Jewish teaching and practices regarding death, burial, mourning, and consoling the bereaved have provided comfort to Jews facing death for millennia, yet every person facing the end of life and every mourner must walk “in the valley of the shadow of death” in their own way.  New Lehrhaus is offering a multi-session program addressing key topics including preparing for death, traditional and contemporary Jewish burial practices, sitting Shiva, how to comfort mourners, and support for families coping with suicide.  A stellar group of teachers who have worked in this field for decades will lead the sessions (mostly virtually) with deep knowledge and profound compassion.

Are there Jewish variants of the Arabic language? Do Arabic-speaking Jews say "in sha' Allah"? Is Arabic one language, or something else? These and other questions will be addressed in the first session of "Judeo Arabic and the Jews of North Africa," taught by Rabbi Tsipora Gabai and me. After the initial discussion of "Judeo-Arabic," we will explore the customs and history of North African Jewry. Rabbi Gabai will share stories of her experience as a Moroccan Jew in Israel, and how she came to be the first female rabbi of Moroccan descent on record (and one of only four female Mizrahi/Sephardic rabbis worldwide).

Despite all my heavy worries about the state of the world—climate disasters; challenges to democracy here, in Israel, and in many other countries; homelessness; the plight of millions upon millions of refugees—

We have just “closed the books” on the fiscal year that ended June 30 and are delighted to report the highlights of our accomplishments this past year.

By Stewart Florsheim Recently, I had the pleasure of leading a poetry workshop at New Lehrhaus called “Poems on Paintings: A Workshop Using One Art to Explore Another.” The formal name for this form of writing is “ekphrastic poetry” which, simply stated, is the art of writing poetry that has been inspired by a work of art. The work of art is usually visual, e.g., a painting, but it could also be a piece of music, or dance.

In December we told you what REALLY happened on Hannukah (lecture by David Biale: watch it here) and in late March you can learn about what REALLY happened on Passover with world-renowned Biblical scholars Robert Alter and Ron Hendel (register here). But now, as Purim arrives, you might wonder What REALLY happened on Purim?

Tu Bi-Shvat (Arbor Day, the 15th of the month of Shvat) was one of my favorite holidays growing up on a kibbutz in Israel. Every year we would plant trees in a new location selected by the “noynik” – the kibbutz gardener. Here’s a photograph of me in action in third grade.

What do Morocco, Mexico and Israel have in common? 1) A rich Jewish story 2) Delicious food 3) New Lehrhaus goes there

Amos Oz (1939-2018) was for many readers worldwide Israel’s post 1948 canonical writer. His 40 books, including novels, short story collections, essays and reportage, and children’s books, translated into 45 languages, and his journalistic articles and public appearances made him Israel’s best-known writer and an icon of its peace movement.

From The J., October 20, 2022: