As busy mothers, juggling family, work, and communal obligations, many of us miss our school days when we had the time and peace of mind to daven long Shemoneh Esrehs and sit in inspirational classes. Not me. I’m not a terrible person, really! I’m just a very pragmatic one who finds more satisfaction in providing

“It’s time for bentching.” Talk about a confusing term! As a former high school varsity basketball player, this word was reserved for kids who didn’t play well and were unceremoniously yanked from the game to sit on the bench. I had never heard the term in connection with something to do after eating bread. Needless

Last week, I traveled all over New York and New Jersey, talking to people from Brooklyn to Lakewood about the importance of voting in one of the biggest elections in history. I heard the excitement about the election itself, but I also heard that many people plan not to vote. The excuses were troubling: “My

With Aseret Yemei Teshuvah approaching last week, my thoughts, in a way, turned to Pesach – how would this Rosh HaShanah be different from all other Rosh HaShanahs? For whom would I blow the shofar on the Jewish New Year this year? For most of the last two decades, since I left Passaic and moved

The High Holiday season is a time for teshuva and reflection, to consider where we are and where we ought to be. And while we may be accustomed to understanding the teshuva process as an individual experience, there certainly is room for us to engage in teshuva as a community, particularly this year. But do

In an ordinary year, Rabbi David Moskowitz would have spent the weeks before Rosh Hashanah, the holiday that celebrates the start of the Jewish New Year, working in China. For more than a decade, the native of New York’s Rockland County has run Shatz Kosher Services, which verifies that ingredients made in Chinese factories don’t

As the coronavirus continues to make its presence felt, Jewish faith communities across the U.S. are faced with the problem of how to celebrate the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which are generally times of greater synagogue attendance, and still protect those who choose to observe the holy days. For the Jewish

As we approach the Yom Hadin, I am being asked many questions regarding the Yomim Noraim and Succos so I have drafted some general guidelines for Rabbanim and lay leaders to utilize as they see fit. General Guidelines for the Yomim Noraim There are continued increases in cases in the Far Rockaway and 5 Towns

Enjoy this slideshow tribute to outgoing Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Allen Fagin, who led the organization for the past six years:

The high holidays are upon us. A package deal – Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and the days of repentance in between. Across the globe and across time, these days have been commemorated with great reverence by all traditional Jews who were able to observe them. As anti-Semitism grows internationally, outward celebration may diminish. This is