It was a weird moment for me. My 9 year old, in his Tae Kwan Do uniform, was bowing down at the beginning of his martial arts class. My son had asked me about it when the teacher introduced the practice. I explained that in context bowing for politeness is permitted according to Jewish law, and he has been happily doing it ever since.
But still, it felt uncomfortable to see. As we will read in the Megillah on Purim (Sat nite and Sunday), Mordechai refused to bow down to the evil Haman. Symbolically, this teaches a world: Jews don’t bow ... more
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For those of you who have been in a coma for the last couple of months, Avatar is a new movie. It is the most expensive movie ever made and on its way to being the most profitable ever made. Most agree that with its 3D technology, it is without a doubt, one of the most impressive visual masterpieces ever made.
The simple story line takes place in the future: humans are mining precious minerals on a far-away planet, Pandora. The local inhabitants (blue humanoids) live in a magical, beautiful world. Thick jungles, plants and flowers that light up in ... more
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I’m writing this newsletter from Munich, Germany. Strange place for a Jew to be, I know, but due to an influx of Russian Jewish immigrants, Germany’s Jewish population is on the rise and I’m invited here about once a year to help inspire greater Jewish involvement.
I had a few hours off this morning and the local Rabbi gave me a tour. We saw the historic downtown core, the famous sites, and of course put things in a Jewish perspective. Dachau is about an hour away, but I didn’t have time this trip to pay my respects. The main Jewish thing ... more
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Morbid subject, isn’t it? Why is a Jewish parenting newsletter focusing on cremation? And what does cremation have to do with the Jewish past? Why don’t I stick to my normal subjects of tips for parents and educators?
Buyer Beware: Please do not be offended. I am against cremation. I actually am trying to create a non-profit organization to help explain why and encourage Jews to choose burial, and I am researching and writing extensively on the subject now. I also am convinced it is a better choice for non-Jews as well. I believe that by the end of this newsletter, ... more
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The last day of my speaking tours are usually spent in Walmart. That's just the way it goes. I was travelling around the US and Canada for almost two weeks and am expected to return home 'fully loaded.'
Then I saw the sign - "Only 48 days left."
Already??
Halloween just passed, thanksgiving hasn't arrived yet, and the Christmas push is already in the happening?! Next thing you know, they'll be advertising Christmas stuff before Labor Day!
How do you feel about Christmas? While for some it is a relatively minor question, for many Jews Christmas - or the lack thereof - is a ... more
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I must admit that I was skeptical of Birthright programs when they started. Like many other educators, the payoff did not seem to justify the massive investment of resources. Ten days of partying at clubs and tanning on a Tel Aviv beach was meant to awaken the “pintele yid” – the Jewish spark – inside of Jewish young people? Why not use the cash to radically lower the cost of Jewish education? Why not add in more Jewish content to the trips? Why not make shul membership free? Why not …. I have many ideas and projects that could make ... more
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I’ve been sharing lots of “How To” advice for parents over the last number of newsletters. This week, I want to share a “What To” – I’m sharing with you a moving story I received some time ago about Jewish identification. If you like it, I suggest reading it with your kids. The kids will be interested by the army connection, and the lesson is profound.
If possible, use the story as a springboard for sharing a recollection of a moment you chose not to hide your Jewishness. Perhaps someone said something anti-Semitic and you responded, “I’m Jewish.” Or did ... more
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It was roughly a meter tall and weighed nearly 20 kilos (44 pounds). It was a friendly bird and native to the island of Mauritius. Eating local fruit and nesting on the ground, it was a relative of the pigeon and dove, though it couldn’t fly. The Dodo Bird is no longer. People killed them for food and they were perhaps even more affected by the disappearance of their nests due to pigs and other new animals that seafarers brought to Mauritius in the 17th Century.
At 32.9 meters (108 feet) long and weighing 172 metric tons (190 short tons), it ... more
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It’s like going to the dentist. Or paying taxes. Or inviting Annoying Aunt Agnes to the Passover Seder. You don’t want to. You really don’t want to. But you do it because it is the right thing to do.
If this is how you feel about Yom Kippur, join the club. My guess is that most Jews today don’t look forward to the day our tradition describes as the “Holy of Holies.” Forgiveness and atonement are all very nice, of course, but we don’t feel comfortable seeking forgiveness (and often aren’t even sure what we need to apologize for) and don’t ... more
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In the aftermath of World War I, the French were very afraid of another German attack. They went to great trouble to build the famed Maginot Line, a massive array of fortifications to stop the German onslaught. If the Maginot Line had existed in 1914, history would be quite different. But by World War II, the Maginot Line was useless – new German technology and tactics allowed the Nazis to go right around and over the French defense line.
Sometimes referred to ‘Fighting the Last War,’ the process is quite understandable. We had major challenges in the past. We want to ... more
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