Scribe, the Forward’s curated contributor network, is a place for showcasing personal experiences and perspective from across our Jewish communities. Here you will find a wide array of reflections on Jewish issues, life-cycle events, spirituality, culture and more.
Community
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You say matzah — and matzo and matzuh and matzee and more
Readers respond to our editor-in-chief’s column about a Passover copy-editing conundrum
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No, Orthodox Ritual Is Not To Blame For Tragic Fires
Today, The Forward’s esteemed Editor-at-Large, J.J. Goldberg, penned an opinion piece in response to the tragic fire in a Brooklyn home that killed an Orthodox mother and three of her children early Monday morning. The headline took me aback. “Why So Many Brooklyn Orthodox Jews Are Dying In Tragic Fires” seems to blame the victims…
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Has Birthright Been Successful?
Launched in 1999, Birthright Israel was a “disruptive innovation” designed to arrest the assimilation of the next generation of Diaspora Jews by seeking to universalize an Israel educational experience. The program had many skeptics who, though committed to Jewish education focused on children and teenagers, believed that Birthright was too brief, too superficial, and too…
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I’m An Observant Jew — And I Love Christmas
Every year, from Thanksgiving Eve until New Year’s Day, there is a feeling in the air of Christmas — and Hanukkah, multiple Shabbatot, many simchas and professional parties. Christmas is basically a traditional Jewish way of life. We know Jesus Christ was Jewish, and that for centuries our people have been the targets of anti-Semitism…
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My Hanukkah Miracle In A Nursing Home
It was the 8th night of Hanukkah, and few of the 80 Jewish residents at the Manhattan nursing home where I worked as a recreation therapist worked really cared. The overwhelmingly non-Jewish residents celebrated with trees, special programs, and greetings relating to their holiday. But nevertheless, I made a Hanukkah party, which was heartening for…
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Hilchos Marijuanakkah
The holiday of lights is super lit. Get holy and high with these Hilchot Marijuanakkah, the real high holy daze. 1) One must light one joint for the first night, and two joints for the second, etc. One must go up in number, not down. 2) One must share their stuff because of the commandment…
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What Jews Know About Happiness
Some time ago I learned that Jews are the happiest people in America. Out of hundreds of thousands of interviewees, religious and secular Jews scored the highest overall points on Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index of 2011, which included happiness level. As a Jew myself, I would have never guessed it. I associated this culture with the…
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What Our Elected Officials Could Learn From The Talmudic Sages
While many Jews have been elected into Congress in our nation’s history, not one rabbi has ever been elected — but given the current political climate, Congress and our elected officials stand much to gain from the wisdom, methodology, and civility of the ancient rabbis of the Talmud. To start, the rabbis self-imposed high standards…
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I Rescued My Synagogue’s Torah Scrolls From Los Angeles Inferno
Shortly after 5:00 am on Wednesday, December 6th, my ringing phone startled me from my sleep. “Wake up,” a member of my congregation said, “The hills are all on fire.” I quickly turned on my television and saw flames engulfing the massive hillsides framing the Sepulveda Pass, the main thoroughfare through the northwest part of…
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My Fellow Jews: Just Relax And Enjoy The Christmas Music.
While anticipating the harmonious a cappella of Christmas Carols at my doorstep, I recall the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Music is the universal language of mankind.” The music of Christmas represents peace, joy and hope and it has become a genre of its very own. But contrary to common thought, Christmas in America was…
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The Post-Soviet Jews Still Need Us.
In my travels, I’ve seen a lot: the last Jewish woman in a tiny Siberian village, fetching firewood by herself on a frigid February morning; fiercely talented Jewish children dancing in traditional Georgian costumes in the village of Gori, where Stalin was born; hundreds of teens from across the former Soviet Union coming together to…
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Krista Allen Proves You Don’t Have To Be Jewish to Have Fun
Krista Allen is a model, actress and proves You Don’t Have To Be Jewish” to have fun. The former “Baywatch” star shares many celebrations among her friends and family of all religious backgrounds. Some of you know Allen from her portrayal of Billie Reed on Days of Our Lives. To reality television stars, she and…
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