Read an excerpt of Dignity Beyond Death: The Jewish Preparation for Burial by Rochel U. Berman. More →

August 13, 2004 | Comments

We have a story about a gay Orthodox Jew struggling with that seemingly impossible choice between sexual orientation and religion. It’s one of several such stories in a documentary feature film released three years ago and directed by Sandi Simcha Dubowski. The title of the film is TREMBLING BEFORE G-D. More →

May 21, 2004 | Comments

“Every single food on the Passover Seder plate has a dual symbolism,” says cookbook author Joan Nathan who explains the meaning behind some of the foods of the Seder. More →

April 2, 2004 | Comments

The Jewish tradition of tahara, the washing and purifying of a dead body, is considered one of the greatest of all good deeds — mitzvot. Those who perform taharas are volunteer members of the burial society, chevra kadisha. Women attend to deceased women, men to men. More →

February 6, 2004 | Comments

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington celebrated its 10th anniversary with a tribute to survivors of the Nazi persecution of the Jews. They honored the survivors, their families, and those who rescued them at the end of World War II. More →

November 7, 2003 | Comments

We talk with Rabbi Alan Lew of Congregation Beth Shalom in San Francisco, who has written about the High Holidays in his new book This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared. More →

September 26, 2003 | Comments

After the 1967 war between Israel and the Arab states around it, the internationally approved “Green Line” defined the border between Israel and the Palestinian Arab territories. Now, the Israelis want to wall themselves off from the Palestinians. But in … More →

September 26, 2003 | Comments

Several faith leaders reflect on the lingering spiritual impact of the September 11 attacks on New Yorkers — and themselves. More →

September 5, 2003 | Comments

An exhibit at Washington National Cathedral celebrates what can happen when people of different religions live together in peace. It displays treasures from the Middle Ages in Spain, when Spanish Jews, called Sephardim, lived peacefully alongside Christians and Muslims. More →

May 30, 2003 | Comments

Yom Hashoah is Holocaust Remembrance Day; a solemn tribute to the six million Jews put to death by the Nazis before and during World War II. There was a range of reactions to Nazi persecution — some people looked away, while others risked their own lives to help. Flora Singer survived the Holocaust as a child because of the heroism of Christians who protected her. More →

April 25, 2003 | Comments