In a few hours, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, will begin. For the past few years, I have attended Kol Nidrei services on the eve of Yom Kippur, not at the synagogue where I usually pray, but at the … Continue reading
Since Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year) starts this evening, I am taking a break from drafting a post about my summer vacation last month (which is taking longer to write than the vacation itself!) to wish all of my … Continue reading
Shabbat, the 21st of Tammuz, – Saturday, July 24th, 1943. The Kovno Ghetto. In the building which had once housed the famous Slobodka Yeshiva and was now the home of the Jewish Ghetto Police, an amazing, clandestine concert was taking … Continue reading
Today is Tu b’Av, often described (rather inaccurately) as “the Jewish Valentine’s Day“. The shops are filled with love-themed gifts, such as heart-shaped cushions, and sexy underwear decorated with hearts (as with the overly-commercialised St. Valentine’s Day in the West, … Continue reading
The second half of June saw the end of many things. For example, the last lecture in the Bible course I am taking, which involves reading one chapter of the Hebrew Bible every weekday. The final lecture in the course … Continue reading
I am back! Yes, after a long period of silence, I have returned – with a brand new, powerful computer which, hopefully, won’t keep crashing and with Windows 10, which, hopefully, will allow me to post pictures without causing the … Continue reading
The fortnight or so following the end of Pessach (Passover) is not an easy time. Mirroring the seven-weeks between Pessach and Shavuot (Pentecost), two festivals which commemorate, respectively, the Exodus from Egypt and the Giving of the Ten Commandments on … Continue reading
