Judaism

Torah

Blessing the People With Love and Joy

Local

Does Birthright Stifle Teen Travel?

Shavuot

Synagogues Celebrate New Arrivals

Torah

When We See With Our Own Eyes, Reality Shifts

By:

Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell

VA'ETCHANAN, Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11 We've begun the book of Deuteronomy, Moses' final attempt to share his message of faith with the people Israel. As he anticipates his death, Moses looks back on the journey that he has shared with his contentious and beloved people. Moses' tutelage under Pharaoh, who was considered an earthbound god, prepared Moses for service to the Holy...

Learning

Stiffel Center Officially Closes Its Doors

The Stiffel Senior Center in South Philadelphia officially closed its doors on July 29, marking the end of an era. The building first opened as a Jewish education center in 1928. According to officials with the Klein JCC, which oversaw the facility, many of the 450 seniors who attended the center have already begun going to three nearby facilities. Klein...

Torah

Despite Holy Intentions, Ego Can Get in the Way

By:

Rabbi Joshua Runyan

DEVARIM, Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22 More than 3,000 years ago, Jewish youth stood on the precipice. Triumphant in battle, they were about to enter the long-promised Land of Israel, but their leader, the man handpicked by the Almighty to transmit the Torah, had ascended the mountain to bid them farewell. Before them, across the Jordan River, lay fertile fields, towering peaks and...

Judaism

Fishing for a New Connection

By:

Jessica Endy, JE Feature

Would a billboard with the line "Sun, Sand and Shiksas" offend or engage Jews? The question arose during advertising development for the new "Philly, What's your ISH?" project, a social-media campaign launched last week to give 18- to 35-year-old Jews in the Philadelphia area a way to explore virtually what being Jewish means to them. According to a focus group...

Torah

The Israelites' Journey: From Matter to Spirit

By:

Rabbi Danielle Stillman

MASEI, Numbers 33:1-36:13 Masei, the final portion in the book of Numbers, opens by recounting the itinerary of the Israelites in an increasingly repetitive rhythm: "They set out from Elim and encamped by the Sea of Reeds. They set out from the Sea of Reeds and encamped in the wilderness of Sin. They set out from the wilderness of Sin...