J uly 4th is a national holiday which deserves to be celebrated by all Americans. The bottom line is that July 4, 1776 began the daring experiment which led to the formation of the greatest nation in … more

M any of us tend to forget the origin of July 4, but not I! Fifty years ago, this Shet land Islands native became a proud new American citizen after studying the fundamentals of US history and the … more

As we prepare for the upcoming holiday of Shavuot, I can’t help but think that we are at another holiday without our brothers and sisters home. The hostages remain in my thoughts each and every … more

Shavuot, which begins at sundown on Tuesday, June 11, is rooted (like Pesach) in the agricultural season (originally, the beginning of the wheat harvest). Before the fall of the Temple, … more

Shavuot is one of my favorite holidays. Yes, it is an excuse for making cheesecake and blintzes and my kids favorite mac and cheese, but it is also a day to reflect on Judaism and what receiving the … more

Just as many have asked, “Where were America’ s Jews in the 1930s and during the Shoah ?, ” our grand-children will ask, “Where were you after Oct. 7?” That’s … more

Riverdale remembered the Holocaust the way Jews commemorate so much: through ritual. The device created for this by Rabbi Avi Weiss at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale was a Yom HaShoah Seder. … more

As many of us are concluding our second seders late on Tuesday night, we will be remembering yetziyat Mitzrayim; we are, of course, commanded to do so. But we will also have in mind the 200th day of … more

The main course is a tasty, room-temperature side dish that you should make in advance so that when you are ready to grill, most of your meal is already prepared. I broil the eggplant slices in the … more

Matzah is as old as the Exodus. The flour and water cracker bread has a starring role in the saga, with the Jews leaving Egypt so quickly that they couldn’t let their bread rise. The … more