As Americans, we remember certain indelible dates such as December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked or November 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
We Jews also have such a date that holds tragic significance. The Ninth of the Jewish month of Av, which occurs in mid-summer, holds major significance for the Jewish people. (more…)
The 250th birthday of our country is a little more than a week away. Such a momentous commemoration deserves notice. The United States, despite weathering significant challenges over the years, is one of the most enduring and successful attempts at democracy that humans have created. And Jews have been there since the beginning. (more…)
As we near the end of Jewish American Heritage Month, I’d like to share with you a variety of books about the Jewish American experience. The books cover many genres and subjects.
The Lampert Library’s collection has many fine books about Jews and the Jewish experience in the United States, going back to New Amsterdam, where Jews insisted that they be included in the civic responsibilities of the community.
In addition, Jews fought in every war that the US was involved in, serving at a much higher rate than their percentage of the population.
We’re not in Camelot but it is the “lusty Month of May.” May plays host to Jewish American Heritage Month, Short Story Month, Children’s Book Week and a plethora of other special celebrations.
To mark the confluence of Jewish American Heritage Month and Short Story Month, I am featuring some of the short story collections, of which there are many. (more…)
Some of you may remember when I wrote about celebrating the ninth night of Hanukkah to accommodate my family’s arrival in Montclair.
A nearly identical situation -but in reverse – occurred this Passover. My granddaughter came down from Canada where she is in college but had to go back before the official start of Passover, thus missing the seder. What’s a grandmother to do but be flexible? (more…)
