Maimonides, a Jewish scholar, prescribed tahini almost 1,000 years ago. It’s a calcium food for vegans. When my friend Elia consulted her doctor complaining of debilitating pain in some of her joints, she was surprised to hear him suggest tahini (or tahina) paste rather than prescribing a pill. He explained that this cure came to […]
Bono’s ONE organization advocates inviting hungry people into your sukkah this holiday time. Bono and Sukkot. These are two words that you have probably have never seen in the same article, let alone in the same sentence, but the U2 frontman is breaking ground by drawing connections between between important social causes and Jewish symbols. […]
This week marks the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Jews will build small huts and live in them for a week. Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, couldn’t come at a better time than now. After the heaviness of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Sukkot joins Passover and Shavuot as a Jewish holiday which […]
As the Jewish holiday of Sukkot approaches, it is only natural for us to reflect on the state of the planet’s health and well being. After all, it is harvest season in the Holy Land and Sukkot is a holiday that for some raises the consciousness about our environment. Jews live in huts thatched with […]
Miriam suggests dishes to suit meals before and after the Big Fast of Yom Kippur. This coming Friday night a Jewish Shabbat and Yom Kippur holiday occur together. While I look forward to a day of prayer and meditation, a day offline and a day of cleaner air, I confess I don’t relish the thought of […]
During the Sukkot holiday, visitors will be able to learn how to make olive oil, sweet wine, bread and cheeses the old fashioned way. Sukkot, the Jewish harvest festival, is a time when Jews attempt to get closer to nature. They live in make-shift huts covered with thatched roofs, sleep outdoors, and celebrate fruits of […]
Instead of standard apples and honey, put some creative green thought into your Rosh Hashanah gifts this year. The Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashanah 2011 is quickly approaching next week on September 28, and for many Jewish people this is a time of gift-giving in the new Jewish calendar year 5772. Gift giving is […]
Inspired by last year’s Sukkah City in NYC (see one of the past designs above), St. Louis is hosting its own sukkah design competition this year. With the Jewish high holidays fast approaching, some of us are thinking about honey recipes, sustainable festive meals, and sukkahs (or temporarily erected shelters). The folks over at Washington […]
Does circumcision offer health benefits? A medical historian I spoke with says yes, it does. She’s now working in Africa with Zulus. It was a tradition long ago practiced. Now Zulu tribes in Africa are returning to the Jewish custom of male circumcision to reduce the spread of AIDS. In California where calls to ban […]
Candlesticks that have lost their partners find a home in this upcycled menorah. Most flea markets and second-hand stores have them – candlesticks either with or without their partners. Solitary candlesticks often tend to be left behind, since they usually come in pairs. But thanks to this menorah design from Reddish Studio (the same people […]
Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders are meeting today in Jerusalem to discuss climate change and launch the new Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development. Leaders of the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian faiths will be convening this morning in Jerusalem to speak out about climate change at an Interfaith Climate Change Forum. Current environmental conditions in the […]
Has a real remnant from Jerusalem’s Second Temple come to light? For twenty-odd years, people stood in front of a glass cabinet in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and thrilled to view a small ivory pomegranate. It was supposed to be part of the High Priest’s sceptor in Solomon’s Temple (516 BCE to 70 EC). Sadly, […]
The Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, which includes Palestinian and Israeli religious organisations, has officially recognized global warming and need for action Whilst the major world religions can boast some great green principles at their core such as moderation, limiting waste and caring for nature, they have been rather slow to acknowledge […]
The eco-beard. Advocated by all three monotheistic religions, the timeless beard has a comeback with Budweiser's "Grow One. Save A Million" campaign in an annual celebration to save water. Read more on why believers should grow an environmentally friendly beard. And women, recruit your men!
The 49 days between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot are a stairway to spiritual renewal. Sefirat HaOmer – the literal counting of seven week’s days in Jewish tradition- is drawing to a close with the upcoming Shavuot holiday (Tuesday night). Reflecting the Biblical commandment to sacrifice a measure of the new barley harvest at […]