing Judaism; Reconstructing JuadaismAn article on Tu BiShvat, the New Year for Trees, from the perspective of Reconstructionist Judaism. The article is adapted from "A Guide to Jewish Practice, Volume 2—Shabbat and Holidays" edited by by David A. Teutsch and published by the Reconstructionist Press. Click on the link above to access.Item Tu B'Shevat: What and How(chabad.org, 2008) Silberberg, NaftaliAn article on Tu BiShvat, the New Year for Trees, from the perspective of Chabad. Click on the link above to access.Item Hanukkah: Why Do We Still Celebrate Hanukkah(USCJ: Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, 2018) Kulp, Dr. JoshuaA discussion from the Conservative perspective of why Hanukkah is still a relevant holiday and why it continues to be celebrated. Click on the link to access the discussion.