Purim, celebrated this year from March 23rd to the 25th, is a spring festival; a noisy and joyful celebration in the Jewish community. For local businesses, it’s also an opportunity to sell Hamantaschen. Receiving Call Your Mother’s annual “Hamantaschen Time” notice sparked memories of when I, as a child, starred in a synagogue play as […]
A Forest Hills interfaith celebration: A Presbyterian remembers her first Passover, and the “only Jewish kid in class” recalls Easters past
This month people are celebrating Passover, Easter and Ramadan in what is, in effect, social quarantine. And for better or for ill, it means new memories and new traditions will be born of this time. Our memories of holidays past can bring some comfort, even if holidays are not in our own faith traditions. We […]
Passover in the time of Covid-19, matzah brei and “The Celebration of Freedom, The Exercise of Liberty”
by Marlene Berlin We Jews in the neighborhood are getting ready for Passover. For some this means getting rid of the chametz – the food that isn’t kosher for Passover. This adds another layer to the kosher diet’s separation of milk and meat. Kosher for Passover includes the separation of grains and leavening agents. The […]
July 4th flashback: When the Netherlands celebrated U.S. independence
Happy 4th, everyone! In 1919, the Embassy of the Netherlands entered this float in the National Independence Day Parade. It looks almost real enough to set sail on the Potomac. Alas, these seafarers had just half a ship. The Netherlands is one of the United States’ oldest allies, with ties dating back to the American […]
Frankincense and myrrh, and their roles in two religions’ stories and traditions
by Marjorie Rachlin When I was a child, I loved the Christmas story of the three wise men (magi), who came to visit the infant Jesus in the manger. They were bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. I visualized three men, dressed in robes of silk and velvet, mounted on camels adorned with colorful […]