Jewish Family Services has been an anchor in Olga Vaynshtok’s life. Through the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Vaynshtok relocated from St. Petersburg, Russia in 1991 with her son and was resettled by JFS. Her husband, Sam, had already moved to the Milwaukee area in 1989. Her husband’s family had a close friend in southeastern Wisconsin […]
Bishop Richard Sklba was dismayed to find “a lovely teacher” in Jerusalem in 1964 who was afraid of priests. This was 51 years before the Vatican issued a statement that Jews do not need to be converted to find salvation, and that Catholics should work with Jews to fight antisemitism. That’s exactly what Sklba has […]
Jenny Tasse’s work is, in large part, the fight against antisemitism. What motivates her is the antisemitic experiences of her maternal grandparents in Wisconsin. “They were never physically targeted for their faith, to my knowledge, but they both recounted incidents of discrimination and verbal harassment in their youth and even to a degree in their […]
The Milwaukee Jewish Federation and its partner agencies have been working remotely throughout the Safer At Home order to provide resources and social services to meet the needs of the Milwaukee Jewish community as it continues to deal with the pandemic and navigate reopening. One of the resources that the Milwaukee Jewish Federation has put […]
ChallahFromHome has spread all over social media. This Shabbat will only be the 11th #ChallahFromHome, but it already feels like an enduring institution. The digital world is now filled with pictures of challah accom- panied by the Milwaukee-born #ChallahFromHome hashtag. Clicking on the hashtag leads Internet users to tons of people who are making Challah […]
The smell of freshly brewed vegetable soup. The vibrant colors of roasted purple, orange and white potatoes. The soft challah with chocolate chips sprinkled on top. These are my favorite nights: Shabbat. While I was home during my spring break – which was extended for two weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic – I would […]
Sunday, May 15, was going to be a day to celebrate, a day to be giddy and a day to relax. Graduation. I was supposed to be in that white sundress, with my nails done, pearly whites out smiling because it was going to be one of the happiest moments of my life. It’s almost […]
On the cover of this month’s special section for our print edition, “Stand Up Against Hate,” is a model of a not-yet-realized sculpture. It will be called Shofar Kristallnacht. This would be Milwaukee-based artist Ricard Edelman’s third major shofar sculpture. His shofar sculptures are functional, amplifying the sounds of any shofar blown into them. One […]
The Jewish Community Pantry, which serves central city Milwaukee and anyone in the Jewish community in need of food, has been shifting its operations in recent months in response to the risks presented by COVID-19. The pantry is a project of the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center and Women’s Philanthropy of the […]
I’m a Madison cardiologist. This is my recipe. It doesn’t have to be yours. COVID-19 update as we start to leave our cocoons. The purpose of this post is to provide a perspective on the intense but expected anxiety so many people are experiencing as they pre- pare to leave the shelter of their homes. […]