Secular Holidays

new years day fireworks
Secular Holidays

A Jewish Take on New Year’s Resolutions

Dasee Berkowitz
New Year's Day and the traditional resolutions that accompany it invite us to take stock of our lives. Are we living our lives to the fullest? Can we imagine a future in which the commitments we make for ourselves (e.g., healthier habits around eating and exercise) actually come true? What will it take this year to really change?
A Native American Thanksgiving Message to the World illustration
Native American issues

A Native American Thanksgiving Message to the World

In the Mohawk language, "Thanksgiving Address" is translated as Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen, meaning "Words Before All Else" or "Words we say before we do anything important." It has been used for thousands of years by the Haudenosaunee (People of the Long House) as a spiritual address to the powers of the Natural World, expressing appreciation for all life forms, bringing the minds of people together as one mind, and aligning gathered minds with Nature.
Aron's family
Secular Holidays

My Father Was a Quiet Man

Aron Hirt-Manheimer

My father was a quiet man. He was not one to engage in philosophical or political discussions. He did not tell people what to think or how to live.

Had Pop left me and my sister an ethical will, it would have emphasized love of mishpucha (family).

soldiers graves with American flags
Secular Holidays

Make Memorial Day Count in 2021

Rabbi Tracy Kaplowitz, Ph.D.

On Shavuot, the holiday when we celebrate receiving the Torah marks the completion of counting the omer, we are reminded of the historic and nation-altering moment our ancestors experienced in the desert when God revealed God’s self.