Open to the sky on Sukkot
In the sukkah, we’re reminded that we’re not alone, that we can find protection, and that as fragile as life seems to be, it’s what allows us to celebrate
RABBI YAEL SPLANSKY
HOLY BLOSSOM TEMPLE, TORONTO
RABBI MARK FISHMAN
CONGREGATION BETH TIKVAH, MONTREAL
Simchat Torah ideas as the holidays come to a close
Traditionally, the foods we eat at this time of year are ones that have stuffing, to represent a year of fullness
Meet the unofficial mayor of New York’s gay Jewish community
NEW YORK — It was nearly midnight Saturday, and Jayson Littman was milling about an upscale Manhattan nightclub greeting friends with a wide smile and often a big hug. Standing alongside a “shot boy” — clad only in underwear, a kippah and Star of David necklace — he offered partygoers shots of Manischewitz in plastic cups.
Jewish living, inside and out
Sukkot reminds us that synagogues must empower Jews to lead meaningful lives beyond their walls, too
RABBI ADAM CUTLER
BETH TZEDEC CONGREGATION, TORONTO
RABBI ADAM SCHEIER
CONGREGATION SHAAR HASHOMAYIM, MONTREAL
The complicated halachahs of getting high
As the marijuana legalization movement gains steam, where does the Jewish community stand?
It’s the end of a long workday and Erez (not his real name) meets me at an uptown Toronto subway station.
We drive to a nearby park, making conversation about work, family and, eventually, about pot.
“My stuff is really good,” he tells me, indicating the rolled joint tucked behind his ear.
Erez, 32, is soft-spoken, with an air of quiet intelligence.
Remembering our grandfather’s sukkah
In the middle of a poem titled Ha-yehudim – The Jews – the Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai gives a mini-course in the nature of Jewish memory. “A Jewish man remembers the sukkah in his grandfather’s home./ And the sukkah remembers for him.” Poised on the edge of nostalgia, we expect the poem to describe a childhood memory, long-ago festival celebrations and beloved grandparents. Instead, the poem plunges into the complexity of the Jewish experience.
CIJA welcomes Quebec animal welfare bill
Nothing in Quebec’s draft bill on animal protection would affect Jewish ritual slaughter, says the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which issued a statement on Sept. 15 welcoming the proposed legislation.
Rabbi Reuben Poupko, co-chair of CIJA’s Canadian Rabbinic Caucus, said CIJA is not concerned at this time by media reports quoting Agriculture Minister Pierre Paradis, who introduced the bill in June, concerning the effect of the legislation on kosher or halal slaughtering techniques.
Everyone’s favourite Chanukah hero, Mensch on a Bench, is getting his own movie
A few years ago, Neal Hoffman, a former Hasbro toy maker based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, was walking around a Nordstroms with his wife and son when his son asked him for an Elf on the Shelf, a popular Christmas toy. “Jew don’t get Elves on Shelves,” Hoffman told him. “We get Mensches on Benches.”
And with that, a Jewish star was born.
Got the Yom Kippur blues?
It’s the Jewish holiday I dread most: Yom Kippur. Each year, I feel it coming with a knot in my stomach, remembering a month before it even arrives how dehydrated, famished and headachy I’ve been in previous years.
Here are eight tips to make your Yom Kippur a bit easier
A few days ago, The CJN analyzed what a 25-hour fast does to your body, in anticipation of the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, which begins tomorrow night at 6:56 pm.
To take a closer look at how different parts of the body react to going a full day without food and water, click here.
