Judaism: The Awakening

Judaism: The Awakening

Before there were ever Jews in Jerusalem, there was Judaism, now one of the oldest religions in existence. The cultural and spiritual impact of the...

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Tu B’Av: An Ancient Festival of Love

Tu B’Av: An Ancient Festival of Love

Though deemed one of the greatest festivals of the year by the Talmudic rabbis, Tu B’Av is today one of the most obscure of the Jewish holidays and...

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Tisha B’Av: A Day of Catastrophe

Tisha B’Av: A Day of Catastrophe

Tisha B’Av is the darkest day of the Jewish calendar, the day when both the first and second Temples were destroyed, and the day when all the...

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The Nine Days: A Countdown of Mourning

The Nine Days: A Countdown of Mourning

The destruction of the Second Temple is viewed by religious Jews as the most calamitous event in Jewish history. It was a destruction that led to...

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Shavuot: Then and Now

Shavuot: Then and Now

The Shavuot holiday is virtually unknown outside of Judaism, yet it is among the most important of Jewish holidays. Shavuot commemorates the day that...

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High Holy Days at the Western Wall

High Holy Days at the Western Wall

For every Jewish holiday of the year, there is a different ritual that centers upon the Western Wall. At this time of year—the time of the High...

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The Ethiopian Holiday of Sigd

The Ethiopian Holiday of Sigd

At around the time that Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, Ethiopian Jews flood Jerusalem by the thousands to observe the holiday of Sigd. The...

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The Seventeenth of Tammuz: Fasting for the Walls of Jerusalem

The Seventeenth of Tammuz: Fasting for the Walls of Jerusalem

On the 17th of the month of Tammuz—a date which falls during the summer months of the Gregorian calendar—the Babylonian army of Nebuchadnezzar...

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Purim: Rejoicing in Reversals of Fortune

Purim: Rejoicing in Reversals of Fortune

Even at their most joyous, Jewish holidays all possess an aura of solemnity—all except Purim, the most wildly celebrated holiday of the year....

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Rosh Hashana, The Jewish New Year

Rosh Hashana, The Jewish New Year

The next two days mark one of the most important holidays in Judaism—Rosh Hashanah, the New Year. But the prayers and preparations that surround...

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