Grief and hardship, as told by a family man   Children scrambled to and fro as the sound of community filled the air at a Congregation Shalom family Shabbat, but the Seigels were in their own bubble, sitting expectantly.   “Sammy, my older one, who will turn 7 in a couple of months … [was] like, […]

One moment in the ten-year-old Repairing Together program, aimed at a better Milwaukee and a more tolerant world   MILWAUKEE – Kellen Abston, the hip-hop performer who goes by “Klassik,” told the kids that he was here today on his birthday.  He added that there was nowhere he’d rather be.  The Milwaukee showman – who infuses his work with soul, jazz, storytelling and a healthy dose of impressive falsetto – does youth engagement workshops at schools, museums, and elsewhere. This one was […]

Cantors David Barash and Perry Fine, friends who sang together in one of the Salute to Song and Spirit concerts.   Cantor David Barash has spent 25 years building a musical tradition that has become one of Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun’s most beloved — and most successful — fundraisers.  What began as an experiment has grown into the […]

In a moment of Wisconsin Jewish news that is sure to be celebrated by word pronouncers everywhere, we have all been liberated from trying to say “CEEBJ.”  Tamar Kelber recalls people calling her synagogue “Emanu-El,” when she grew up in the Milwaukee area. Years later, when she came back from Chicago, the shul’s website had been established at “CEEBJ.org,” and people were often calling the synagogue “CEEBJ,” perhaps as a result.  But now Kelber, the shul board president, and meetings of […]

A rustic eggplant tart is a fitting way to mark Israeli Independence Day, celebrating flavors that have become part of the country’s culinary identity. Eggplant is often used in Israeli cooking, and this dish brings together the essentials of Mediterranean foods: olive oil, fresh herbs, and produce.   The simplicity of this recipe allows you to spend more […]

Esther Safran Foer was born in Poland, shortly after the end of the war, to Holocaust survivor parents. Her family emigrated to the U.S. in 1949, when she was around 3, and Esther built an only-in-America life.   “I was a refugee. I was one of those refugees,” she said.  She served as the press secretary for George McGovern in his […]