“God Bless America”

In 1918, near the end of World War I, Israel Beilin penned a patriotic song while serving in the army at Camp Upton in N.Y. But, there were so many patriotic songs coming out at the time that the composer filed the piece away in his scrap heap.   Two decades later,...

Trick or Treat?

Some Jews are leery of observing Halloween with its pagan roots, promotion of ghosts and demons, and encouragement of greed as kids go door to door and demand treats. Perhaps the only non-controversial feature of the day is the CANDY itself.   For Jews, candy is a...

Mask Up

I had never been someone to wear a mask. I found masks to be hot, smelly, sticky, just all-around annoying. To avoid a big thing over my face or head, every year when Purim came around, I would always volunteer to be the person who would wear the elaborate costume...

Amen or A-woman

In a nod to gender-neutral language, Representative Emanuel Cleaver II concluded his opening prayer for the launch of the 117th Congress with the words “amen and awoman.” While it sounds like the kind of joke I might make, the fact is the congressman may have been seriously attempting to be inclusive.