At the Passover seder, we ask the question “Why is this night different from all other nights?” On this night, we eat only matzah. On this night, we especially eat bitter herbs and dip them twice. On this night, we dine with special ceremony. The story of Passover represents the journey from darkness into light….
What happens when a French-trained pastry chef and the author of four best-selling cookbooks meets the ketogenic (keto) diet, the no-carbs-allowed diet that’s sweeping the nation? Now mix in Passover, (beginning this year Friday, April 19), replete with its ancient culinary traditions, and the result is a mouthwatering fusion of the old, the new and…
By InterfaithFamily The ritual foods of Passover tell the biblical story of the Exodus from Egypt and the story of the ancient rabbis who wrote the Haggadah. “During the seder, we don’t just tell the story of the Exodus, we see, smell, feel and taste liberation,” says Rabbi Jill Jacobs. What follows is a brief…
The festival of Purim commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day.” It is celebrated with Megillah readings, gifts of food, charity, feasting and merriment. Purim begins at sundown on March 20…
A family member of a victim of the massacre at the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue has created “2 for Seder,” aimed at tackling anti-Semitism at the grassroots level. The 2 for Seder event encourages Jewish families to welcome two non-Jews into their seder to experience first-hand the most celebrated Jewish holiday of the year…
By Paul Finkelman Today is Presidents Day, an amalgamated birthday celebration for two of our three greatest presidents: George Washington (Feb. 22, 1732) and Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12, 1809). We measure presidential greatness by combining challenges each leader faced and his successful resolutions. By this standard, both Washington and Lincoln are always numbered among the…
The founding partners of Illumination, Symphony of Light, Sigal and Ronny Urman took time out of their busy schedule to answer some questions about their business, Illumination, Symphony of Light. This is the second year for the drive-through animated light show in North Phoenix (the world’s largest!) and the first year for its additional location…
Eating Chinese food on Christmas is a tradition for many families. The Scottsdale is proud to offer a new dining experience in Kitchen West Restaurant this year. Inspired by the humorous and beloved holiday movie, “A Christmas Story,” this dinner serves to help remind us of the true meaning of the holidays: togetherness. Whether your…
As one might expect of the Jewish state, the holy days of the Jewish religion are national holidays. A good example is the holiday of Shavuot, which this year begins on Saturday night, May 19. While it is possible to go about one’s business in the diaspora without even realizing that Shavuot has come and…
Passover, which begins this year at sundown on March 30, is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays. Every year families gather around the seder table to celebrate their Jewish heritage and commemorate the freedom of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery and their Exodus from Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. Often Jewish…
