Jewish Holidays

Content type
Collection
Silhouette of Girl Eating from a Spoon

If You Have an Eating Disorder, You're Not Alone

Emma Barthold

The new year, with its onslaught of messages about “improving” our bodies, can be especially hard for people with eating disorders.

 Woman and man serving themselves at a buffet, Jewish stars in background

A Better Hanukkah Movie, With Plenty of Room for Improvement

Rebecca Brenner Graham

After several attempts, the Hallmark Channel finally carves out a respectable place for Hanukkah . But is this the best we can hope for?

Topics: Hanukkah, Film
Collage of trees, cattle, and fish on blue patterned background

Honoring the Shmita Year

Miriam Niestat

Taking inspiration from Rabbi Bernstein’s efforts with Tu B’Shvat, I wonder what a Shmita haggadah might look like.

Sapir Taib and her Safta

Celebrate the Heroism of MENA Jewish Women on Chag Habanot

Sapir Taib

During Hanukkah, Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Jews observe Chag Habanot, which celebrates female heroes

Plate of cheese latkes

This Hanukkah, Try Latkes With a Dairy Twist

Savoy Curry

Swap the traditional potatoes for cheese to honor Judith, a badass biblical woman.

Topics: Hanukkah, Recipes
Photograph of Hanukkah candles outdoors collaged on a dark pink background

Celebrating My Patrilineal Jewish Identity with Hanukkah

Ava Weinstein

I wondered, and still do, why it is that I can’t be accepted as a “real Jew” everywhere I go.

Topics: Hanukkah, Ritual, Schools
Black and white checkered stars and photo of folded napkin

Oma Irene's Napkin

Aviva Schilowitz

Particular emphasis is put on setting the table for these occasions. So much of my Jewish and familial identity is tied to these meals.

Blue kiddush cup on dark blue patterned background

How My Kiddush Cup Inspired Me to Celebrate

Maya Viswanathan

Even though Kiddush has traditionally been done by men and I was just a girl, I took it upon myself to make Kiddush each week. 

Outlined drawings of city skyline, old synagogue, girl writing, and other doodles on red background

Confronting the Mechitza in Hamburg

Adina Gerwin

At the Hamburg synagogue, I found myself in a place literally built to go against the foundational egalitarian principles my Judaism had always been about.

Photo of someone's hands holding ground cherries

This Sukkot, Let’s Commit to Respecting and Caring for Our Land

Savoy Curry

Sukkot is an urgent reminder not to take our land for granted.

Photo of Daniela Gesundheit and her album cover, featuring a woman with her face in her hands and the words "Alphabet of Wrongdoing" in jumbled letters

Q & A with Daniela Gesundheit About her New Album, "Alphabet of Wrongdoing"

Sarah Jae Leiber

JWA talks with musician, vocalist, and composer Daniela Gesundheit about how her new album, Alphabet of Wrongdoing, makes the sacred accessible. 

Postcard of a family of four dressed in Kittels

Frolicking Maidens and the Hidden History of the Kittel

Leora Krygier

The kittel is commonly worn by men on Yom Kippur, but their ancient use by young maidens to attract husbands is little known.

Joan Nathan

Project
Washington D.C. Stories

Deborah Ross interviewed Joan Nathan on July 12, 2011, in Washington, DC, as part of the Washington D.C. Stories Oral History Project. Nathan reflects on the significance of food to Jewish life, as she recounts her career as a cookbook author, cultural historian, and food writer who combines recipes with stories to educate about Jewish life, tradition, and history.

Cover of Uncultured book and co-authors of book

During Shmita, Finally Learning to Let Go

Brandi Larsen

In the year after co-writing a memoir, also the year of shmita, I learned how to let go of my failures and begin anew. 

Alan Krilov

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Alan Krilov on October 18, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Krilov, a member of the Chabad community, recounts his challenging experience during Hurricane Katrina, including his evacuation and subsequent efforts to rebuild his life and reconnect with the Jewish community.

A charcuterie board with cheese and fruit

Charcuterie: More Jewish Than You Think!

Catherine Horowitz

Here’s how to put a distinctly Jewish spin on the charcuterie trend.

Statue of Maimonides in Córdoba, Spain

Jewishness Itself is a Home

Isadora Kianovsky

Over the course of my semester abroad, I realized that, even though I wasn’t at home, I wasn’t without a home, either.

Phyllis Isaacson

Project
DAVAR: Vermont Jewish Women's History Project

Sandra Stillman Gartner and Ann Buffum interviewed Phyllis Wolfson Isaacson on January 24, 2008, in Brattleboro, Vermont, as part of the DAVAR: Vermont Jewish Women's History Project, Isaacson shares her family history, musical journey, experiences as a music teacher and conductor, and her involvement with Jewish communities, highlighting the challenges she faced as a woman in a male-dominated field.

Row of women dancing with backs to camera

Tu B’Av is More than “Jewish Valentine’s Day”

Catherine Horowitz

Let’s return to the holiday’s roots: female empowerment and connection.

Two women stand at a booth with a sign that says "Abortion Pills"

This Tisha B’Av, I’m Mourning the Loss of Reproductive Rights

Steph Black

This year, I’ll use the holiday centered on mourning to process my grief for all we’ve lost.

Colorful Illustration of Women Leaning on Each other

Jewish Summer Camp and The Book of Ruth: The Power of a Jewish Woman's Support

Ilah

While my first go at standing up to a man in a position of power may not have gone as planned, I've recognized in the events that followed the power of Jewish women, like Ruth and Naomi, to lift each other back up.

Collage of old photo of author's grandmother and her brisket recipe in a frame

A Recipe That Defies Time—Just Like Passover Itself

Savoy Curry

The ingredients are simple, but the connections to my family and to Jewish history run deep.

Episode 73: An Orange Belongs on the Seder Plate Like...

Hard-boiled egg—check. Greens—check. Charoset, maror, shank bone—check. These are the traditional seder plate items that represent the themes of Passover. Many people have also adopted the feminist tradition of including an orange... but what does it symbolize, and how come so many people have the story wrong? In this episode of Can We Talk?, host Nahanni Rous talks with Susannah Heschel, who created the ritual in the 1980s, about the real meaning behind the orange. She also talks with her aunt and cousin, who introduced the orange to the Rous family seder.  

Savoy Curry holding Orecchie di Amon in each hand

This Purim, Make Foods That Celebrate Your Unique Cultural Heritage

Savoy Curry

With the holidays falling on the same day this year, I’m celebrating my Irish-Jewish heritage.

Topics: Recipes, Purim

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