The holiday of Purim: the one day on the calendar in which we are permitted to go crazy and have a good time....we dress up in costume...drink a little alcohol....laugh at a few jokes, and celebrate the fact that one maniacal anti-Semite after another has tried (and failed) to destroy the Jewish People throughout history.
Click here for everything you ever wanted to know about Purim.
When it comes to food on Purim, it all comes down to the hamantaschen. Three recipes worth trying out this weekend and all year round!
1) The Traditionalist (you'll have to let me know how it is; I have an aversion to prunes!)
2) The Contemporary Alternative - this recipe for hamantaschen filled with chocolate filling (yum) comes from Vered Guttman, one of the food writers for the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz.
3) The Radical Newcomer - who says hamantaschen just have to be for dessert? This recipe is savory and can be served as an entree or side dish during a meal. (We're trying it tonight for our Shabbat dinner...stay tuned!)
The great paradox of Purim is that it is both ridiculously silly, and deadly serious.
For your dose of silliness, check out the annual Purim website that the major American Jewish newspaper the Forward puts up. They call it the Backward. Get it? If the parodies there (check out the review of the Bar Mitzvah) don't make you smile, consider watching the 2006 movie For Your Consideration: by far the best (only?) mainstream American movie about Purim ever made! You can rent it on YouTube for only $1.99!
And for your dose of seriousness, do read Rabbi Daniel Gordis' sobering column today in the Jerusalem Post about the chasm that continues to divide Israelis and Palestinians.
Wishing you all a belatedly festive, joyous, and thought-provoking Purim,
Rabbi Brown
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etanu.blog
A weekly commentary by Rabbi Jeff Brown, for Temple Solel's college students, its members, and the world at large. Rabbi Brown can be reached at jbrown@templesolel.net. Click here to find Temple Solel on facebook.
etanu.blog was recognized as the Best Youth-Oriented Blog in the country by the Union for Reform Judaism, as part of their 2011 Techie Prize competition. Rabbi Brown and Temple Solel were also honored for the Best Adult Education Blogs in 2011 for the following three websites:
Rabbi Brown is blogging for his 2010-2011 Intro to Judaism class here. He blogged for his 2009-2010 six session study series on Jewish Ethics here. And he blogged the 2010 Temple Solel Mission to Cuba here.
etanu.blog was recognized as the Best Youth-Oriented Blog in the country by the Union for Reform Judaism, as part of their 2011 Techie Prize competition. Rabbi Brown and Temple Solel were also honored for the Best Adult Education Blogs in 2011 for the following three websites:
Rabbi Brown is blogging for his 2010-2011 Intro to Judaism class here. He blogged for his 2009-2010 six session study series on Jewish Ethics here. And he blogged the 2010 Temple Solel Mission to Cuba here.
etanu.opportunties
The Rabbi Ted Riter College Scholarship Fund has been established by Temple Solel. The fund is meant to enable college-aged members of Temple Solel to attend conferences, travel to Israel, etc. You might consider requesting Temple Solel to help you fund one of the following opportunities. Please be in touch with Rabbi Brown for details.
FREE TRIP TO ISRAEL! It will change your life. Period. Do it. Click here for more on Birthright Israel in general, or here for info about the Reform Movement's Birthright trips.
GREAT SUBSIDIZED ISRAEL EXPERIENCES FOR THOSE AGE 21-30. Check out info about Israel Pathways at http://www.israelpathways.com/.
CHANGE THE WORLD, AND SEE IT AT THE SAME TIME. Check out this incredible program run by the American Jewish World Service. Aimed at participants age 16-24. Full details here.
ISRAEL TEACHING FELLOWS. Spend a heavily subsidized year in Israel!!! Click here for the details.
SPEND THE SUMMER IN WASHINGTON, DC. Are you interested in politics and/or social justice work? If so, then the Reform Movement's Religious Action Center's (RAC) Machon Kaplan program is for you. Check out the details here.
SPEND A SEMESTER OR YEAR IN ISRAEL – VOLUNTEERING AND/OR STUDYING FOR CREDIT. HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED! Click here for Masa Israel's clearinghouse of Israel programs on the Web, and click here for their facebook page.
STARTING TO THINK ABT LIFE AFTER GRADUATION? Click here for an amazing yearlong program for Jews in their 20s to save the world and get great job experience at the same time.
SPEND THE YEAR IN WASHINGTON, DC AFTER YOUR COLLEGE GRADUATION. If you're interested in politics, or care deeply about making the world a better place, than consider applying to become a Legislative Asst. at the RAC in Washington! Find all of the details here.
One great Israel program is called OTZMA. Project OTZMA is a program that runs from August-June every year. Over the course of ten months, participants experience three "tracks": intensive Hebrew, volunteer work, and professional internships. For more info, see their website at http://www.otzma.org/, or email Rabbi Brown.
School Director Ellen Fox suggests that students check out the 2011 summer program for American students in Tel Aviv. All of the details can be found here.
For a list of worthwhile study/travel/volunteer opportunities, click here.
KESHER is the national college group of the Reform movement. Their website is http://keshernet.com/. Many local Hillels have their own Kesher chapter. Call your local Hillel to find out. For a directory of local Hillels, click here.
FREE TRIP TO ISRAEL! It will change your life. Period. Do it. Click here for more on Birthright Israel in general, or here for info about the Reform Movement's Birthright trips.
GREAT SUBSIDIZED ISRAEL EXPERIENCES FOR THOSE AGE 21-30. Check out info about Israel Pathways at http://www.israelpathways.com/.
CHANGE THE WORLD, AND SEE IT AT THE SAME TIME. Check out this incredible program run by the American Jewish World Service. Aimed at participants age 16-24. Full details here.
ISRAEL TEACHING FELLOWS. Spend a heavily subsidized year in Israel!!! Click here for the details.
SPEND THE SUMMER IN WASHINGTON, DC. Are you interested in politics and/or social justice work? If so, then the Reform Movement's Religious Action Center's (RAC) Machon Kaplan program is for you. Check out the details here.
SPEND A SEMESTER OR YEAR IN ISRAEL – VOLUNTEERING AND/OR STUDYING FOR CREDIT. HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED! Click here for Masa Israel's clearinghouse of Israel programs on the Web, and click here for their facebook page.
STARTING TO THINK ABT LIFE AFTER GRADUATION? Click here for an amazing yearlong program for Jews in their 20s to save the world and get great job experience at the same time.
SPEND THE YEAR IN WASHINGTON, DC AFTER YOUR COLLEGE GRADUATION. If you're interested in politics, or care deeply about making the world a better place, than consider applying to become a Legislative Asst. at the RAC in Washington! Find all of the details here.
One great Israel program is called OTZMA. Project OTZMA is a program that runs from August-June every year. Over the course of ten months, participants experience three "tracks": intensive Hebrew, volunteer work, and professional internships. For more info, see their website at http://www.otzma.org/, or email Rabbi Brown.
School Director Ellen Fox suggests that students check out the 2011 summer program for American students in Tel Aviv. All of the details can be found here.
For a list of worthwhile study/travel/volunteer opportunities, click here.
KESHER is the national college group of the Reform movement. Their website is http://keshernet.com/. Many local Hillels have their own Kesher chapter. Call your local Hillel to find out. For a directory of local Hillels, click here.
rabbi brown diggs it
You can read the latest news from Israel here. And you can listen to Israeli news reports on the radio in English here.
For an updated roundup of all things Jewish on the web and blogosphere, check out Jewish Ideas Daily.
Everyone should be listening to the radio show "This American Life" (also available via podcasting).
Another awesome radio show/podcast is "RadioLab." Click here for their recent exploration into the Afterlife.
Regardless of your party affiliation, check out the White House's Flickr page. The photos give us a surreal peep into the inner workings of the presidency (and the First Family).
Check out this incredible page from the Washington Post highlighting the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
THE NEW YORK TIMES. Okay...so my wife calls me an East Coast Elitist Snob. What can I say? This is the newspaper of choice for me. It is so much more than a simple newspaper. They cover Life. Here and here are two great articles from the under-appreciated Style Section. This is good stuff.
Speaking of New York: who doesn't love the New York City subway? It's incredible: a feat of human ingenuity that moves 5 million people between more than 450 stations EVERY DAY. Click here for the work of art that is the subway map. And enjoy this slideshow from the New York Times marking 106 years of the subway in pictures.
For some great perspective on the modern history of the computer, give yourself 15 minutes and check out this article from July of 1982 in "The Atlantic." Oh how times have changed...
If you can't find what you're looking for at the Temple Solel Gift Shop, check out the website for Kolbo: an incredible Jewish gift shop in Boston.
For an updated roundup of all things Jewish on the web and blogosphere, check out Jewish Ideas Daily.
Everyone should be listening to the radio show "This American Life" (also available via podcasting).
Another awesome radio show/podcast is "RadioLab." Click here for their recent exploration into the Afterlife.
Regardless of your party affiliation, check out the White House's Flickr page. The photos give us a surreal peep into the inner workings of the presidency (and the First Family).
Check out this incredible page from the Washington Post highlighting the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
THE NEW YORK TIMES. Okay...so my wife calls me an East Coast Elitist Snob. What can I say? This is the newspaper of choice for me. It is so much more than a simple newspaper. They cover Life. Here and here are two great articles from the under-appreciated Style Section. This is good stuff.
Speaking of New York: who doesn't love the New York City subway? It's incredible: a feat of human ingenuity that moves 5 million people between more than 450 stations EVERY DAY. Click here for the work of art that is the subway map. And enjoy this slideshow from the New York Times marking 106 years of the subway in pictures.
For some great perspective on the modern history of the computer, give yourself 15 minutes and check out this article from July of 1982 in "The Atlantic." Oh how times have changed...
If you can't find what you're looking for at the Temple Solel Gift Shop, check out the website for Kolbo: an incredible Jewish gift shop in Boston.
weekly briefing from the union for reform judaism
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- Rabbi Jeff Brown
- Jeff has served as Associate Rabbi of Temple Solel from 2005-2012.
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