Jewish resources to share, to spread some love, not hate | Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle

Jewish resources to share, to spread some love, not hate

As a Milwaukee librarian, it brings me joy to connect people with resources that help make their lives better. For our print edition’s special section, “Standing Up Against Hate,” I get to do it for love, the opposite of hate.

Here are eight Jewish-themed websites, one that includes Jewish content and an Israeli podcast that will, hopefully, bring some love into your own life or that of someone you love. Look for something to share with others!

Hebcal.com

Part of the Open Source Judaism movement, this site provides information on all things Jewish date-related. You can generate a list of Yahrzeits and Hebrew birthdays, find out (and read) this week’s parsha, get the English dates for all major and minor holidays through 2024 and download them in multiple platforms.

AWordInYourEye.com

It’s not pretty, and it’s not fancy. It’s funny. David Minkoff posted thousands upon thousands of Jewish jokes before publishing a couple of book’s worth. Here’s #1174:

“Issy was dying. His wife was with him, standing next to his bed. As he was drawing his last few breaths, he gasped, ‘Sadie, I have one last request.’

‘Of course, Issy, what is it?’ Sadie asked softly.

‘Six months after I die,’ he said, ‘I want you to marry Louis.’

‘But I thought you hated Louis,’ Sadie said.

With his final breath, Issy said, ‘I do.’”

MindyTheBookYenta.com

Mindy Holland is a school librarian in Schenectady, New York, and the congregational librarian (and past president) at her synagogue. This entertaining and informative blog will help you find a great Jewish read for you or the kid in your life.

Ajhs.org/watch-film

When I was little, my father’s mother used to visit from Boston. Gramma-Gramma was a big fan of Emma Lazarus, which is how I first heard of her. Now, the American Jewish Historical Society has created an exhibit and set of curricula, complete with a short documentary, about the woman best known for writing “The New Colossus,” the poem inscribed at the
base of the Statue of Liberty. She would love this site.

Jwa.org

While we’re on the topic of Jewish women, the Jewish Women’s Archive, which is “dedicated to collecting and promoting the extraordinary stories of Jewish women (and) explores the past as a framework for understanding the issues important to women today; inspires young people with remarkable role models; and uses Jewish women’s stories to excite people to see themselves as agents of change.”

SewJewish.com

Maria Bywater’s blog is a great place to look at some lovely Judaica and see some pretty things. There are free patterns for those who want to try a project, and her book, which is for sale.

Web.Uwm.Edu/Yiddish-Stage

Professor Joel Berkowitz, of University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, is a co-founder of the Digital Yiddish Theater Project.

What kind of a person doesn’t support their home team, especially when it’s great? Milwaukee’s own Joel Berkowitz (of University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee), and Deborah Caplan (of Baruch College), founded the Digital Yiddish Theater Project, which features everything fun and interesting about Yiddish Theater, including posters, plot synopses (in English) and, for those who want more context, scholarly articles.

Bimbam.com

Founded by tech entrepreneur Sarah Lefton, partially in response to her own self-described “mediocre Jewish education, this site contains all kinds of great content – including the animated series “Shaboom,” about a couple of Tikkun Olam performing characters, the weekly parsha and commentary aimed at kids, educators, parents and anyone looking to learn about Judaism.

Soundcloud.com/Jewish-Boys

This isn’t a website. It’s a podcast by nice Jewish boys, which is what they call themselves. “Two Nice Jewish Boys” is a weekly English language podcast by Naor Meningher and Eytan Weinstein of Tel Aviv, who offer “a glimpse of Israel and some of the interesting people” there.

En.ChildrensLibrary.org

I’m ending my list of sites to love with the International Children’s Digital Library. The righteous of all nations have a place in the World to Come, and this site is a place where all nations have a place. You can search for books in any language from lots of countries. (There are 463 books in English, 23 in Yiddish and 19 in Hebrew.) Search by story length, cover color, type of characters and more.