Three Great Reads from the Jewish Journal
Check out these fantastic new offerings from Jewish Journal writers on the topics that matters most to our readers:
September 2023 marks 30 years since the signing of the Oslo Peace Agreement between Israel and the PLO. Dozens of pundits are authoring scholarly articles on “Why the Oslo Peace Process failed to bring peace.” To these I would like to add my own opinion: It failed because it never started. The Palestinians never intended to follow the agreement and certainly not to pursue a process toward peace.
Jews believe that the source of all our success comes from Hashem. We are supposed to work hard and put in our hishtadlut, our effort, but we are also not supposed to push ourselves so much that we have trouble fulfilling other mitzvot like learning Torah, observing Shabbat and taking care of our families and ourselves. We aren’t supposed to suffer when making a living.
I love sharing challah on Fridays and hosting Hanukkah parties and seders. Some of my fondest memories include my mom introducing latkes to my preschool classmates in the early ‘90s and dragging my friends to Sunday bagel brunch at our college Hillel. These moments celebrating together have always brought me joy, but as an adult, the weight of frequent explanations of our nuanced traditions has become heavier. I’ll always know about Santa and December 25, but it’s tiring having to be a keeper of our holiest days and customs.