An unusually early Rosh Hashanah is causing cities across the United States to rethink the timing of the first day of school this fall, sometimes under intense pressure from families. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins in 2021 on the evening of Sept. 6 — it’s also Labor Day, in many places the traditional…
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Holidays
Local Voice
Passover and the California ethnic studies curriculum
With Passover just around the corner, beginning on March 27, Jews around the world are preparing to participate in a ritual retelling both of our…
Passover
New haggadahs: serene and poetic, earthy and playful
It’s been a rough couple of years to publish new haggadahs. Last year, around the time people might have ordered new ones, it became clear that the…
World
Masks of all kinds: Scenes from a pandemic Purim across the world
It might have felt hard for many to summon a festive mood this Purim, which was for some the first holiday to be unsettled by the pandemic and for others…
Religion
For this second pandemic Purim, let's focus on giving tzedakah
One year ago, we were debating how to navigate Purim carnivals — not if they should or should not take place. We were told that masks would not protect…
Editorial
Purim reminds us how to heal hearts through laughter
We in the temperate Bay Area do not experience the kind of deep winter freeze typically found back east or, now, even in Texas. But after a year of…
Astrolojew
Month of Adar: Milk the magic for all it’s worth
Adar 5781 Feb. 13-March 13, 2021 Though the month of Adar is associated with Pisces/Dagim, because of the fluctuations of the 19-year Metonic cycle to…
Recipe
Purim phyllo pastry trades in Haman’s hat for ‘Haman’s Fingers’
During Purim, Jews from around the world munch on treats said to resemble Haman’s hat or ears to demonstrate the evil vizier’s defeat. Often these…
Comedy
TikTok’s comic ‘Jew Who Loves Trees’ is ready for Tu B’Shevat
Tobin Mitnick may be a comic actor, but his interest in trees is no joke. Mitnick has been documenting his love affair with trees since September on…