Upcoming Lectures, Presentations and Services
Virtual ZOOM Service – Yom Kippur and Yiskor Reading of the Names with Rabbi Barbara Monday, September 21, 20261:00 pm US Eastern/7:00 pm Italy CLICK HERE for Zoom link Send your loved ones’ names to Rabbi Barbara for her to read on Yom Kippur during the Yiskor service. Email Rabbi Barbara at rabbi@rabbibarbara.com to submit your […]
PSALM 27
Traditionally recited each morning during the month of Elul A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God. 27 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the [a]defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? 2 When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my […]
Hebrew Month Elul: Facts, Tips and Actions
The Month of Preparation On the secular calendar it’s late August while on the Hebrew calendar a new month has begun. It’s the Hebrew month Elul, the only month that does not feature a holiday, a feast day, a fast day or a memorial. And that’s no coincidence. Our sages understood that we Jews need […]
Ferramonti
Ferramonti Internment Camp The story of the Ferramonti Internment Camp is a story of Jewish survival thanks to the efforts of Italian soldiers and impoverished Italian villagers who worked together to save nearly 4,000 Jews. Located in the province of Cosenza on the Calabria border, Ferramonti was a camp like none other. Families stayed together […]
When Caregivers Overstep Their Bounds
By Rabbi Barbara Aiello Gail tapped on Ellen’s door, then as usual, she let herself in. That’s how they did it now, especially since Ellen’s mother moved in. At 94 Enid needed constant care and nowadays Ellen was so involved she was often too busy to answer the door. This time, however Gail found her […]
Finding Happiness
Aging Jewishly – What Our Traditions Tell Us about Growing Old By Rabbi Barbara Aiello Nan looked up from her Kindle and observed the man she’d been married to for over forty years. “Kurt, you’re pacing and when you’re pacing I know something’s not right.” “OK, so I’m pacing what’s the big deal?” was Kurt’s […]
The Fourth of July – a Yontiff for us Jews
By Rabbi Barbara Aiello I am a first generation American. My Italian dad came from war-weary Europe to make his way in America. He traveled with all the essentials, which in those days were two suitcases, a shopping bag and a crumpled shred of paper with the address of a sponsoring cousin. The family spoke […]
Visiting Your Ancestral Village to Find Your Calabrian Roots
By Rabbi Barbara Aiello It wasn’t what they were wearing, although American tourists who visit our Calabrian mountain village are often easily identified by their shorts, sandals and fanny packs. And it wasn’t their halting Italian tinged with a distinctly American accent. It was the look on their faces – a combined expression of awe […]
Can We Bring the Generations Together with a New Diaspora Calendar?
Can We Bring the Generations Together with a New Diaspora Calendar? Long before Covid complicated Jewish observance, there were ominous signs that participation in synagogue life, especially Holy Day and festival services, was on the decline. Dependent as we Jews are on the Hebrew calendar, rabbis and congregants found themselves at the mercy of the […]
An Ancient Chanukah Menorah Wasn’t a Menorah At All!
The first ever recorded Chanukah Menorah was not a menorah in the traditional sense. The first menorah wasn’t even a candelabra. Instead, it was a brass box, rectangular in shape, reminiscent of the shape and design of the iconic lunch pail. Back in the day the lunch pail of old had a rounded lid that […]