"When it comes to #queer kid’s #books, though, I’m always happy for an opportunity to buy and read more of these essential stories. When those stories are #Jewish? Even better."
"Summer is here, and that means it's time to fire up the grill! But who says #BBQ has to be the same old burgers and hot dogs? This year, infuse your cookouts with some delicious #Jewish flavors."
"The Jungborn nudist sanatorium, the Paris metro, or the picturesque town of Stresa by Lago Magiorre – these are just some of the many places visited by Franz #Kafka, the great Prague-born #Jewish#writer who died exactly 100 years ago. To mark the occasion, a new #book, has just come out dedicated to Kafka’s travels. I spoke to its author, journalist and publicist Judita Matyášová"
"Despite having a sizable #Jewish community of 100,000, #Mexican#Jews are often not represented in the media. The seven-part “Eitan Explores: Mexico City,” released May 13, follows the culinary star as he learns more about Mexican Jewish culture, cooks classic Jewish-Mexican cuisine and spends #Shabbat in Mexico City."
"The #kosher#food truck has emerged as a substitute for traditional brick-and-mortar eateries that the small #Jewish community of 6,000 couldn’t sustain. It follows the ways of similar food trucks that have popped up across the country and beyond."
"I knew that as long as I stayed, I'd be contributing to this campaign that had already demonstrated basically it was going to be indiscriminately killing civilians..."
Mourning and Meaning Making -
Someday our current sorrows will be memories, woven into the tapestry of our shared destiny, By Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein
This article initially appeared in My Jewish Learning’s Shabbat newsletter Recharge on May 18, 2024.
"...This year, that process is more fraught than most. It has been only six months since the massacres of October 7th, and we are still engulfed in a brutal war. How can we engage in acts of ritual remembering when we are living in between “they tried to kill us” and “we prevailed?”
Our processes of mourning and memory can provide some guideposts. ...We gather, share stories and support those in the depths of grief, collectively waiting for the time when we might begin to make meaning. This sharing is the beginning of a narrative process during which memories become stories, eventually burnished into legacy when they motivate our actions..."
"For the sake of the lives of all people in the region, and the safety and futures of all of us in the #UnitedStates, we urge you to make good on your own promise to cease sending offensive munitions to #Israel."
From Harif UK - Preserving the history and culture of Jews from the Middle East & North Africa:
Sephardi Jews, with their diverse roots spanning the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, and the Middle East, bring rich traditions and practices to the observance of Tisha B’Ab, the fast day in the Jewish calendar which commemorates tragedies in Jewish history...
Rabbi Daniel Bouskila will be explaining the background to a Moroccan Kina, or lamentation, while Dayan Daniel Kada will talk about how Syrian Jews observe this solemn day. We also hope to hear how Yemenite Jews mark Tisha B’Ab.
Listeners will be able to share their specific memories of Tisha b’Ab, the food eaten before and after the fast and folk customs.
"A Wider Bridge has called upon #Pride organizers across the country to ensure #Jewish people can safely participate in their events.
The group, which “advocates for justice, counters LGBTQphobia, and fights #antisemitism and other forms of hatred,” sent a letter to the Capital Pride Alliance and more than 60 other Pride organizers."
My presumption here is that in blue enclaves within red states, those showing up for pride know they need as many people as they can for safety and for purpose (a very visible show of acceptance and courage) and so it wouldn't occur to most to gatekeep.
OTOH, deep blue spaces operate on the presumption of near-unanimous support, and so feel comfortable taking measures to ensure the "wrong people" aren't present.
Hence things like red state pride parades depending on support from local police to keep them safe and blue state parades implementing policies to rid themselves of police guards/presence as an extension of first principles.
"After deep consideration and reflection, the Black Heritage Society of #Washington State, the Washington State #Jewish Historical Society, and the Wing Luke #Museum have, in solidarity, agreed to proceed with the Confronting Hate Together exhibit," the museum said.
The exhibit will include additional content on its creation. the initial public reaction and more, according to the museum."