Judaism

Torah

Blessing the People With Love and Joy

Local

Does Birthright Stifle Teen Travel?

Shavuot

Synagogues Celebrate New Arrivals

Synagogue Life

Young Israel of Oxford Circle Closes Due to Declining Membership

By:

Bryan Schwartzman

No longer able to draw a minyan on Shabbat -- let alone on weekdays -- Young Israel of Oxford Circle, founded 53 years ago, has decided to close its doors for good, making it the latest Northeast Philadelphia synagogue to fall victim to changing demographics and a worsening economic picture. "Fifty years ago, people never thought that the neighborhood would...

Jewish Federation

Thousands to Bear Witness on Sunday, April 26

Philadelphia's memorial ceremony for the 6 million represents a time to remember and retell

By:

Lynn B. Edelman

Arie Shnaper is a self-described "Holocaust activist." He was one of the founding members of the United Partisan Organization (UPO), a group of Jewish residents in the Vilna ghetto who were committed to meeting three objectives. "We vowed to obtain arms; to wage acts of sabotage against the Germans whenever possible; and, most importantly, to resist when the Germans began...

Food

It's Passover: Ole!

By:

Linda Morel, JE Feature

During Passover, most American Jews forgo the zesty tacos and tortillas they savor the rest of the year. But what if someone knew how to prepare Mexican food without flour or leavening? What if these recipes were served during the holiday's eight days in an upscale restaurant? "Several years ago, I began experimenting with the infusion of Mexican ingredients and...

Passover

It's Pricey; Still, You Do It Because It's the Holiday

By:

Aaron Passman, JE Feature

Call it the fifth question: Why is this holiday so much more expensive than all other holidays? In the aisles at the Genuardi's Family Market in Wynnewood, 35-year-old Ellen Novick's shopping cart was stocked with kosher-for-Passover standards such as cooking wine, matzah-ball soup mix, cheeses, and cake and brownie mixes. "I tried to look at all the flyers and see...

Synagogue Life

Congregants Catch 'Torah Fever'

African-American shul dedicates new scroll

By:

Aaron Passman, JE Feature

At the start of the ceremony dedicating the congregation's new Sefer Torah, Rabbi Debra Bowen of Congregation Temple Beth'El in Philadelphia summed up the situation: "I'm beside myself, as are most of Congregation Temple Beth'El," she said. "We've been unable to sleep, unable to eat -- and our medical personnel have told us that we have 'Torah fever.' " When...