Posts Tagged Holidays

Who’s Jonesing for the Afikoman?

Posted by Rachel Broder in Jewish Knowledge on April 14, 2011

notesfromthetribe.com

This Passover means a few things in my house, but most importantly: afikoman battle #17.  My brother is 17, so I consider the first battle to be the year he came into the picture and began competing with me for the coveted title of “winner.”  Only recently has he become a worthy competitor- mostly because he is now taller than I am.  My dad has never adhered to the rules of hiding the afikoman.  He ignores the rule of visibility and puts the afikomen under, inside of, or behind anything he deems worthy in my house.  I’m convinced that when my parents move we will find old matzah behind the pictures on the walls.     

The hunt commences with some combination of my dad taking the afikoman, making a cryptic statement, and then exiting the room to put it in a silly spot that he thinks we will never find.  We then eat, sing, and finish the seder (Can The Maccabeats please record a version of Dayenu?).  Right before we sit down for dessert, my dad sends us off on our mission to recover the afikoman.  He immediately tells us which rooms to ignore, and then allows us to pathetically search for about ten minutes before he provides the good old “hot and cold” hints.  He’s a huge fan of hiding the afikoman in books, in my mother’s yarn collection, behind window shades, and yes, behind pictures hanging on the walls.  Just before we find it, he applauds himself for duping us, and than, ah ha!  Found it, dad!  And then he must fork over the reward.  The game comes to a close as I eat my found afikoman in all its glory.  According to Babaga Newz , Jews used to believe that the afikoman could “protect from a host of ills…cure mutes, keep silos full of grain, and guard against bullets,” so now I know why my immune systems rocks.   

What are your family traditions?  Is finding the afikoman as huge in your house as it is in mine?  Do you watch The Ten Commandments each year and wonder how Charlton Heston could move from Moses to president of the NRA?  Or are you more of a The Prince of Egypt family?  Do you think of ways to include matzah in your life that does not involve eating it (Frisbee or packaging material)?  Jewcy put together a list of ways to enjoy matzah in the off season, but I more so worry about how to stomach it for an entire week.  

As you begin preparing for Passover, pop over to our blog and share your traditions!

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Prepare For Purim!

Posted by Rachel Feltman in Link Roundup on March 8, 2011

After a long drag without any good reasons to party, Purim is just a few weeks away! Purim, considered to be a particularly gleeful Jewish holiday, is a festival in celebration of the actions of Esther, the queen who saved Persian Jews from genocide.

Planning ahead? Here are some Purim-related recipes, resources, and entertainment to get you started.

  • If you’re looking for a film about Esther, you’ve got a lot to choose from. There’s the classic Esther and The King as well as the newer, flashier rendition, One Night With The King. Fair warning: The latter takes a lot of poetic license and gets more than a little cheesy at times. For lighter fare, I suggest For Your Consideration, a film by Christopher Guest. This one is a double dip for Purim and Oscar season, telling the fictional tale of the cast of an indie movie called Home For Purim. When the actors stumble across an online review of the unfinished film that suggests several Oscar nominations are in order, hilarity ensues. Lastly, a childhood favorite of mine: Esther, the Girl Who Became Queen, a VeggieTales film. VeggieTales is known for their Christian Biblical stories, but this Jewish tale is well represented!
  • Not to sing our own praises, or anything, but JPS happens to publish a pretty fantastic book on Esther and the Purim story. Megillat Esther, a graphic novel by JT Waldman, is available as a paperback or e-book. If you like graphic novels as much as I do, I highly recommend it. If you’ve never read a graphic novel…well, what better place to start?
  • Three-cornered hats. Delicious, delicious three-cornered hats. What would Purim be without them? Hamantashen (Oy! How do you spell it? It’s Channukah all over again) are one of many treats you can make to fulfill Purim’s requirement to eat, drink, and be merry. Speaking of Channukah, though, did you know that there’s a Latke vs Hamantash debate held annually? It sounds like a blast.

So, how are you celebrating Purim this year? Comment with any cool resources you know!

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Tu B’Shevat Is Almost Here, So Get Ready To Plant Some Trees!

Posted by Rachel Feltman in Jewish Knowledge on January 1, 2011

The Tree Of Life- Gustav Klimpt

2010 wasn’t a great year for the environment, even compared to other years in the past decade. The oil spill last spring was more than an ecological disaster: It was a wake up call. With Tu B’Shevat coming up in just a couple of weeks (on January 20th), you might be wondering how to make the most out of what many call the Jewish Arbor Day.

Last summer I wrote about Jewish Environmentalism on the Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices blog, and organizations like COEJL call for the integration of Jewish holidays with environmental awareness. With a little preparation, you can make this year’s Tu B’Shevat a celebration like none before!

First things first: Consider having a Tu B’Shevat seder. The service was first developed by Kabbalists during the 17th Century, but in recent years the practice has been gaining popularity with lots of Jewish groups. Hillel provides a Tu B’Shevat Seder, and so does Aish.com.

As for helping the environment that day, you have a lot of options! If you live in an area where planting your own tree isn’t possible, you can donate to an organization like the Save The Redwoods league (or a similar group in your own region) and support volunteers who work to save precious forests. You can also keep the spirit of the holiday by donating to a larger group like Greenpeace.

Of course, the real fun is getting to plant a tree yourself! Not sure where to start? The Arbor Day Foundation has great resources to help. Visit the site to find out what trees will grow the best in your area, where to get them, and how best to plant them. Consider using this tree planting ceremony from COEJL to tie in the holiday. After you’ve washed off the dirt, you can make a meal using recipes that feature the 7 Species. Yum!

Planting a tree can take a bit of coordination, especially if you want to do it somewhere other than your own property, so start planning now!

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But How Do You Spell It?

Posted by Rachel Feltman in Link Roundup on December 1, 2010

The Holidays are finally upon us. I hope you had a wonderful first evening of Hanukkah. Since the fun is far from over, here’s a quick link round-up of Hanukkah fun.

  • Let’s start with The Leevees, my favorite Hanukkah band. There are so many to pick from, as I’m sure you’re well aware. The Leevees have an album exclusively about Hanukkah available for your listening pleasure this week. My personal favorite addresses a troubling question for us all to ponder: How do you spell ‘Channukkahh’? It’s an issue I’ve had to struggle with since early childhood. Between you and me, I think the ‘C’ looks nice in there. Apparentally, none of the ‘experts’ agree. If you’d like music that’s a bit more old school, there’s always Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah Song.
  • My family is really big on the old joke about Jewish holidays: They tried to kill us, they didn’t succeed, let’s eat! Anyway, I think Jewish food is the great unifier when it comes to celebrating the holidays. I don’t think I know anyone even remotely Jewish who doesn’t enjoy a good latke (and most of my friends who aren’t Jewish tend to bug me to make them).Here’s a Hanukkah recipe round-up from The Huffington Post. Delicious! I won’t have access to a kitchen until school is over, so I probably won’t be eating Latkes until the Christmas cookies are already in the oven. Oh my goodness,Tablet has fritters. Anyone want to tell me where I can find this stuff in Boston? It’s an emergency.

    A Macababy's gotta do what a Macababy's gotta do.

  • Want to brush up on what exactly we’re celebrating? Well, you should probably just go with The Rugrats version, but Judaism 101 has a good FAQ page too.

Food, music, and background. I would say that you’re pretty much good to go.

Happy Hanukkah! Have a fantastic week.

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Prepare Yourself For Chanukah Shopping!

Posted by Rachel Feltman in Link Roundup on November 7, 2010

I know it’s crazy, but there are only about three shopping weeks left before Chanukah is upon us. The holiday begins on December 1st, so this year buying all your presents on Black Friday indicates some serious procrastination on your part. I don’t recommend it.

Personally, I’m a big fan of online shopping. I think we all have our shortlist of standby stores and websites for last minute shopping, but that doesn’t answer the question of what to buy. Googling such a question tends to lead me to lists of hot new gadgets I can’t afford. I love Dad too much to buy him a heated ice scraper, anyway. So what to buy?

Looking back, it may be more appropriate to call this post, “Rachel is hungry and wants book and t-shirts for Chanukah,” but I hope I gave you an idea or two. If not, comment with the gifts you’re planning on buying, or hoping to get!

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Mark Your Calendar For The Global Day Of Jewish Learning!

Posted by Rachel Feltman in Jewish Books, Jewish Knowledge on October 27, 2010

Remember what I said about the lack of distracting holidays between September and the end of November? I’ve been proven wrong, and I’m not talking about Halloween (or the day after, though I do encourage you to grab that candy while it’s cheap).

November 7th is the Global Day of Jewish Learning. The day is intended to celebrate the culmination of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s translating of the Talmud, an undertaking that has taken five decades. Based on Rabbi Steinsaltz’s driving belief…that the texts belong to anyone who wishes to study them… the Global Day of Jewish Learning will encourage people around the world to come together and study.

If you want to know more about why and how the completion of a translation is supposed to be celebrated, Rabbi Steinsaltz explains the concept of a Siyyum beautifully. As he explains on the Global Day website, the idea of the siyyum is an acknowledgement of completion, but also a promise of eventual return to the texts that have been translated.
Because of the groundbreaking nature of this work on the Talmud, which was the first to make the text truly accessible to everyone, and not just master scholars, its celebration will be focused on community learning. My favorite thing about the Global Day concept is that it really is meant for everyone. Anyone interested is encouraged to go to one of the many events being held across the world, and there are ways to participate online, too! Answer some of the “Big Questions” being discussed, or ask your own on the Global Day website.

Check out the website if you’re interested in attending an event, hosting one, or just finding out more details. I’ll be joining in online…hope to see you there!

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Shanah Tova!

Posted by Rachel Feltman in Link Roundup on September 13, 2010

Shanah Tova! Happy new year. I hope you had a great long weekend! The east coast heat wave is over just in time for Rosh Hashanah, and it’s starting to feel like it just might be fall. Once the High Holidays are over, we’ve got to make it all the way to Thanksgiving. Or Columbus Day, if you’re in grade school.

How are you celebrating? Here at school, I get to see the full-range of observance… from “Uh, excuse me, but we just had a long weekend for Labor Day and I’d like to actually go to class once or twice before the midterm, but can I have some of your apple? Please?”, to students actually flying home and back to go to services with their families. Whatever your plans are for the day, here are some links to help you out:

Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, try to appreciate this special day. Go forth and reflect!

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Hugs, Kisses, and JDate Disasters: Happy Tu B’Av!

Posted by Rachel Feltman in Link Roundup on July 22, 2010

flickr.com/thinmints137

Happy Tu B’Av! This may not be an official holiday anymore, but why missout?  The question is how does one celebrate Tu B’Av?

Originally, unmarried women marked the holiday by dressing in borrowed white clothing (so as to diminish distinctions between the rich and the poor) and dancing together. The unmarried men of the city could pick brides from among them, and were urged through traditional songs to pick based on the family and piety of the girl.

Dancing around in white probably isn’t the best way to find a date these days. We do have a similar forum, though. It’s called the internet. Of course, the whole process has gotten a lot more complicated in the past couple of centuries.

  • Or maybe not. This New York Times article describes some new dating websites that seem to be more similar to the old Tu B’Av way of meeting singles than JDate or eHarmony.
  • Fifty First (J) Dates is one woman’s witty accounts of her experience using the popular Jewish dating website. Read it for her dating advice, keep reading for the laughs. If her stories sound painfully familiar, you can share your own online dating experiences on JDaters Anonymous.
  • Speaking of laughs, have you heard about Geri Brin, the woman who started a dating site that caters to parents trying to find a match for their kids? (Don’t even think about it, Mom.)
  • Need tips on how to woo a date before your Mom feels she needs to get involved? Check out this fun Tu B’Av video from Alef NEXT.
  • If you’d rather spend the day wallowing (hey, I’m not judging), head over to this Tablet Magazine article  with some of the best break-up songs written by Jews. You probably shouldn’t listen to them all in one go unless you have a ready supply of chocolate.

“But wait!” You say, “I’ve already got a boyfriend/girlfriend/fiancé/spouse/bubbala!”  In that case, celebrating Tu B’Av will be easy. There’s a reason they call it the Jewish Valentine’s day, after all. You can’t go wrong with roses and a box of chocolates, assuming your S.O. doesn’t have any major pollen or dairy issues. I’m sure you’ll think of something by Monday.

So, one more time: Happy Tu B’Av. Have a great one.

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A Jewish Christmas in July

Posted by Rachel Feltman in JPS Books on July 12, 2010

Christmas in July- for stores, it’s an excuse to sell merchandise between holidays. In the US and Canada, after all, there are no major holidays between the first week of July and Labor Day. Whether or not you’re into Christmas, it’s the perfect time of year to stock up on twinkly lights and wrapping paper.

For me, it’s an excuse to share this video with you:

So go ahead and take a break from the grind! Celebrate a Jewish Christmas in July. Crank up the AC, buy some tinsel for cheap, and enjoy your fortune cookies.

Also, be sure to check out our Hanukkah in July special! Get a jump start on your holiday shopping by taking advantage of our 40% discount on a wide variety of JPS titles now through August 6, 2010.

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Three Weeks Round-Up

Posted by Rachel Feltman in Link Roundup on July 1, 2010

Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, by Francesco Hayez

Bein ha-Metzarim, also called The Three Weeks, began on Tuesday. This period, which is meant to be observed as one of mourning, begins with Shiv’ah Asar B’Tammuz, also known as the 17th of Tammuz, and culminateswith Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. While it primarily commemorates the destruction of  both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem (which occurred 656 years apart on the same day of the Jewish calendar), it has become a day on which we reflect upon any and all calamities that have befallen the Jewish people throughout history.

Here are some resources for finding out more about Bein ha-Metzarim:

  1. Tablet Magazine has posted a thorough, easy to read FAQ on the Three Weeks.
  2. Wikipedia might not be a source you want to cite in your next research paper, but they do have a great article on the The Three Weeks (which of course links you to many related topics).
  3. Last but not least, last year we wrote a blog post on the JPS Blog with tons of information on Tisha B’Av.

Unlike some other holidays and fasts, The Three Weeks and Tisha B’Av aren’t often observed by more secular members of the Jewish community. Even if you don’t plan on making any changes to your routine in the next few weeks, you can still keep the spirit in mind. Take some time to learn about the events we’re meant to mourn this month. If nothing else, you’ll gain a new appreciation for the resilience and strength of spirit of the Jewish people.

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