There is always some debate as to whether or not Jews should participate in Halloween, being that it isn’t a Jewish holiday and all. But, like it or not, your kid wants to go trick or treating. And like it or not, your girlfriend wants to go to that cool costume party.
So you’re gonna need […]

In this special installment of the Jewish Book Council/MyJewishLearning Authors Blog series, we spotlight book illustrator and visual artist Eliyahu Alpern.
Eliyahu Alpern is an amazing photographer. With author Allison Ofanansky, he’s done two children’s books that put distinctly different spins on Jewish holidays: In Harvest of Light, they walk through the process of making olive […]

One of my many pet peeves is celebrities who take up Judaism like it’s a hobby. Let’s review, people: Judaism is a RELIGION. If you need something to do in your spare time try jigsaw puzzles, or taxidermy, or curling. Judaism is about providing meaning to your life, and a connection to your history. It’s […]

Oh my God, you guys, the holidays have been going on FOREVER. Whenever I talked to my Jewish friends this week I just whined about how much I missed having weekends and how sick I was of spending beautiful days sitting in shul.

I always get kind of petulant and annoying towards the end of Sukkot. […]

This week was Sukkot. If you missed it, I guess there’s always next year. At least that’s what I tell myself. On MJL though, they didn’t forget about the holiday. In fact, everything I have to share with you has to do with holidays.
First, our wonderful Associate Editor, Shoshanna, has given us a great recipe […]

I feel very popular all of a sudden. For a guy who convinces himself that he watches a lot of television because it makes him smarter instead of having few friends, I’m pretty much booked this weekend.
If you’re not from the New York area, you should know that Simchat Torah is kind of a big […]

This week we celebrate Sukkot, which is sometimes referred to as Zman Simhateinu, the time of our happiness. Why are we happy? Well, we made it through the craziness of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and as far as we know we’re inscribed in the Book of Life. It’s harvest season, which means lots of […]

I’m going to admit something pretty sad. I’ve been a terrible Jew this Sukkot. For someone who claims that he follows holidays and Jewish customs, this Sukkot has been a complete and utter failure.
I’m not a guy who goes to daily minyan. I’m not against davening. I’m just against being at a shul at 7:30 […]

I have gotten so vocal about my love of whiskey that many of my friends show up with a bottle pretty much every time they see me. And while I maintain that drinking is an integral part of any Jewish celebration, I’ve never been convinced that there’s a really Jewish drink out there, other than […]

It took me about five minutes into meeting the fabulous Sean Altman to blurt out: “Ispentfiveyearsofmylifewatchingyou!”
To children of the ’80s, Sean is better known as the lead singer of Rockapella and the live doo-wop soundtrack of the TV show Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?. To more recent audiences, he’s known as Jewmongous, […]