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A few years ago, at the height of state capture, I joined the civil society movement to protest the corruption of President Jacob Zuma. There were many marches...
The phenomenon of fellow Jews misunderstanding the essence of our unique Jewish mission is, unfortunately, not new. It is nonetheless deeply disturbing. To fit in with...
I am writing this as my first birthday ever without my mother is drawing to a close. It’s been just more than two months and I have been settling into the ebb and...
Across centuries of exile, Jewish prayer has carried a quiet certainty: history is moving towards redemption and an era of Moshiach. Three times a day, Jewish...
It’s time to start searching for chametz. Let’s empty the cupboards, hunt down crumbs, and get ready to transform our kitchens. On the surface, it’s a physical act, a seasonal halachic obligation....
We are a nation of memory. We hold tightly to our past, marking the great turning points of our history. That past is not a relic...
As Pesach approaches each year, Jewish homes begin to transform. Cupboards are emptied. Kitchens are kashered. Shopping lists seem to grow by the day. Families prepare to...
Passover is around the corner and I will be so presumptuous as to suggest you may have opened your favourite Haggadah to have a look and start preparing...
The question of why it’s necessary for a Jew to move to Israel is puzzling to me. I’m not saying that everyone should drop everything and move to Israel. I believe in...
Vehi Sheamda, in the Haggadah, reminds us of the tragic but all too recognisable aspect of Jewish national identity that in every generation we face enemies intent on our...
In 2018, US Secretary of War Peter Hegseth delivered a speech in Jerusalem. At the time, he was a presenter for the Fox Network, and had been invited...
Someone walked through the split sea and complained about their shoes. The Torah doesn’t record it. Our sages don’t tell us his name. There is no actual source for this...
“How do you live with existential fear of death?” This was the question several of my students asked when I checked in with each of them...
Of all the difficult conversations one has, this is one I never imagined: discussing with my husband what we each might include in our submission to the...
In an ordinary year, the weeks before Pesach would see families confirming flights, preparing for reunions, and finalising holiday plans. Instead, many travelling between Israel and...
The story of Pesach echoes through the generations: the journey of a people from oppression to freedom, from persecution to liberation, from bondage to dignity. Our...
Freedom is a central theme of Pesach. From generation to generation and even through some of the most horrific circumstances, Jews have gathered at the seder table to...
The transformation of a luxury resort like Zimbali, in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, into a strictly kosher l’Pesach sanctuary is no small feat. It is, as organiser Eli Feiglin describes it, a massive...
Passover is often called the holiday of tradition, but traditions differ in various communities, and marrying across them is never easy. When an Ashkenazi Jew marries...
The Ethiopian Airlines flight path unusually approached Ben Gurion Airport from the east – a sign of the times perhaps to avoid Houthi missiles? As the...
When Pick n Pay took down its props indicating where the kosher-for-Pesach section was in the Norwood Mall before the festival, the Jewish community was shocked...
For many Jewish people, having a Pesach seder is guaranteed. However, for more than 100 people in Israel, it wouldn’t have been possible without the effort...
When Agam Berger finally boarded an Israel Defense Forces helicopter to her freedom after 482 days of Hamas hell, the first words she wrote on the...
As we gather with our families around the seder table this year, we might reflect on a few questions that extend beyond those traditionally found in...
King Louis XIV of France asked Blaise Pascal, the great French philosopher, to give him proof of the supernatural. Pascal answered, “Why, the Jews, your majesty,...
The year is 70 CE, the Temple in Jerusalem has been destroyed, and Pesach can no longer be celebrated with a sacrificial lamb as the Torah...
One of the most striking features of Exodus is the presence of so many heroic women. This emerges clearly from a simple reading of the text...
Passover has always been a story of defiance and deliverance. A saga of struggle, confrontation, bravery, identity, and ultimately freedom. It’s a story of a people...
Dara Horn’s new graphic novel imagines the seder as a Harry Potter style portal which opens up centuries of Jewish history for us. It imagines seders...
A fellow who had done well in business and was feeling quite proud of himself once stopped by for a visit to his rabbi who had...
The seder isn’t merely a retelling of history, but a re-experiencing of yetziat Mitzrayim, a journey best undertaken through active dialogue. This question-and-answer format, generally characteristic...
We emerged just a few weeks ago from the chaos of Purim. Purim is the quintessential holiday of chaos. As Rabbi Tzadok Hakohen of Lublin explains,...
When Israelis come to South Africa for Pesach, they often don’t celebrate two nights of seders, but some seem to do so. As Pesach is the...
The story of Pesach has been the inspiration for freedom movements around the world, from nuns in El Salvador and Nelson Mandela to the American civil...
JTA – Revolutionaries throughout the ages have drawn strength from the story of Passover. As Michael Walzer brilliantly documents in his book, Exodus and Revolution, the...
Never mind the four sons, let’s discuss the four moms at the school Pesach seder. The over eager, I’ve got it all together mom She diarised...
A recent study revealed something unsurprising: children are more likely to ask Google a question than to ask a parent. Conducted by Birmingham Science City, the...
Matzah & Magic – Whipping up a Pesach feast Sunday 6 April 2025 at 19:00 SAST Pesach is a time to spend with family and tell...
I recently met a delegation from the World Union of Jewish Students. These university students had come to South Africa from countries around the world on...
If not for that one short paragraph, the seder night could be so relaxed and so much fun. After all, it’s about celebrating our victory over...
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