Columns Archives

The Jewish News of Northern California

Detail from "The Death of Korah, Dathan and Abiram" by Gustave Doré, 1865

Why one leader of Korach’s rebellion survived (hint: thank his wife)

by Rabbi Joey Felsen June 18, 2026June 18, 2026

The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon. KorachNumbers 16:1-18:32 Many of the narratives that we find in the Torah are […]

Western diamondback rattlesnakes are among the species found in Reno. (Geoff Gallice via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0)

The Matzo Chronicles

This pattern of personal plagues perpetually perplexes me

by Karen Galatz June 17, 2026June 17, 2026

Catherine Crystal Foster (left) and Karen Kronick trace a sanitary pad template during Congregation Beth Am's Mitzvah Day in March. (Todd Kaye)

Act Two

Fighting period poverty and menstrual ignorance, one pad at a time

by Janet Silver Ghent June 15, 2026June 15, 2026

From the Archives

USF’s Hebrew ulpan has infused learning with joy for decades

by Rahel Knight June 15, 2026June 15, 2026

Organic Epicure

Adeena Sussman’s new cookbook is ‘Easy, Breezy, Tel Aviv-y’ — just like her

by Alix Wall June 11, 2026June 11, 2026

Still from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

Torah

Your reaction to encountering the unknown is a choice

by Rabbi Daniel Stein June 11, 2026June 11, 2026

Detail from the cover of "Porcupines," a new novel by Fran Fabriczky.

Off the Shelf

‘Porcupines’ bristles with a Hungarian Jewish family’s need for secrets

by Howard Freedman June 10, 2026June 10, 2026

Torah

What Moses, the most humble person on Earth, teaches us about leadership

by Rabbi Amy Eilberg June 4, 2026June 4, 2026

The hand gesture made during the Priestly Benediction on an old headstone. (evilgurl via Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Torah

What the Priestly Blessing teaches us about reinventing rituals for modern times

by Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein May 28, 2026May 28, 2026

Mira Stern (right) mingles with her supper club guests at her Oakland home on May 19. (Alix Wall)

Organic Epicure

This Jewish mama’s supper club blends tastes, traditions, fillings, feelings

by Alix Wall May 22, 2026May 21, 2026