Most ideas about Jewish culture in the United States come from Ashkenazi traditions, but there’s a vast landscape of Jewish cultures around the world – and represented in the US.
A chuppah is used in many Jewish weddings, but how it’s decorated can weave other cultures into the ceremony, too.
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A Catholic friar under the chuppah? A bride in henna and a groom in a kippah? Many Jewish interfaith couples find ways to honor both of their faiths.
The archway above the entrance of the Templo Libertad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Completed in 1932, it is the oldest synagogue in the country.
(Shutterstock)
Jewish life in Canada and Argentina reflects the diversity of Jewish communities globally, and the political, social and economic evolution of each country throughout the 20th century.
May is a reminder of how diverse two American communities are.
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The Lemba view is that one can be indigenous to more than one place, and that more than one people can be indigenous to a single place.
The Passover Seder – like this one in Azerbaijan – commemorates the story of the Israelites’ escape from slavery, and the start of their long sojourn in the desert.
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Nancy E. Berg, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
The Passover Seder commemorates the escape from slavery in Egypt. But then came the 40-year wandering in the desert – a story that resonates with much of Jewish history.
Haggadah shel Pesah, translated by Sonia Gronemann and illustrated by Otto Geismar. Made in Berlin, 1927.
Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica
Ideas about resurrection had been developing for centuries before Jesus’ life, but his followers took them in new directions.
Esther denouncing Haman, who, according to the Purim story, attempted to have all Jews within the Persian Empire massacred.
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Whether thousands of years ago or right now, fans have always created new stories based on familiar characters, weaving their own experiences into the tale.
Olives at a stall in Machne Yehuda Market, Jerusalem.
Rebecca Haboucha
By targeting a restaurant owner who identifies with a specific cuisine, the protester makes that one person responsible for the actions of an entire group or country.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is Hindu, attends the Finchley United Synagogue in London in October 2023.
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The language the UK government uses on faith-related subjects matters. It models – for everyone living in the UK – how to best engage with diverse manifestations of belief.
A bas-relief of Maimonides, sculpted by Brenda Putnam, hangs in the U.S. House of Representatives among statues of historical lawmakers.
Architect of the Capitol/Wikimedia
Randy L. Friedman, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Faith and reason are often treated as opposites. But some philosophers believe they can only strengthen each other, including the Jewish sage Maimonides, who wrote the famous ‘Guide to the Perplexed.’
Two scholars who study death rituals explain that the corpse is considered spiritually polluting in many religious traditions, while the Moon holds a sacred place.
Antisemitic incidents have spiked in recent months.
AP Photo/Nicolas Landemard
In recent years, the relationship between antisemitism and anti-Zionism has taken on renewed importance and competing definitions of antisemitism have emerged. What is antisemitism?
Pacific Island support for Israel in the United Nations goes beyond a shared Judeo-Christian belief system. It involves a fundamental emphasis on community based on connection and relationships.
Making patients feel seen and heard – not just “treated.”
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The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on how fragmented medical care can be. Relational, or person-centered, medicine is attempting to provide solutions.
A hundred and one years before ‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’ was released, the first American Bat Mitzvah took place.
(Apple TV+/Disney+/Netflix via AP)
‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’ may seem worlds apart from the growth and appeal of ‘by and for women only’ films produced by Orthodox Jewish women, but all these films share a focus on the potential of Jewish ritual.
People cheer as a vehicle carrying hostages released by Hamas drives toward an army base in Ofakim, southern Israel, on Nov. 26, 2023.
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