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May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting
May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review Sept. 24, 2008 / 24 Elul 5768

Home for the Holy Days

By Greg Crosby


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Happy Rosh Hashanah! Can you believe it's 5769 already? Time flies. It seems like it was only yesterday that I was dating my checks 5760. Jewish New Year celebrates the creation of the world and is a time for reflection and self evaluation. It is one of the Jewish tradition's holiest days, the days when Jews most commonly attend services at synagogue. Rosh Hashanah begins this year (2008) on the evening of September 29th. Save the date.


DREADING JUDAISM'S MOST SPIRITUALLY
UPLIFTING SEASON? YOU AREN'T ALONE!

Every year at this time, JWR receives requests from SINCERE Jews who, knowing Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are just days away, are frustrated. They want to get something meaningful out of the season, but don't know where to turn.

The synagogue or temple they DON'T attend during the year doesn't lift their spirit. It may be because the rabbi's sermons -- which often include a political bent -- aren't to their liking. It may be because they don't want to compete in a fashion show. Or, simply, that their level of Hebrew fluency isn't adequate.

In the past, I've directed my correspondents to local groups that I felt they'd grow and gain from. THIS YEAR, a friend has compiled an online list of such places. Each service is MEANINGFUL, COMFORTABLE & NON-JUDGMENTAL --- and EASY TO FOLLOW AND UNDERSTAND. Many are FREE. The ones that aren't, are reasonably priced. (No memberships to buy, either). And, truth be told, NOBODY WILL TURNED AWAY IF IN FACT THE SITUATION WARRANTS IT.

Here's the website: http://www.HighHolidayService.com.

PLEASE forward and post this info to those who might gain from it.

There's an old joke that really says more of the modern secular Jewish American family then it does about Rosh Hashanah itself. It goes like this: A father calls his son, David, in New York and says "I hate to tell you this, but your mother and I can't stand each other anymore and have decided to get a divorce! Enough is enough! I want to live out the rest of my life in peace. I'm telling this to you now so that you and your sister shouldn't go into shock later when I move out!"


The father hangs up and the son immediately calls up his sister in the Hamptons and tells her the news. The sister says, "I'll handle this!" She immediately calls Florida and gets her father on the phone. "Please, Daddy, please don't do ANYTHING until David and I get there! We'll be there Friday night." "Alright," the father says. "We won't do anything until you get here." He hangs up the phone and hollers to his wife, "Okay, Sadie, they're coming for Rosh Hashanah but we'll have to come up with something else for Passover."


It might make for a funny joke, but the idea that mom and dad have to coerce their kids to come to a religious family get together is a sad commentary on Jewish American life. According to internet encyclopedia, Wikipedia, assimilation into our modern secular culture has been a major factor in the declining rate of religious Jews in America.


"The same social and cultural characteristics of the United States of America that facilitated the extraordinary economic, political, and social success of the American Jewish community have also been attributed to contributing to widespread assimilation, a controversial and significant issue in the modern American Jewish community. While not all Jews disapprove of intermarriage, many members of the Jewish community have become concerned that the high rate of interfaith marriage will result in the eventual disappearance of the American Jewish community."


The article goes on to say that intermarriage rates have risen from roughly 6% in 1950 to approximately 40%-50% in the year 2000. This in combination with the comparatively low birthrate in the Jewish community, has led to a 5% decline in the Jewish population of the United States in the 1990s with only about 33% of intermarried couples raising their children with a Jewish religious upbringing. That's a lot of people not coming home for Rosh Hashanah.


Our Jewishness is a lot more than bagels and lox and an extensive Barbra Streisand record collection. It goes deeper than uttering a few Yiddish phrases and putting on a yarmulke at weddings and funerals. Its even more than just a way of life - it's a way of thinking.


For those non-religious Jews who would like to rediscover their heritage, there's no better time to do it than the High Holy Days. And there's no better way to do it than to contact a local synagogue. There are plenty around.


A lot of the time a synagogue won't want to turn away a Jew who wants to pray on the High Holidays, so if you want to go and cannot afford it, then call up a synagogue and see what they can do.


Have a happy and inspirational Rosh Hashanah. And go be with your family for the holidays if you can.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.


JWR contributor Greg Crosby, former creative head for Walt Disney publications, has written thousands of comics, hundreds of children's books, dozens of essays, and a letter to his congressman. A freelance writer in Southern California, you may contact him by clicking here.

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© 2006, Greg Crosby

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