At thirteen years old, Shalom Shtamberg was sent to live in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Instead of being able to have a bar mitzvah ceremony to enter his “official manhood,” he was working as an electrician in the camp. Because he chose to learn a specific skill, he was considered a worthy worker;…
We may recognize the famous story of Jonah and the big fish; however, it’s not often we get to witness the accompanying artwork from the 5th century. A delicately detailed mosaic portraying the biblical tale was found in an ancient village called Huqoq. Huqoq also houses what is thought to be remnants of a Roman synagogue…
I didn’t think I fit in. It showed in the small and simple things. Instead of the standard peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I would spend lunchtime biting into the delicious and eccentric combination of cream cheese and cucumber. Instead of going to Jewish summer sleepaway camp, I would travel to Israel. Instead of being named…
If you had to imagine a group of Israelis standing in line for over two hours, your experience would likely consist of one large clump of humans smashed as close as possible to the front of wherever they think they need to be. Now add 50,000 excited concert goers to that plus alcohol, and you…
“You need to start having children immediately,” said the cab driver, who went from complete stranger to worried safta during our 20-minute journey. “It’s your only life purpose.” What I had believed would be a peaceful drive between meetings had just turned into a Jewish inquisition, and I could feel the weight of societal pressure…
