Calendar for the week of Aug. 12, 2011 more

With the summer season nearing its end we now become ever more mindful of the upcoming season of the High Holidays and their themes and observances. However, we first have coming up next week what Rabbi Abraham Twerski calls the greatest of our holidays, Tu B’Av. more

As daunting as the idea of nine solid days without meat may seem, I have always found the culinary challenge presented to be a test of creativity in the kitchen. I break out the cookbooks, turn on the Food Network and log onto Allrecipes.com for inspiration. more

With the Three Weeks of restrictions, the Nine Days of mourning, and the yearnings of Tisha b’Av behind us, a feeling of spiritual ascension is now upon us as we prepare for the Yamim Noraim. For those of us who are single, an early sign is Tu b’Av, a day celebrating matchmaking, hinting at the upcoming month of Elul, whose Hebrew acronym symbolizes the meaning of love for all Jewish couples. more

“Comfort ye, Comfort ye” Isaiah writes, G-d rhymes. The question is asked, “why ‘nachamu’ two times?” more

In terms of foreign policy and diplomacy, Jerusalem has always been different. Proposed as an international zone by the United Nations in 1947, it was instead divided between Israel and Jordan, and completely annexed by Israel in 1967. Overwhelming majorities in Congress have reaffirmed its status as the Israeli capital, but for Americans born in Jerusalem, the line on the passport remains without a country, printed simply as Jerusalem. The omission of Israel’s name is a question now before the United States Supreme Court. more

While visiting friends in Sharon, Mass. a few weeks ago I went along with them one morning to buy milk. This was no ordinary milk. It came from a goat on a private farm raised by a caring woman who feeds her goats organic carrots and provides them with plenty of sunshine, fresh air and movement. Not only was it milked right then and there by my friend and her children but also they drank it straight from the glass jars it had been pumped into without any further processing or pasteurization. more

When an American teenager turns 18, he is able to put on a basketball uniform and play on a varsity team. When an Israeli teenager turns 18 years old, he is handed a gun and an IDF uniform and sent to go fight for his country. more

The ongoing conflict is not about land, says Shmuel Sackett of Manhigut Yehudit, the Jewish Leadership Movement, exemplified by numerous Palestinian references to the entirely of historic Palestine. “The war today is not over land as it used to be, it’s a religious war,” said Sackett, who made aliyah from Kew Gardens Hills in 1990, settling in Karnei Shomron. more

“To be or not to be” is not always the question. Sometimes the question is how to be? Should we be happy, or should we be sad? Should we be at war, or should we be at peace? Should we feel hate, or should we love? more