Jewish Exponent: What It Means To Be Jewish In Philadelphia Since 1887, the Jewish Exponent has informed, connected and engaged Greater Philadelphia's vibrant Jewish community through our weekly newspaper, special sections and website.
We are the go-to resource for local, national and international Jewish news, op-eds, blogs, calendar listings, mazel tov announcements and exclusive features. The Exponent truly is what it means to be Jewish in Philadelphia. We may use Facebook comments in our print issue's Kvetch 'N Kvell letters to the editor section.
Operating as usual
Keri White: "For the first 30-plus years of Nancy and Jay Dubow’s marriage, Nancy Dubow was the family cook. Then the pandemic hit."
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/17/theres-a-new-cook-in-the-kitchen/
For the first 30-plus years of Nancy and Jay Dubow’s marriage, Nancy Dubow was the family cook.
Jessica Russak-Hoffman: "Fate brought me there. A mitzvah brought me there again and again."
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/17/feel-the-presence-absence-of-9-11-victims-20-years-later/
Two nights after the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, we were instructed to evacuate our building.
Jakir Manela and Nigel Savage: "Confronting this crisis seems monumental — because it is."
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/17/climate-change-emergency-demands-a-jewish-response/
“Who shall live and who shall die … who by water and who by fire … who by earthquake and who by plague ...”
JEWISH EXPONENT READERS: Jarrad Saffren wants to talk to you about the Phillies making a Twitter post wishing the Jewish community a happy Rosh Hashanah. If you're interested in discussing this real quick, comment here or send him a private message.
Rabbi Gregory S. Marx: "No matter how dark things may seem, we can still have hope."
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/17/confronting-our-worst-fears/
Once a little boy had a part in the school play. He was scripted to come out to center stage and say, “It is I: Be not afraid!”
"If a creature is a nuisance or doing damage, then there’s no problem killing it," said one rabbi.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/17/a-new-commandment-killing-spotted-lanternflies/
Under the shoes of many-a-Philadelphian, you may find a squished spotted lanternfly: black-speckled gray and red wings, splayed limply across one’s outer sole. The spotted lanternfly made its Delaware Valley debut in 2014 when it traversed from Southeast Asia to the United States. Making their hom...
Congregation Mikveh Israel has a new event space, a new assistant rabbi and a long-term plan for member expansion.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/17/congregation-mikveh-israel-plans-to-expand/
Congregation Mikveh Israel has a new event space, a new assistant rabbi and a long-term plan for member expansion. On Sept. 6, the Philadelphia synagogue announced the hiring of Rabbi Yosef Zarnighian. He will assist the temple’s senior religious leader, Rabbi Albert Gabbai, who has been in his po...
A new girls basketball league is starting up at the Kaiserman JCC in Wynnewood.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/17/teen-creating-jcc-girls-basketball-league/
In elementary school, when Evyn Stone started playing basketball, it seemed as if she did the same thing on every possession: Dribble to the wing, pull up for a jumper and drill the shot. Her mother, Holly Stone, was amazed. “I said, ‘How do you do that?’” the mom recalled. “‘You’re so...
“There’s only one Bob Rovner.”
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/17/philadelphia-fixture-bob-rovner-dies-at-77/
Bob Rovner spent every summer of his life down the shore, according to his son, Dan Rovner. As a kid, he went with his parents on trips to Atlantic City, their childhood home. Then, as an adult, he took his own family to their vacation house in Margate. Rovner loved the shore because he loved […]
The National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia will emerge from bankruptcy on Sept. 17.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/17/161989/
After filing for Chapter 11 in March 2020, the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia will emerge from bankruptcy on Sept. 17. NMAJH’s exit from bankruptcy largely stems from a $10 million commitment from former longtime trustee Mitchell Morgan, who bought the museum’s buildi...
Upon entering the Jewish Community Services Building at 2100 Arch St. early on Sept. 2, one could hear the sound of water rushing beneath the ground floor.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/17/ida-floods-jewish-community-services-building-sports-hall/
Upon entering the Jewish Community Services Building at 2100 Arch St. early on Sept. 2, one could hear the sound of water rushing beneath the ground floor. The remnants of Hurricane Ida the day prior caused flooding along the Schuylkill River, mere blocks from the building, which is home to the Jewi...
#YomKippur
#YomKippur
Moshe Phillips: "The problem is not that Greg Epstein is an atheist; that’s his business. The problem is that he presents himself as a rabbi."
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/13/the-real-danger-of-that-atheist-harvard-chaplain/
The news media had a field day recently with the man-bites-dog story of the self-proclaimed atheist who was recently named chief chaplain at Harvard University.
In prison, Grobman found a new lease on life.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/13/rescue-dogs-and-a-rabbi-help-prisoner-find-redemption/
Soon after Jon Grobman was released from prison, where he had once thought he would die, he headed back inside voluntarily — this time with canine sidekicks.
Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein: "My dear colleagues, please know: You are enough. You are doing enough."
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/10/rabbis-are-struggling-to-protect-jews-physical-and-spiritual-health-they-deserve-support-not-shame/
Over the past year, I have led efforts to teach, guide and coach rabbis and other clergy of every Jewish denomination.
Jewish Exponent staff members reflect on how they experienced Sept. 11, 2001.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/10/9-11-where-were-you/
For those of certain generations, the Nov. 23, 1963, assassination of President John F. Kennedy remained indelibly on their minds.
Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld: "If you concentrate on what your goals are, very soon the distractions will pass, and your destination will be once again in plain view."
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/09/staying-focused-on-the-destination/
Reb Mendel Futerfas was a famous Chasidic personality who put his life on the line to teach Judaism
Bucks County native Ross Lefkowitz is modernizing tzedakah.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/09/digital-platform-pushka-modernizes-tzedakah/
Ross Lefkowitz doesn’t carry cash with him anymore, and he doesn’t think other millennials do, either. The Bucks County native no longer walks past a tzedakah box at shul and stuffs in a dollar bill or slides in a few loose coins, but he still believes that fulfilling the mitzvah of tzedakah is ...
Author David Baddiel builds his argument on the idea that antisemitism is racism.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/09/books-losing-count-dealing-with-home-envy/
Progressives’ Blind Spot Sasha Rogelberg | JE staff “Jews Don’t Count” David Baddiel Harper Collings David Baddiel’s new book “Jews Don’t Count” wasn’t reviewed by The Guardian, Great Britain’s premier — and progressive — daily newspaper. The Times, The Independent and The Te...
Linda Morel: "Both sides of the family enjoy Italian Jewish food alongside bagels and lox."
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/09/break-the-fast-with-italian-jewish-food/
I’m in a mixed marriage.
Nachman Shai: "I’ve lived long enough to see how Israel has turned from a point of pride to tension."
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/09/has-israel-let-you-down-its-minister-of-diaspora-affairs-wants-you-to-talk-about-it-over-the-high-holidays/
To the rabbis and religious leaders putting the finishing touches to your High Holiday sermons, I’d like to make a suggestion:
Throughout 2020, she raised almost $1,300 and collected more than 600 care items for the PA Breast Cancer Coalition.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/09/teen-wins-award-for-bat-mitzvah-project/
For many Jewish kids, the bar/bat mitzvah project is an obligation. But for Jemmi Seeherman, it was a revelation. Throughout 2020, she raised almost $1,300 and collected more than 600 care items for the PA Breast Cancer Coalition. After the Wyndmoor resident had her bat mitzvah in November, the coal...
Yom Kippur is next week. Here are some tips for getting through the fast.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/09/fasting-on-yom-kippur-follow-this-playbook/
Fasting on Yom Kippur is an ordeal. After all, God designed it that way. As Jews, we’re supposed to repent for our sins from the previous year. Unless you have a medical condition that requires you to eat or drink, you probably do this every year, too. So, after all these years, you likely have [....
“I came to Bonds by accident,” said Marcus, who will be retiring after 40 years working for Israel Bonds in Pennsylvania.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/09/israel-bonds-head-retires-after-40-years/
Remember that story about how a young Lana Turner, sipping a Coke in a malt shop, was discovered by a Hollywood reporter, leading to an iconic career in film? Harold Marcus has a similar story.
Babette Josephs, a stalwart progressive and a representative of the 182nd Pennsylvania House District from 1985-2012, died Aug. 27 of cancer.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/09/state-legislator-babette-josephs-dies-at-81/
Babette Josephs, a stalwart progressive and a representative of the 182nd Pennsylvania House District from 1985-2012, died Aug. 27 of cancer in Eugene, Oregon. She was 81. Josephs was a longtime fighter for reproductive rights, LGBT rights, racial equality and environmental sustainability, serving 1...
“We’re all human beings,” Jubelirer said. “Why should we be defined by our worst behavior?”
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/09/teshuvah-on-the-inside-jewish-alternatives-to-the-prison-system/
Frank Jordan has wanted to visit his sick friend for a while now. Jordan has been incarcerated for 36 years on homicide charges and is living at State Correctional Institution-Phoenix in Montgomery County. Jordan hasn’t been able to see his friend, who’s being treated at a hospital on the outsid...
Barrack Hebrew Academy has a new leader. He sat down with the Exponent to discuss his vision.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/09/new-barrack-leader-discusses-schools-future/
For Rabbi Marshall Lesack, who took over as head of school at the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in Bryn Mawr on July 1, it’s a dream job. He graduated from the institution in 1997, when it was still the Akiva Hebrew Academy and located in Merion Station. And, unlike many, the rabbi loved high [.....
Twenty years ago, 9/11 happened right before Rosh Hashanah. Rabbis rushed to change their sermons and make sense of the moment.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/09/rabbis-reflect-on-changing-sermons-after-9-11/
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Rabbi Eliott Perlstein was working at home on his Rosh Hashanah sermon. After a while, the Ohev Shalom of Bucks County leader decided to take a break, so he walked into the kitchen and flipped on the television. “The first tower had already fallen,” Perlstein sa...
#RoshHashanah
#RoshHashanah
Happy #LaborDay2021
Happy #LaborDay2021
In 2015, Daniel Israel was working odd jobs. Now he's one of the biggest caterers in Philadelphia.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/02/philly-faces-daniel-israel/
In 2015, Daniel Israel was working odd jobs and looking for a direction. He knew just one thing for certain: He wanted to marry his girlfriend, Amanda Ross. But to get Ross’ father’s approval, Israel needed to find a path. And, one day, Israel’s girlfriend asked him what he wanted to do. “Co...
She pretended that she had been raised by wolves. Now her story is on Netflix.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/02/misha-a-tale-of-a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing/
“Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years” was supposed to be Misha Defonseca’s magnum opus. The memoir, published in 1997, recounts Defonseca’s supposed escape from N**i clutches as a child after her parents’ deportation to Germany. After leaving her foster home, Defonseca wanders through...
Keri White: "These dishes can all be done ahead and served chilled or at room temperature."
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/02/break-fast-dishes-light-simple-tasty/
One of the challenges of the break-fast meal for the cook is the prep.
Sheila Katz and Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg: "We are, once again, in a season of reckoning with sexual abuse in the Jewish community and in the country."
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/03/in-our-season-of-reckoning-what-to-remember-when-abuse-stories-break-in-jewish-communities/
We are, once again, in a season of reckoning with sexual abuse in the Jewish community and in the country.
EDITORIAL: 5781 was challenging. But we got through it.
https://www.jewishexponent.com/2021/09/02/rosh-hashanah-5782/
5781 was challenging. But we got through it.
2100 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA
19103
The Jewish Exponent newspaper, The Guide to Jewish Philadelphia, special sections, jewishexponent.com.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Jewish Exponent posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Jewish Exponent:
From Bombay to Philadelphia: Keri White shares a simple recipe to spice up vegetables in this installment of Five Minute Dish.
#Seinfeld premiered on this day 28 years ago! Do you have a favorite episode or quote? Share in the comments! #andyadayadayada
The Muslim and Jewish solidarity rally marched from City Hall to Independence Mall.
Members of the Jewish community came together in solidarity for the Dakota Access Pipeline against large banks. They are currently protesting outside Wells Fargo on 17th and Market streets. #DAPL
D-N-C you later ✌️ 🇺🇸
The roll call vote came to an end at the DNC. Bernie Sanders moved to name Hillary Clinton the Democratic nominee for president. #DNCinPHL
Award-winning Jewish a capella group Six13 rocked the Wells Fargo Center after the Philadelphia Soul game last night, beatboxing to the tunes of Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars.
The Jewish Publication Society
2100 Arch StJournal of Neuro-Ophthalmology
Two Commerce Square 2001 Market StreetThe Nurse Practitioner Journal
Two Commerce SquareNBC 10 Philadelphia Brand Studio
1800 Arch Street
The Daily Pennsylvanian Alumni Association
4015 Walnut St