Since I began writing this column in December 2011, I’ve been asked over and over, “Are all the stories about your husband Jerry true?” “It’s not possible that he … more

For Passover, we thoroughly cleaned out our cabinets and refrigerators. Now, as we finish putting back all the chametz foods, we can look at what we have and take stock of our eating habits. Does … more

The 11-year-old girl whose address at a gun control march in Washington galvanized activists said she faces taunts because she is black and Jewish. During last month’s March for Our Lives, a … more

It is hard to describe what it takes to be a combat infantry soldier in the Israeli army, but those who succeed in the elite Golani brigade are few and far between. To be chosen from amongst them to … more

The calendar this year aligned to have rosh chodesh at the beginning of the week, and the celebration of Israel’s 70th birthday — Yom Ha’Atzma’ut — in the same week. … more

Our parshiot, Tazria and Metzora, focus on the halachot of tumah and taharah (the Laws of ritual purity and impurity), some of the most complex subjects in the Torah. An entire section of the Mishnah … more

It’s hard to say for sure whether the following fable was really told in the Warsaw Ghetto, but it’s grimly funny enough to warrant repeating. The story goes that at the height of the … more

A report last Friday added context and background to recent Israeli actions in Syria. The report, by the IDF, dealt with an incident in February, when Israel shot down an Iranian drone. That … more

A story is told of the great Hassidic master, Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev. He had been visiting a town and attended prayer services in the local synagogue. One day, he stopped at the … more

Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed in Israel just a week before Independence Day, and for Israelis, those days are thematically as well as temporally connected … more