by Hannah Paley
On March 31, the women of the Milwaukee Jewish community celebrated Passover with the bi-annual Women’s Seder at the Jewish Community Center. This tradition, which was started in 1997, was a fun and enjoyable experience for women of all ages. Glancing around the room, I saw many mother-and-daughter groups enjoying the unique experience of an all-women’s seder together. Read More.
by Aaron Millicovsky
I daven at a beautiful shul which has a lot of people and wonderful rabbis. In the sanctuary, there is a bimah where I stood next to Rabbi Rapoport, who is the head rabbi of my congregation. As he read my first aliyah from the Torah, and as I uttered my Haftorah, his comforting presence gave me courage. As I was almost done with my aliyah, I anticipated the people of our community throwing candy at me, and the children running around the bimah trying to gather it. Read More.
a new article by YJM author Talia Lakritz
Recently, I’ve been plagued with dreams of envelopes. Not of ordinary packages, but envelopes of varying sizes that college applicants simultaneously dread and eagerly anticipate. Yes, I’m talking about the package sizes that mean the difference between acceptance and rejection, between excited squeals and moans of disappointment. I suspect that I am not the only high school senior haunted by these disturbing images. After all, the Princeton Review reported that 68% of high school seniors rated their stress level as “high” or “very high” in a recent survey regarding the application process.
However, as an observant Jew, I have more to consider in my college choices than the average student. Aside from the location, size, educational approach, and majors offered at a school (OK, and how prestigious it is), a crucial factor for me is the vibrancy of Jewish life on campus. Will I have a network of other Jewish students to socialize and observe holidays with? Does the cafeteria serve kosher meals? Is there a Hillel, a Chabad or some other center for Jewish life? Read more.
An short story by Hope Merens
“I was supposed to babysit at my temple tonight, but I have a party to go to. Think you could go for me and take care of the kids?” my friend Sandy asks.
“Um, yeah, that should be fine,” I reply. “Text me the name and time and I’ll be there.”
Two hours later, I’m standing in the hallway of Sandy’s temple. It smells of delicious latkes, since it’s the third night of Hanukah. I follow the smell down the stairs, finding a group of people singing holiday melodies. I quietly walk across the room, entering an adjoining room behind it. It’s a playroom and dining room all in one. In one corner, toddlers are squealing with happiness as they run around on a play set. Tables have been set up with food, and two girls are helping a woman make latkes… Read More.
The holiday’s heritage is more complicated—and more profound—than it seems
An opinion article by Connor Wahrman
Chanukah is upon us, and the scramble for latkes, sufganiyot, chocolate gelt and, yes, presents can be overwhelming. But we might be forgetting the extent of the scramble we’re celebrating. As children, we learn the story of the heroic Maccabees, who refused to bow down to the statue of Antiochus, who ruled Israel as part of the Greek Assyrian empire. We know that when Matisyahu, the father of the Maccabees, dies, he is succeeded by his son Judah, who leads the people of Israel to victory over the vastly more powerful Assyrian Greeks. The Maccabees liberate Jerusalem, but to their great sorrow find the Holy Temple desecrated. In the legendary climax, a bottle with enough oil for only one day’s use miraculously lasts for eight days to keep the temple’s menorah lit. The people celebrate, clean up the temple and “rededicate” it to G-d, which is what the word Chanukah means. Read More.
New article by YJM filmmaker, Max Ginkel.
As part of a Coalition for Jewish Learning project called Young Jewish Filmmakers’ Project, Max worked on a film called Home, a documentary about Holocaust survivors and how they lost their homes. It took student filmmakers two weeks of filming and several months of editing. But once it was finished, they had no idea where to show it to a larger audience. Read More.
Read two new poems, What is Peace? and Israel is All Land by YJM Author, Hope Merens on the Poetry Page.
by Sophie Gutterman, an 11th grader at Beth El Ner Tamid Synagogue
This past year at my Sunday school, I was asked to participate in an event by the name of the Interfaith Café. It is a gathering of many teens of different religions to discuss predetermined questions about each culture and religion present, ask questions of each other, and answer the questions of your peers. Each month, a new religion was chosen as the host of the event. Teens all over Milwaukee would come with their youth groups to observe a prayer session of the religion hosting the event and or tour the place of worship. Read more.
by Talia Lakritz, Young Jewish Milwaukee Student Editor
“Students of Milwaukee,” said executive director of The Jewish Lens Rabbi Leor Sinai, “You have taught us…You have become a link in the chain of Jewish narrative.”
It seems that this narrative is better expressed in pictures than in words. On May 11, 2010, Jews of all ages, schools, and levels of observance gathered to view a student-produced photography and video exhibition that was the culmination of The Jewish Lens project. An exhibit currently displayed at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, the project involved schools and synagogues throughout the area. Students from these organizations spent months photographing Jewish life in action; some pictures were posed, some unstructured, and others simply of significant religious articles.
The event featured speeches from Kipp Friedman, local coordinator of The Jewish Lens project; Rick Meyer, Executive Vice President of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation; and Rabbi Leor Sinai. The keynote speaker, Israeli photographer and founder of The Jewish Lens Zion Ozeri, showed some of his work and praised the local participants’ achievements.
“If done well,” said Ozeri, “[photography] can really speak volumes.”
After the speeches, all in attendance perused the numerous boards of pictures and several videos in other rooms. The appreciation of creativity and sense of Jewish unity was shared by everyone present.
“The Jewish Lens project was a success,” said a proud Kipp Friedman as the event wound down. “We more than accomplished everything we wanted to, to bring the community together for an outstanding photo exhibit. One hundred forty Jewish youth were exposed to Jewish values and culture, and were able to use creative photography to capture the wonderful diversity within our community.”
“Fabulous!” gushed Joni Blinderman, Associate Director of The Covenant Foundation, the sponsor of the project. “I’m overwhelmed. What an outstanding accomplishment!”
The exhibit will be on display through July 9 at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee. For a fresh perspective on what it means to be a Jew in this city, try viewing it through The Jewish Lens.
by Young Jewish Milwaukee teen editor, Talia Lakritz
Dudu Fisher, an Israeli singer best known for his role as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables on Broadway, was once offered the leading role in Fiddler on the Roof. It seemed to be the perfect part for him, the perfect opportunity to pay homage to his Jewish roots.
Why, then, did he turn it down?
Fisher, a religious Jew, requested exemption from Friday night and Saturday performances because he is Shabbat-observant. Ironically, the producers refused to accommodate his religious obligations.
Keeping Shabbat has become a challenge for today’s youth, as well. The SATs are usually offered on Saturdays; as a Shabbat-observant Jew myself, I registered for an alternate testing date at the JCC. My vice principal sent a note with my registration form explaining my situation as a religious Jew. I arrived at the JCC on that rainy Sunday morning in January to find that I was the only student there. This was beneficial in some ways; I didn’t have to worry about anyone distracting or disturbing me as I took the SAT. But it would have been nice to have someone else there to talk with (and to share in my pre-test freak out.) Read More.
The Coalition for Jewish Learning is the education program of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
