I have always been a voracious reader. As a child I was a flashlight-under-the-covers reader. A buckled-up-road-trip reader. A rainy-day-cozy-nook reader. A just-one-more-chapter! reader. I gobbled up historical fiction, poetry, joke books, mysteries, Sunday comics, and a well-worn issue of Dog Fancy magazine my Papa bought me at the airport. I revisited the girls from The Baby-Sitters Club, Ramona and Beezus, and the Ingalls sisters with each subsequent book in their series. While I saw much of myself, and who I wanted to be, in my books, there was one notable absence: my Jewish...
During a sing-along session at Camp Interlaken in Eagle River about six years ago, the lyrics on one song instructed girls and boys to physically separate. Another song split up boys from girls by their singing voice. The lyrical segregation did not sit well with camp officials at the Steve & Shari Sadek Family […]
Oh, 2022, why do you have to be so difficult? Milwaukee resident Sarah Hendrix has had to jump through hoops to plan her perfect Jewish wedding for 2022. Hendrix and Jeremy Walker will marry in September at The Atrium in Shorewood. Something about 2022, after years of pandemic living, has changed wedding planning, Hendrix […]
After years of social distancing and independent creation, the Urban Ecology Center will feature artwork created by Milwaukee artists throughout the pandemic. Four local Jewish artists are hosting an exhibit at the Riverside Park location, open now through July 31, 2022, titled “Four The First Time,” with the underlying themes of nature and abstract […]
Raised Jewish in Mumbai, India’s largest city, Siona Benjamin’s multicultural art sends a message. The message is often delivered by a woman, colored blue. The blue woman is Benjamin’s icon, the lines inspired by the comics of Benjamin’s youth, the woman existing to explore ancient and modern issues. To some extent, the recurring blue […]
Holocaust educators who travel Wisconsin to train the state’s teachers have noticed something – their lessons are needed. “There’s a lot that’s being taught that isn’t necessarily right, and we want to make sure they get it right,” said Mark Miller, board chair of the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center, a […]
It was little more than a year ago. On April 28, 2021, Gov. Tony Evers signed the Wisconsin Holocaust education bill into law. Starting with the new school year in September, Wisconsin middle and high schools are required to teach the Holocaust and other genocides. Activists from the Wisconsin Jewish community and others lobbied […]
Evonne Marzouk spent twenty years writing this novel, and her passion radiates from every page. She shares a profound spiritual journey that is deeply rooted in Jewish mysticism. There is nothing like this in the book world as readers learn about the special role a Jewish teen, Rachel, embarks on to fulfill her gifts […]
A joyous north African tradition is celebrated by many in Israel, on the day after Passover, and this year, Milwaukeeans can get a taste of the Jewish-Muslim celebration known as Mimouna. The origins of Mimouna, a tradition dating back to the mid-18th century, are unknown. Some say that the Jews of North African descent, […]
Many people may not be aware that Jews fought in the American Civil War. Searching for Jewish soldiers has become my retirement project. That period of American history was probably the most transformative period of our country. I believe that combining Jewish and Civil War histories of Wisconsin is of interest to the Jewish […]
“Sorry For Your Loss,” by Joanne Levy, published by Orca Books, third grade and up This exquisite middle grade novel expertly shares what happens before, during, and after a Jewish funeral. Evie and Oren are relatable characters who cope with the death of a loved ones. This book is sensitive, thoughtful, and respectful to […]
The overnight camp OSRUI has been updating itself in anticipation of summer 2022, with a new teaching kitchen and the restoration of an original building, among other projects. OSRUI is the Reform movement’s summer camp in the upper Midwest. Over the past several years, OSRUI has taken on a variety of projects aimed at […]
A young Polish girl, wearing a peasant skirt with her hair in braids and a handkerchief covering her head, showed up unexpectedly one day at the Gestapo headquarters in Warsaw. She told the guards she needed to speak with an official inside about a personal matter. “They showed her to the office. She went […]
Local educator Jennifer Saber is teaching other Jewish educators nationwide, and now a $20,000 boost for the work will be like squirting lighter fluid on a fire, she said. “It is very, very helpful,” Saber said. “This will increase the impact that we’re making and increase the number of people with disabilities who we […]
Children who are adopted can face challenges, from the trauma of separation to the task of developing their own identities. These troubles can be compounded by stereotypes. ”I wish more people understood that there isn’t just one way to be Jewish. There isn’t just one silhouette of what it looks like to be a […]
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