Jewish Holidays

A Bittersweet Reunion with the Shtisel Family

A Bittersweet Reunion with the Shtisel Family kbkaput April 13, 2021

Promotional poster for the Netflix show Shtisel

Sometimes the acting ends in joy and other times the results are devastating. Ultimately, the writers and actors draw us into their stories so that we cannot deny that art can elicit understanding, peace, and even deep love.

7 Movie Stars Who Have Played Israeli Prime Ministers

7 Movie Stars Who Have Played Israeli Prime Ministers kbkaput April 12, 2021

Israeli Arts and Culture

Lynn Cohen with her face in her hands as Golda Meir in a scene from Steven Spielbergs 2005 film Munich

Just a month after it was announced that the Israeli star Shira Haas would portray Meir in a TV series, The Hollywood Reporter revealed this week that Oscar winner Helen Mirren would portray Israel’s only female prime minister in an upcoming biopic.

Yom HaZikaron: Israel’s Fallen Heroes and Us

Yom HaZikaron: Israel’s Fallen Heroes and Us kbkaput April 10, 2021

The day is a gut-wrenching one, and yet one profoundly important in the life of a country. It is a day when we let the pain in, when we listen to and internalize the myriad stories, when we understand that their fight is also our fight.

The Eichmann Trial 60 Years Later: What Have We Learned?

The Eichmann Trial 60 Years Later: What Have We Learned? kbkaput April 9, 2021

Jewish History

Black and white image of the courtroom during the Eichmann trial

April 11, 2021, marks the 60th anniversary of the opening of Adolf Eichmann’s trial, which coincided with the young Jewish state’s bat/bar mitzvah year of independence. These two events represent a microcosm of modern Jewish history.

Contested Utopia: Jewish Dreams and Israeli Realities

Marc J. Rosenstein

Review by

Rabbi Robert Orkand

Growing up in the years following the founding of the State of Israel, I, like so many of my generation, was taught that the new Jewish state was the fulfillment of a utopian dream: a Jewish homeland after almost 2000 years of exile. It would be a refuge for persecuted diaspora Jews and its governance guided by Jewish values.

Teaching the Biblical Period Builds a Foundation for Jewish Identity

Teaching the Biblical Period Builds a Foundation for Jewish Identity kbkaput March 30, 2021

Experiencing Israel

Group of students standing in an ancient cave with a teacher at the front

The Tanach is our owner’s manual. If we want to operate this complex thing we call Jewish identity, it’s probably worth reading the instruction book. Are we doing enough to engage on a daily basis with our ancient sources?

The Dual Reckoning of Pesach: Don't Be Brutal, Don't Be Naive

The Dual Reckoning of Pesach: Don't Be Brutal, Don't Be Naive kbkaput March 24, 2021

Zionism

Pile of matzah atop a wooden platter next to a silver Kiddush cup

The fact that in every generation some individuals and groups rise to try and destroy us, as we sing, does not give us carte blanche permission and justification to act brutally ourselves – as every Israeli soldier knows.

The Israeli Government: Who Aren’t You Sitting With?

The Israeli Government: Who Aren’t You Sitting With? kbkaput March 18, 2021

Israel and her Neighbors

Knesset building against a blue sky with statue of a menorah out front

With just a few days left until Israel’s fourth general election in two years, we might ask: Is there a clever coalition calculus that will allow for regime change? Is there a way to avoid sinking into a repetitive Groundhog Day-esque cycle of do-over elections?

Ending Our Year of Yearning for Israel: Our First Trip Back After Being Vaccinated

Ending Our Year of Yearning for Israel: Our First Trip Back After Being Vaccinated kbkaput March 16, 2021

Experiencing Israel

Marc and Karen Rivo smiling in the streets of Safed

As Israeli citizens living abroad, we may now return to exercise our right and responsibility to vote in upcoming elections. Absentee ballots aren't available to us, though, so we had to return- though the logistics require persistence and patience.

Celebrating the Anniversary of the Book That Changed the Course of Jewish History

Celebrating the Anniversary of the Book That Changed the Course of Jewish History kbkaput March 9, 2021

Arts and Culture

Black and white image of Theodor Herzl leaning over the balcony of a conference center in Switzerland

In his pamphlet Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State), Theodor Herzl outlined his plan for the Jewish statehood in great detail. Its publication catapulted Zionism, the national Jewish liberation movement of the Jewish people, into the world arena of Realpolitik.

A Bittersweet Reunion with the Shtisel Family

7 Movie Stars Who Have Played Israeli Prime Ministers

Yom HaZikaron: Israel’s Fallen Heroes and Us

The Eichmann Trial 60 Years Later: What Have We Learned?

Contested Utopia: Jewish Dreams and Israeli Realities

Contested Utopia: Jewish Dreams and Israeli Realities

Teaching the Biblical Period Builds a Foundation for Jewish Identity

The Dual Reckoning of Pesach: Don't Be Brutal, Don't Be Naive

The Israeli Government: Who Aren’t You Sitting With?

Ending Our Year of Yearning for Israel: Our First Trip Back After Being Vaccinated

Celebrating the Anniversary of the Book That Changed the Course of Jewish History

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