From the other side of the bench by David Seidemann Issue of May 14, 2010/ 1 Sivan 5770 I was just two in 1961, the year that saw one of the most exciting battles in baseball history. The … more

To the Editor: The article “ Charity Watchdog Downgrades Leading Nonprofits”[Jewish Star, Sept. 28] reflects the realities of the heightened scrutiny to which all charitable organizations are now subjected. The past few years have seen the requisites with which the non-profits must comply significantly ramped up, and what sufficed a year ago will not necessarily constitute compliance today. more

Having worked as a pastry chef for many years, I thought I knew all there was to know about the inner workings of an industrial kitchen. At least I thought I did. That was before I managed to get myself on a list of just 15 passengers (aboard Royal Caribbean’s The Explorer of the Sea cruise liner) to tour the main kitchen with Executive Chef Patrick J. McCabe. With the information I learned on that tour, as well as all the information I received from sweet talking every steward, chef, head waiter, matre’d and bus boy that would speak to me, I decided to write my article aboard the cruise liner.  more

“And G-d said to Moshe, ‘Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon, and say to them, they should not become ‘tameh’ to people of the nation.’” (Vayikra 23:1) The opening instruction in our parsha is for the kohanim to learn that they must follow a strict behavior, in which under ordinary circumstances they can only become “tameh” to a dead body if the deceased is one of seven close relatives. more

Of all the unexpected visitors I ever received, none even come close to the surprise I got in the summer of 1994. I was teaching a course on Jewish values deep in the mountains of Pennsylvania, near Indian Orchard, at Camp Moshava. We were in the middle of an intense discussion on Jewish ethics, when I noticed three men standing at the entrance to the lodge. Their features were Far Eastern and they were standing patiently at the door, taking it all in. more

To properly understand how the Holocaust has been seared onto Israel’s collective consciousness, one should visit the country on the 27th of Nisan, a date in the Hebrew calendar that falls … more

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written my column (apologies for the reprints), but I was busy planning an aufruf, catering the Friday night dinner, working on the seating for the … more

Having returned home from a cruise to the Caribbean, I was sufficiently rested, and wasn’t thinking about another vacation till next year. That was, till my husband Jerry mentioned skiing … more

On the last day of Pesach, or as my husband Jerry likes to kid, “the eighth day of a seven day holiday,” he commemorated his father’s yahrzeit. He identified with and admired his … more

About a month ago, I wrote in this column about a group of British animal rights activists who employed Nazi imagery in a vicious campaign against a kosher abattoir (slaughterhouse) in London. This, … more