The effort to eradicate Jews changed lives for the better
Sharon Goldberg Mercado is fulfilling her dream at 84
A chicken & rice dish inspired by kindness
A Buddhist nun lost in the Himalayas found the unexpected
54 Jewish teens from Tucson and Arizona celebrated their heritage at Times Square
E 4th Street, Tucson, AZ 85719
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Rabbi Yossie Shemtov
REBBETZIN
Chanie Shemtov
OUTREACH DIRECTOR
Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Feigie Ceitlin
Affiliates: Congregation Young Israel, Chabad at the University of Arizona, Chabad on River, Chabad of Oro Valley, Chabad of Sierra Vista, Chabad of Vail and Lamplighter Chabad Day School of Tucson
EDITOR
Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin
COPY EDITOR
Suzanne Cummins
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Rivka Caroline, Feigie Ceitlin, Chani Lifshitz, Menachem Posner, Mordechai Schmutter, Itamar Tzur, Lilian Wasserman, Benjamin Weiss
PHOTOS Unsplash.com
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Chabad Tucson does not endorse the people, establishments, products or services reported about or advertised in Keeping Jewish unless specifically noted. The acceptance of advertising in Keeping Jewish does not constitute a recommendation, approval, or other representation of the quality of products or services, or the credibility of any claims made by advertisers, including, but not limited to, the kashrus of advertised food products. The use of any products or services advertised in Keeping Jewish is solely at the user’s risk and Chabad Tucson accepts no responsibility or liability in connection therewith.
Note: “G-d” and “L-rd” are written with a hyphen instead of an “o .” This is one way we accord reverence to the sacred divine name. This also reminds us that, even as we seek G-d, He transcends any human effort to describe His reality.
Maya Tzoutcheev, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, was working as a bouncer at the Nova Music Festival on the horrific day of October 7, 2023. After her night shift, she changed into sneakers to watch the sunrise. At around 6:30 AM, Hamas terrorists attacked the festival and its participants with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 assault rifles.
After being trapped by gunfire, Maya took refuge in a bomb shelter for 15 minutes. She then made the daring choice to escape the area. Fueled by adrenaline and driven by instinct, she ran approximately 13 miles to reach safety.
She was one of the lucky survivors of the festival—Hamas killed 364 attendees, wounded hundreds, and took 40 hostages to Gaza. Maya has since traveled to the United States, sharing her story at the Nova Exhibition in Los Angeles, California. She came to Tucson in September 2024 as the guest speaker of the Annual Mega Challah Bake.
Upon arriving, Maya told us, “Thank you for inviting me. I really needed this.” She explained that speaking about the horrors and reliving them on a daily basis had taken a toll on her. She said she had sought something spiritual, like a Chabad event.
At the event, we honored Maya with blessing the making of the challah (“Hafrashat Challah”). Maya later told us that she recently started reciting the morning prayer of Modeh Ani. Upon hearing that she didn’t own a prayerbook, we gifted her a pocket-sized one. “May all of your prayers be accepted with favor,” we wrote in the inscription.
“I needed to come all the way from Israel to Arizona for this!” she quipped. “Tonight was the first time in my life that I ever made challah. Now, for the first time, I own my own Siddur.” She has been praying from it ever since.
By Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin
Hostages like Daniel Gilboa, who sang Sholom Aleichem on Shabbat with an Arabic twist so that the evil terrorists would not silence or abuse her for keeping their faith alive.
Hostages like Alexander Trofunov, who became Bar Mitzvah and put on tefillin for the first time in his life less than 24 hours after being freed from captivity.
In a way, this story reflects a more ancient one - and one that we will be celebrating on the holiday of Purim (which begins on the evening of Thursday, Mar 13, 2025). It is commonly understood that the miracle of “v’nahafoch hu” (Esther 9:1) — how everything turned around for the better — was about the physical salvation of the Jewish people from annihilation.
However, there had also been a spiritual turnaround.
The stories of October 7th and the subsequent war often overlook an interesting fact: most of the victims and hostages were secular Jews, many from kibbutzim and villages near Gaza. They were associated with the Israeli left, advocating land concessions to Palestinians and viewing religious affiliation as a barrier to peace. Proudly agnostic, some never visited the Western Wall, the last remnant of the holy temple in Jerusalem.
All that changed on October 7, 2023. The residents of these towns, the survivors of unspeakable evil, have found their faith and their Jewish pride. And perhaps none more than the hostages themselves.
Hostages like Agam Berger, who kept Shabbat and wrote on a sign upon being freed — “I have chosen the path of faith,” resolving to continue.
Hostages like Omer Shem Tov, who joyfully studied Torah from a “Dvar Malchus” booklet that an Israeli soldier left behind.
The Book of Esther (9:23) says, “The Jews accepted what they had begun to do.” The Talmud teaches (Shabbos 84a), “they practiced that which they had already committed themselves to” — the practice of G-d’s commandments during the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
The Purim miracle resulted in a newfound commitment to Jewish faith and observance. On Purim, our people were not only physically saved but also spiritually empowered.
Much like Haman did, Hamas sought the physical annihilation of the Israeli Jews— as their charter calls for. And just as it was during the Purim story, what happened was a boomerang effect: formerly apathetic Jews embraced their faith and recommitted themselves to their heritage.
Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin is the Outreach Director of Chabad Tucson, the Jewish network of Southern Arizona
Tourists visiting Israel in May may find themselves surprised. Suddenly, in the middle of a busy street, at a café, or even on a crowded highway, everything comes to a halt. People rise from their seats, stop walking, pull over their cars, and stand still — all while a siren echoes through the air and from car radios.
Looking around in astonishment, they see an entire nation pausing in unison. The sirens of Holocaust Remembrance Day and Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers are among the times that this national mourning happens.
But on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, we witnessed another such moment — one that lasted an entire day — when the coffins of Shiri Bibas and her children Kfir and Ariel were laid to rest.
Tens of thousands of Israelis accompanied the funeral procession, waving Israeli flags, orange and yellow banners, symbols of the hostages, and posters expressing support for the family. Shiri and her two little boys were buried together in a single coffin, and the funeral was marked by elements in orange — a tribute to the red hair of the Bibas children. Across the country, orange balloons were released into the sky, a heartbreaking symbol of childhood cruelly
by Itamar Tzur - algemeiner.com
cut short.
Along the route, thousands of Israelis put their daily routines on hold, silently accompanying the Bibas family on their final journey. Many held signs with the word “Sorry” — a word that expressed pain, frustration, and a deep sense of helplessness. Others sang “Hatikvah” through tear-filled eyes, holding hands, forming circles of remembrance, grief, and unity.
On the day of the funeral, the pain was not just the family’s — it was the pain of an entire nation. And the entire world
saw this powerful Israeli phenomenon — this collective mobilization, this national embrace, these tears that belonged to everyone.
At the request of the Bibas family, the funeral ceremony itself was intimate, with no government or Knesset representatives present. But the eulogies were broadcast to the public, and all of Israel heard Yarden Bibas’ farewell words.
He spoke lovingly about his wife and then spoke about his children. Addressing Ariel, who would forever remain four years old, he said, “You made me a father. You made
us a family. I’m sure you’re making all the angels laugh with your impressions.” Then, he turned to little Kfir: “I miss playing our morning games. Mishmish, who will help me make decisions now? How am I supposed to make decisions without you? Do you remember the last decision we made? In the shelter, I asked you if we should fight or surrender. You said, ‘Fight.’ so I did. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
These are the moments that remind us of our shared existence, of our ability to rise above division and discord. In days of deep disagreements and social tensions, these moments of unity are not to be taken for granted; they serve as a reminder that beneath the turbulent and stormy surface, there is a common ground of values, humanity, and shared destiny.
The debates will continue another day. But this moment of unity deserves to be etched into our collective memory as a reminder of what we are capable of being, in the hope that we will find this unity again in brighter days.
- Itamar Tzur is the author of The Invention of the Palestinian Narrative and an Israeli scholar specializing in Middle Eastern history.
By Lilian Wasserman
The Tucson Festival of Books, one of the largest literary events in the United States, will return this March to the University of Arizona, drawing over 100,000 visitors. The festival, renowned for bringing together bestselling and award-winning authors, also highlights the work of independent writers who self-publish their books.
One such writer is Sharon Goldberg Mercado, a Jewish resident of Oro Valley, Arizona, who will be featured at the Indie Authors—Children’s Books booth on Sunday, March 16, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. She will present her latest book, Oh My Gosh! How Did The Children Save Lavender Island?—a 48-page illustrated children’s story she co-illustrated with her husband, Donald Lee Mercado.
The book tells the tale of a peaceful, utopian island that suddenly falls under the control of an evil force.
Determined to restore harmony, the island’s children team up with senior citizens and university professors to reclaim their homes. Mercado describes her work as being about “love, world peace, and joy.”
But beyond her books, Mercado’s own life is a story of perseverance, reinvention, and following one’s dreams—no matter how long it takes. She turned 80 years old when she launched her career as an author and publisher.
Her passion for writing had been with her since childhood. “I decided I wanted to write books when I was 5 years old,” she admits. But there were other paths she took along the way.
Mercado (née Sharon Gay Shaps) was born in 1941 in Chicago, Illinois, to a Jewish father involved in the Reform movement and a mother she describes as “somewhat Orthodox.” From an early age, she was drawn to storytelling.
That same year, for health reasons, her
family relocated to Los Angeles, settling in what is now Culver City. There, they became involved in a local synagogue.
Mercado’s Jewish education was shaped both at school and home—she studied Hebrew at Sunday school while her mother taught her Yiddish.
Her mother also introduced her to music, a passion that would remain
with her throughout her life. “One of my sweetest memories was being able to sing “My Yiddishe Mama” to my mother at her assisted living home,” she recalls.
Mercado’s early career aspirations were not straightforward. She initially pursued a medical degree, enrolling in pre-med classes. However, life circumstances interrupted her plans.
At the age of 24, she married and soon after gave birth to her son, Mark. When she divorced five years later, she decided to return to school. She resumed her pre-med studies, but the environment was hostile—she encountered what she describes as both antisemitism and misogyny.
Frustrated, she switched her focus to English, a subject she had always excelled in. But even here, challenges arose. At UCLA, a senior faculty member implied that enrolling in his program would require yielding to inappropriate advances. Rather than tolerate such behavior, Mercado transferred to Cal State, where she thrived.
At Cal State, she earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in English and obtained a lifetime teaching credential. It was during this period that she wrote her first two children’s books. Though they were well-received by her academic advisors, they were never published.
In 1971, she met Don Mercado, who would become her second husband. She embarked on a career in education,
teaching at a predominantly African American school district in Los Angeles. “I was the only Anglo teacher there,” she remembers, emphasizing how she poured her artistic side into creating an engaging and dynamic classroom environment.
Sharon Mercado spent several years teaching fifth and sixth grades there before moving on to junior high and high school. However, her teaching career took an unexpected detour after she was involved in a terrible accident that left her unable to work for some time.
Determined to move forward, she pursued a new path. She won a scholarship to an aerospace school and briefly worked in engineering. But, as she candidly admits, “That was never my passion.”
Eventually, Mercado returned to teaching, this time in Antelope Valley, about 80 miles north of Los Angeles. However, in 1983, she made a bold career change—to real estate. Her reason? “I wanted a job that was less stressful, and I wanted to be able to buy my son a car!”
She worked in the Los Angeles real estate market for several years, selling high-end properties alongside her husband. But once again, life presented another challenge. When her mother’s health declined at the age of 92, Mercado left her career behind to care for her full-time.
About ten years ago, Sharon and Don Mercado moved to Southern Arizona, first settling in Dove Mountain before relocating to Oro Valley. They quickly adapted to life in the Sonoran Desert, where they now grow some of their own organic food.
Mercado also reconnected with her Jewish roots in Arizona. She attended events at Chabad of Oro Valley and participated in the annual lighting of Tucson’s tallest Menorah in downtown Tucson on Chanukah. “My Jewish heritage is so important to me,” she says.
As Mercado settled into her 80s, she realized she finally had the freedom to pursue her lifelong dream of writing. In 2022, she dedicated herself entirely to storytelling.
Finding a publisher proved difficult, so she took matters into her own hands. In 2023, she established Beverlywood Publishing, reviving and rewriting the books she had written 50 years earlier. Her husband, Don, joined her in illustrating the books.
Her perseverance paid off. She successfully listed her books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble online. In a milestone moment, she recently secured a book reading at Barnes & Noble in Tucson’s Foothills Mall. Despite being an unknown author, several children
and parents attended. She even sold three books that day—a small but meaningful victory.
Her determination led her to submit her book to the Tucson Festival of Books. Not expecting much, she was thrilled to learn that she had been selected. Even better, she was given a free seat at the Indie Authors booth. “I consider it a rare honor and a miracle,” she says.
Now 84, Mercado shows no signs of slowing down. Her latest book, The Good Witches Are on a Magical Journey, tackles environmental issues in a way that children can understand. She continues writing and illustrating, proving that age is no barrier to creativity.
Whether you call her a late “boomer” or a late bloomer, one thing is clear— Sharon Goldberg Mercado is just getting started.
The holiday of Purim is the most fun-filled, action-packed day of the Jewish year. This year, as it begins Thursday night, March 13, and continues through Shabbat, March 15, it requires additional tweaks to how it’s observed. In fact, in the holy city of Jerusalem, the holiday extends through Sunday.
The holiday, instituted by the Jewish sages, commemorates the Jewish people’s miraculous salvation more than two millennia ago. At the time, the Persian empire of the 4th century BCE extended over 127 lands, and all the Jews were its subjects.
Serving as a prime minister of the empire was the antisemitic Haman, who convinced King Ahasuerus to approve the extermination of all the Jews on the 13th
By Benjamin Weiss
of Adar—a date chosen by a lottery Haman made (hence the name Purim, “lots”).
Mordechai, the Jewish leader, motivated the Jewish community to prepare, while his cousin Queen Esther, who was married to the king, hosted a feast where she disclosed Haman’s wicked intentions to the king. Consequently, Haman was executed, Mordechai became prime minister, and a decree allowed Jews to defend against enemies.
The day is now celebrated each year in Jewish communities around the world. Traditionally, children (and perhaps adults) dress in costumes and enjoy fun activities on Purim.
Purim is preceded by a day of fasting called Taanit Esther to commemorate the fast the
queen observed the day before she revealed Haman’s plot to the king. In Tucson, the fast begins at 5:21 AM on Thursday, March 13, and ends at 6:57 PM.
Purim has four key observances:
1. Hearing the Megillah Head to your synagogue to hear the whole Megillah. The Megillah, a.k.a. “The Book of Esther,” is the scroll that tells the Purim story. Listen to the public reading twice: once on Purim night and again on Purim day. This year, that’s Thursday night, March 13, and Friday, March 14.
The Megillah is read from a handwritten parchment scroll, and when Haman’s name is mentioned, children make a lot of noise (for this purpose, noise is encouraged in shul for a change). It’s important to remain
silent during the reading of the Megillah, as every word matters.
Chabad centers in Tucson and Southern Arizona will be conducting several Megillah readings led by the rabbis and the four Yeshiva boys. (If you can’t make it to your synagogue for the reading, email info@ChabadTucson.com).
2. Give to the Needy (Matanot LaEvyonim)
One of Purim’s primary themes is Jewish unity. Haman tried to kill us all; we were all in danger together, so we celebrate together, too. Also on Purim day, we place special emphasis on caring for the less fortunate.
Give money or food to at least two needy people during the daylight hours of Purim,
March 14. If you can’t find any needy people, your synagogue will likely be collecting money for this purpose. At the very least, put two coins in a charity box earmarked for the poor.
On Purim, we give a donation to whoever asks; we don’t verify his or her bank balance first. As with the other mitzvahs of Purim, even small children should fulfill this mitzvah.
3. Send Food Gifts to Friends (Mishloach Manot)
All men and women over Bar/Bat Mitzvah should send at least one Mishloach Manot, and children are encouraged to participate. Mishloach Manot should include at least two types of respectable, ready-to-eat foods or beverages (excluding water).
Mishloach Manos, when done according to tradition, is sent and received during Purim day, not the night before or after. American custom allows the use of mail and other delivery systems that might not hit the exact moment- but it is truly the thought that counts.
It is preferable that the gifts be delivered via a third party. Children, in addition to sending their own gifts of food to their friends, make enthusiastic messengers.
Mishloach Manos should not be sent to an Avel (a person who is in mourning within 12 months of a parent’s passing or within 30 days of a spouse, child, or sibling’s passing).
4. Feast! (Seudat Purim)
During the course of Purim day, March 14, celebrate with a festive Purim meal. The table should be festively bedecked with a nice tablecloth and candles. Wash for bread or challah, and enjoy a meal featuring meat, wine, and plenty of Jewish songs, words of Torah, and joyous Purim spirit. Sing, drink, laugh, and have fun together.
To accommodate those who can’t hear the Megillah in the morning and can’t sit for a meal early in the day, Chabad centers will be incorporating unique directions.
You will note that Chabad Tucson’s celebration starts before Shabbat, but it continues for many hours after Shabbat has started. Jewish law tells us it is ok to do this so long as the celebration begins an hour before sunset (in Tucson, before 5:30 PM).
This does make things a bit more
complicated in terms of prayer and observance. For those who want particulars:
At this Purim celebration, we will pray the Mincha service first, wash hands and recite the Hamotzi blessing on the challah, and then start to enjoy the festive meal. The meal will be paused for Shabbat candle lighting (at 6:13 PM) and Kabbalat Shabbat service.
Around sunset (6:31 PM), we will sing Shalom Aleichem welcoming Shabbat, recite Kiddush on wine (but omit the Hagafen blessing), and slice open two whole challahs (omitting the Hamotzi blessing). We will then continue to celebrate Purim with the added joy of Shabbat.
After nightfall (6:56 PM), we will eat an additional part of challah before concluding the meal and reciting Birchat HamazonGrace After Meal.
On the Shabbat before Purim (this year, March 8), a special reading will be held in the synagogue. We read the Torah section called Zachor (“Remember”), in which we are enjoined to remember the deeds of (the nation of) Amalek (Haman’s ancestor), who sought to destroy the Jewish people.
In the morning service of Purim, there is a special Torah reading (Exodus 17:8–16)
describing the battle Joshua waged against Amalek—Haman’s ancestral nation— almost one thousand years before the Purim events unfolded.
In certain ancient walled cities—Jerusalem is the primary example—Purim is observed on the 15th of Adar instead of the 14th. This is to commemorate the fact that in the ancient walled Persian city of Shushan, the battles between the Jews and their enemies extended for an additional day.
The 15th of Adar is thus called “Shushan Purim,” observed outside Jerusalem as an extra day of celebration. Every year, it is fitting to rejoice and eat something special in honor of Shushan Purim.
Because this year, the 15th of Adar is on Shabbat, Purim cannot be fully observed on that day in Jerusalem. So Sunday, the 16th of Adar, is set aside as an added day of celebration - called Purim Meshulash (the tripe Purim) in Jerusalem.
The Rebbe instructed that, given the Jewish nation’s commitment to remember Jerusalem and to “bring up Jerusalem at the pinnacle of my joy,” this day should promote joy through Torah study, love, gifts of Mishloach Manos and charity, and gatherings, especially with children, focusing on Jerusalem’s significance.
For more about the holiday, visit Chabad. org/Purim
Thursday, March 13, 2025 - 13 Adar, 5785
Fast begins 5:21 AM
Fast ends 6:57 PM
Chabad Tucson - 7:00 PM, Megillah reading
Friday, March 14, 2025 - 14 Adar, 5785
Chabad of Oro Valley - 10:30 AM, Cafe Purim with a dairy brunch, entertainment and fun for all.
Chabad of Casa Grande - 10:30 AM, Purim Cafe sigh Megillah reading and a delicious breakfast spread
Chabad of Sierra Vista - 4:30 PM, Community Purim Party with Megillah reading and a delicious Shabbat dinner.
Chabad Tucson - 5:00 PM - A Royal Feast with Megillah reading, hors d’oeuvres, candle lighting, Shabbat services and a Purim-Shabbat dinner.
Chabad of Vail - 5:00 PM, Purim Wild West, with a Purim Saloon, Megillah reading, and a western style dinner.
Chabad Oro Valley - 5:00 PM, Family Purim Bash for families with children and teens featuring Megillah reading, fun games and dinner.
Teen is the arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement oriented toward teenagers. It now has 821 chapters in 64 countries, reaching over 100,000 Jewish teens and offering programs designed to strengthen Jewish identity, leadership, and community.
The Tucson chapter of CTeen was founded in 2024 and is run by Chabad Tucson’s rabbinic intern, Arik Shemtov. In just one year, it has already provided local teens with Jewish educational and recreational activities such as baking honey cakes for Rosh Hashanah, bonding over a BBQ, and attending a Phoenix Suns game.
This month, CTeen delivered an unforgettable experience for the young people who participated. Jewish teens from all over the world traveled to New York to participate in CTeen’s International Shabbaton. The Shabbaton was held on the weekend of February 28, 2025, and attracted 4,000 participants from 60 countries.
Thousands of Jewish teens filled Times Square with song and dance—a vibrant display of Jewish pride in the heart of New York City. Among them were 52 teens from Arizona who traveled from Tucson, Phoenix, Gilbert, Chandler, and other cities to participate in the event.
One of the speakers during the Shabbaton
By Benjamin Weiss
weekend was influencer Ellie Zeiler, who shared her journey of rediscovering her Jewish identity. At 16, Zeiler became a viral TikTok star, gaining millions of followers almost overnight. “I moved to Los Angeles and got swept up in the influencer life,” she
told participants. “In all the noise, I lost touch with my soul and my values.”
However, after the terror attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, Zeiler’s posts changed. She began posting “I Stand With Israel,” feeling
her platform had found its purpose. Since then, she has become kosher and Shabbat observant. “Turning off my phone for 25 hours felt impossible at first, but now it’s my favorite part of the week. It’s not about disconnecting from the world—it’s about reconnecting with myself, my family, and Hashem.”
Another highlight of the weekend was the Saturday night Havdalah ceremony, followed by a lively concert in Times Square, where thousands of teens danced and sang while Jewish-themed images lit up the jumbo screens. “That was really awesome,” said Elinor Wachsman of Gilbert, AZ. “Times Square was way cooler than I imagined.”
Isaac Cohn, a 10th-grade student at Catalina Foothills High School, is active with CTeen Tucson and participated in the Shabbaton. His father, Jeremy, shared, “My son had an incredible experience at the CTeen event in New York! He came back energized and inspired.”
Another participant, Ellie Griver, reflected on the experience as she traveled back home. “I’m feeling extra Jewish now,” she said with a smile. “Like, extra Jewish.” As the teens returned to Arizona, they carried with them more than just memories of an incredible weekend—they left with a renewed sense of Jewish identity, community, and purpose.
By Feigie Ceitlin
My cousin, Shani Pinson, is one of 300 volunteers who prepare meals for families with newborns and those facing medical challenges in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Bikur Cholim organization coordinates the effort. To avoid extra distress during dinnertime, the meals must be healthy and kid-friendly.
Shani shared this recipe with me, “Comfort Chicken & Rice,” which we often serve for dinner at home. “This is the perfect comfort food!” she said. It can be prepared in advance, set in the fridge, and easily placed in the oven when ready to bake.” She recommends pairing it with a side of roasted asparagus, fresh salad, or soup.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of brown rice (or any rice), rinsed
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 chicken pieces (baby chicken or bone-in)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a 9x13-inch pan, mix the rice and seasonings with the olive oil.
3. In a bowl, coat all the chicken pieces with an additional teaspoon of each seasoning.
4. Place the chicken pieces on top of the rice in the pan.
5. Add 4 cups of water to the rice, pouring it around the chicken.
6. Bake, covered, for 1.5 hours or until the water is fully absorbed. You can broil uncovered on high for 5 minutes when the chicken is done cooking.
Enjoy!
— Rebbetzin Feigie Ceitlin is the program director of Chabad Tucson and head of school of Lamplighter Chabad Day School.
When Jennifer walked into our Chabad House in Kathmandu, I saw a woman— not young, yet striking, with a shaved head. She was dressed in the orange robe of a Buddhist nun. Her eyes cautiously scanned the room, and it was clear that she was hesitant.
I remember the moment she approached me, standing close to my table, whispering softly, “I’m originally from Los Angeles, but I’ve been living in Nepal for five years. And… I’m Jewish.”
It’s not every day that you meet a nun from a Nepalese monastery who reveals that she’s Jewish.
From that modest encounter, an almost unimaginable bond began to form. Every few weeks, she would visit the Chabad House—always discreetly, always quietly.
At first, she didn’t ask questions and didn’t seek answers. She simply sat in a corner, lost in thought. Over time, our connection deepened, and we started having intense conversations.
During one of the early conversations, she said, “Some days, I hear inside me the prayer my mother used to whisper— ’Shema Yisrael.’ And I can’t silence that voice.”
That inner voice became a crucial part of her journey.
One day, Jennifer shared the path that had led her to the monastery.
“I ran away,” she said, and the words hovered between us like a heavy secret.
“I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t know where I belonged. My soul was always fractured. I never married, never had children… When I arrived at the monastery, they gave me peace. They gave me a place where I didn’t have to ask questions or confront answers.”
“In the monastery, they teach us to focus on our breath,” she told me. “But it’s precisely in those moments of meditation that I hear melodies from home. Songs
By Chani Lifshitz
my grandmother used to sing, echoes of Shabbat, the scent of challah.”
“When I left home,” she told me, “my mother gave me a small Star of David pendant. She told me, ‘You may be going far away, but I know your heart will return.’”
Jennifer kept that Star of David with her throughout her journey. In one of our meetings, she pulled out the tiny pendant. Now slightly rusted, it carried an immense weight —burdened with questions she didn’t always know how to ask.
I wasn’t always sure if I was able to answer the questions she did ask very well
made me reflect on myself, question what truly drives me, and consider how I could support people who are in such vastly different places.
Over time, I saw that Jennifer had changed from our earlier meetings. She was still quiet, but not with empty silence. This was a silence that felt whole.
During a recent visit, she pulled out her Star of David pendant and said, “This is my home.”
As we lit the Shabbat candles together that Friday evening, I saw light in her eyes. “Chani, do you think there’s a place for me in this world? Even when I’m not whole?” she asked.
“There is a place for every Jew,” I replied, “even when we feel like fragments, we are still part of the great song of our people.”
On a Sunday this past month, Jennifer called. She sounded lonely but not sad. “I’m returning to the community in Los Angeles,” she said. There was no doubt in her voice—this wasn’t an easy decision, but she knew it was time.
“I don’t have all the answers,” she added, “but I know I need to face my world now. Everything I was searching for in the monastery—I’ve realized I need to find it there, in my own life.”
—but she listened as she drifted between faith and fear, between light and darkness.
One day, she said to me, “Chani, I’m afraid.”
She spoke about her fear of losing the silence she had found in the monastery and of not finding herself again.
“What if I don’t belong anywhere?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears.
I told her, “Don’t rush—your inner home will find you.”
Over time, our conversations didn’t only impact her—they changed me as well. She
There was a long silence before she continued. “I don’t know if I’ll find the answers,” she said thoughtfully, “but I do know one thing—not searching is what truly scares me. I’m going to fight for every question because only through that will I find myself.”
At that moment, I realized that belonging is not measured by the search for easy answers but by the desire to find meaning and remain connected.
- Chani Lifshitz serves as the co-director of Chabad of Nepal, located in Kathmandu. She is the mother of four boys and two girls, along with a Nepalese son whom they adopted.
what could changed was my that me whole?” replied, are people.” in but added, now. it do every I belonging meaning co-director of Kathmandu. they
The great Torah scholar Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz undertook many large projects—including, I might add, the incredible feat of translating the Talmud into English. At one time, he went to the Rebbe and asked which projects he should drop as the multitude of responsibilities he had undertaken was overwhelming. The Rebbe responded that he should not drop any of them but rather work on time management. In fact, the Rebbe told him to change the very nature of time. That seems like an impossible task, but I found the notion to be quite useful in my own life as I spend so many hours in the kitchen to feed family and guests.
How do you change the very nature of time concerning time spent in the kitchen? I have learned to love my freezer. Make a double batch of cake, serve one, and freeze one, and you literally freeze the time it takes to make a cake. It has been a huge help in my family life. There are some things I have learned in my efforts to “freeze time” that I share with others and now with you.
To avoid the dreaded “freezer burn,” double-wrap food items in Ziploc freezer bags and label them with a permanent marker. Well-wrapped items can stay in the freezer for at least six months, but don’t let things stay in your freezer forever. Mentally take inventory every few weeks so that your hard work yields its ROI (return on investment). I keep a list of frozen items
By Rivka Caroline
on your refrigerator door.
2. Defrosting Tips
Soups need to be reboiled, and kugels and challah have to be wrapped in aluminum and put into a hot oven. Cake and cookies are defrosted at room temperature, which also means that they shouldn’t be frozen for too long, as they don’t lose any freezer burn through reheating.
Make a double batch of cake or cookies and
Defrost them in the fridge and put them into soup after it’s reboiled. (They are fragile!)
Freeze cooked meatballs in sauce; reheat in a Crock-Pot.
Prepare lasagna in bulk; reheat in a preset oven.
4. Don’t Advertise Your Brilliance
While it may be tempting to share your excitement over serving chicken soup that has been in the freezer for three months, most husbands and children will most likely immediately stop eating. Save your brilliance for your good friends.
5. Fresh or Frozen?
freeze them. You can also freeze a batch of raw cake mixture into small aluminum pans. For special days, these mini-cakes can be put in the oven at night and preset to cook early in the morning.
Make a turkey or brisket, and slice and freeze for several meals.
Freeze any soup into small portions. Chicken soup, lentil soup, and most soups with low potato content freeze especially well.
Freeze fully cooked knaidlach (dumplings).
Once you have had some success, it is up to you to experiment and continue to leverage your ability to freeze time. I am well aware that children and husbands may (or think they may) prefer fresh rather than frozen food items. They may taste better. However, if there is a choice between 100% fresh food and a frazzled mom or 60% fresh food/40% frozen food and a sane mom, I would choose the latter.
- Rivka Caroline is the mother of seven children and co-author of “From Frazzled to Focused: The Ultimate Guide for Moms Who Want to Reclaim Their Time, Their Sanity and Their Lives.” For more, visit sobeorganized.com
“The
By Seymour Brody
Though Al Jolson never served in the United States Army, he did his best to support it. When he was fourteen years old, he tried (unsuccessfully ) to enlist in the Spanish-American War; during World War I, he sold Liberty Bonds; during World War II, he entertained the troops at home and abroad and continued this commitment during the Korean War.
He was born in Srednike, Lithuania, the youngest of four children of Rabbi Moses Yoelson and his wife, Naomi (née Cantor). As birth records were not kept in that region at the time, he did not know his date of birth, but he gave his birth year as 1885, which was later corrected to 1886.
With anti-Jewish pogroms common there, the family immigrated to the United States in 1894. They moved to Washington, DC, when Rabbi Yoelsin obtained a job as a cantor at Talmud Torah Congregation in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood. His mother died a short time after coming to America when Al was 10.
His formal education was limited, but he learned a great deal on the streets, where he sang and danced on the corner to earn spending money. In constant conflict with his father, who wanted him to lead a religious life, Al ran away to New York to join his older brother, Harry, who had left home and changed his name to Jolson – a name Al also then adopted.
In 1899, he appeared as an extra in a Jewish play called Children of the Ghetto. At 15, he joined his brother in a three-person comedy act that toured the vaudeville circuits. They were known as Jolson, Palmer, and Jolson. During this tour, he used burned cork to darken his face, which became his trademark in show business.
After a few years, he left the group to go solo. Jolson was not used to the pressures of a set script, but he loved to improvise during his act. While in San Francisco’s
small nightclubs, he decided to enhance his performance. He appeared in blackface and sang Southern-style songs. The audience gave him three encores, launching him toward stardom. (This practice is now considered offensive).
Jolson returned to perform in New York and starred in the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer, which was based on the conflicts of his life. This film, which included a haunting Kol Nidre rendition, marked the end of the silent movie era. It also confronted racial bigotry by introducing black musicians to a global audience.
Jolson soon became America’s most famous and highest-paid entertainer, and both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates sought his public support. Despite his fame, Jolson’s personal life was turbulent. He was married four times and had three children, all of whom were adopted.
During World War II, Jolson performed for the Armed Forces both at home and overseas. During the Korean War in the 1950s, he gave 42 shows in 16 days. Proud of the soldiers, he said, after returning home, “I am going to look over my income tax return to make sure that I paid enough. These guys are wonderful.”
After a demanding trip to Korea, Jolson had a heart attack and died in San Francisco on October 23, 1950. He was given a Jewish funeral and buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles. For his contributions to radio, film, and music, Jolson has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and received the Congressional Order of Merit posthumously.
- Originally published in Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America: 150 True Stories of American Jewish Heroism (Frederick Fell Publishers, Inc.)
By Chabad.org
Schnorrer (noun): A Yiddish term for an individual who engages in the act of schnorring, taking from others, typically in the form of charitable gifts; a corollary would be the English description of a “moocher.”
The term schnorrer is generally regarded as derogatory (and has expanded to refer to anyone who is not quite making it, socially, financially or appearance-wise) and has generated a full genre of Jewish legends, stories and jokes. But all humor aside, Jewish communities have historically done the honorable work of accommodating and supporting schnorrers with dignity. We often refer to those asking for money as collectors rather than shnorers in order to honor that.
Many contemporary Jewish communities have a special board to whom traveling collectors can present their bona fides (medical bills, letters from local rabbis etc.) in exchange for a letter of recommendation (known as a hamlatzah). With these letters in hand, they go from door to door (identifying Jewish homes by the mezuzah scroll on the right side of the doorway) and canvass synagogues to collect donations large and small.
Communities may also make accommodations available so that the collectors can minimize the expenses accrued during their travels. In times gone by, many communities supported a hekdesh (Hebrew for “sacred [place]”), where wayfarers and other indigents could
Photo: ArtHouse Studio/Pexels
find lodgings. Since these places were often somewhat neglected, this term has also come to refer to a messy place, along the lines of a chazer shtahl (Yiddish for “pigsty”).
The Meshuloch is not your ordinary shnorer. A meshuloch (plural meshulochim) is someone who is collecting funds for a cause other than himself and his immediate family. These typically include social service organizations or institutions of Torah scholarship. Since the Middle Ages, there has been a stream of meshulochim traveling from the Holy Land to the diaspora to give Jews the merit of
supporting those who make their homes on the sacred soil of Israel. A meshuloch from the Land of Israel was often known as a shadar, an acronym for sheliach derabanan (“agent of the rabbis”), presumably since the rabbis of the Holy Land would often choose an outstanding scholar to represent their cause to communities abroad.
A special kind of shnoring is Hachnosas Kallah. Many poor folk manage to eke out a living without relying on others until their children reach marriageable age, when the expenses of holding a respectable wedding and setting up the new couple prove beyond their modest means. People
collecting money to marry off their children may state that they are collecting for hachnosas kallah (“bringing in the bride”), which the Mishnah lists as a cause so special that it pays immediate dividends to the donor in This World, and the principal still awaits them in the World to Come.
The collector may say to a patron, Tizkeh Lemitzvos. After they receive a donation (and often even before), a collector may tell a (prospective) patron, tizkeh lemitzvos, “may you merit to mitzvahs.” This reflects the rabbinic notion that the reward for a good deed is the ability to perform another one.
Despite the negative connotations attached to the term schnorrer, the collector himself will often appropriately feel little shame in what he is doing. On the contrary, he may feel that he is doing his fellow Jews a favor by allowing them to contribute to the worthy cause(s) he represents. The opportunity to give tzedaka is a blessing to the giver as much as to the receiver.
This ties in directly to the word tzedaka, which is often translated as “charity” but actually means “justice.” For a Jew to give money to another is not an act of generosity or largess. Rather, it is an honest reflection of the way of the world: As everything belongs to G-d, and He gives one person more than another so that they may perfect His world by redistributing the wealth accordingly, tzedaka is better translated as righteousness, or a means of setting the world right.
For some reason, every time I write an article about annoying expressions, a lot of people write in. I guess this is a topic that people feel strongly about, and also that my readers know a lot of annoying people. The question is: Why are these expressions so annoying? I guess it depends on the expression:
1. Some leave you with weird mental pictures for no real reason.
For example, take the expression: a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
That’s a weird mental picture. Who puts clothing on a sheep? Don’t they already have wool?
But okay, what it really means, I hope, is “a wolf in a sheep costume.” But why are the wolves dressing up as sheep? Is this how wolves steal sheep? Why do they need to infiltrate the group before stealing one? Isn’t that like trying to rob a bank by dressing up as money?
Or sometimes people get serious and say, “That’s it; I’m putting my foot down.”
Why were you holding your foot up?
“Oh my goodness, put your foot down. We’re trying to eat here. Use a fork!”
Okay, so apparently, putting your foot down is a way of holding your position and standing on solid ground that you wouldn’t be able to stand on if you were on one foot, doing whatever it is people do on one foot. Learning Torah like in the Hillel story? (ask the rabbi if you don’t know it).
2. There are a lot of illogical comparisons out there.
For example, people say, “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
Um, why are you sewing in a barn?
By Mordechai Schmutter
Were you making clothing for your sheep?
The best way to find this needle, by the way, is to sit on the haystack. The needle will find you.
3. Maybe what people say isn’t actually annoying; you’re just tired.
For example, take the expression, “Wake up and smell the coffee.”
Wait. Isn’t drinking coffee what
actually wakes you up? And if you drink it, what is there left to smell? Coffee breath? If you really want to wake up, I’d suggest smelling the milk!
“I’m not gonna smell it! You smell it!”
Or how about the expression, “Rise and shine”?
“Uch, I have to shine too? It’s not enough that I have to rise? Look, I can either rise or shine, but not both.”
The truth is, it’s very hard to shine without rising. In general, though, I’m incapable of shining for a good few hours after I rise. Definitely not until I’ve smelled the coffee.
I guess people say it this way because it’s weird to just say “rise.”
So they have to stick something else there. It sounds like you’re yelling at bread.
People say weird things at night too. For example, they say, “Good night; sleep tight; don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
“Wait. You have bedbugs? Now I’m not going to sleep tight. What am I supposed to do? It’s dark, I have zero weapons… I shouldn’t let them bite? I don’t think they care if I let them!”
4. Sometimes people say things specifically to annoy you, but they annoy you on more than one level because the expression itself doesn’t make sense.
Think about how many things people say to drive you up a wall. Like: “You’re driving me up a wall,” whatever that means.
It’s like, “I’m going up the wall anyway. Can I drive you?”
I guess the idea is that you’re climbing the wall to escape what’s annoying you. Example: “This communism is driving me up the wall.”
Anyway, that’s it for today. You can keep sending in annoying expressions so long as it’s clear that you’re annoyed by them, too. But until then, Good night, sleep tight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite, Heaven forbid. Put your foot down! On the bugs, if possible.
By Menachem Posner
1. In the biblical counting from Nissan, which month is Adar?
A) 6th
B) 7th
C) 11th
D) 12th
2. What is the mazal (zodiac) of Adar?
A) Fish (Pisces)
B) Aquarius (water carrier)
C) Capricorn (goat)
D) Aries (ram)
3. On which day in Adar did Moses’ life begin and end?
A) 1 Adar
B) 7 Adar
C) 14 Adar
D) 21 Adar
4. The Talmud states that when Adar enters, we increase in:
A) Jelly production (for hamantashen)
B) Joy (since Purim is a happy time)
C) Jewish practice (since springtime is associated with laxity)
D) Judgment (since we want a “kosher” Passover)
5. In which book of the Bible is Adar first referred to by name?
A) Numbers, when the Israelites encamped
B) Esther, when Haman chooses to annihilate the Jews
C) Chronicles, which lists it as the birth month of Moshe
D) II Samuel, which lists it as the birth month of Samuel
6. Which fast is observed during Adar?
A) Fast of Gedaliah
B) Fast of Esther
C) Fast of Mordechai
D) Fast of Shushan
7. Haman died in Adar True
False
8. Adar is an opportune time for the Jewish people True
False
9. Which event during Adar brought relief to Jewish people?
A) Death of Babylon King Nebuchadnezzar II (561 BCE)
B) Jews of Cairo saved from Ottoman plot (1524)
C) Death of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin (1953)
D) All are correct
10. What happens to Adar during a leap year?
A) It is skipped entirely
B) It grows to 31 days
C) It becomes two months
D) Nothing at all
