values made real
How will you act to make your Judaism real in the world? Consider becoming involved with one of these:
American Jewish World Service
The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Uri l’Tzedek — Orthodox Social Justice
Bend the Arc; a Jewish Partnership for Justice
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps
Jewish Community Action
Jewish Community Relations […]
a thought regarding the history of Jewish environmentalism
In January of 1970 I needed to make (what for me then was) a significant personal decision. I was born on January 22 on the Gregorian calendar. However, the year I was born, that date corresponded with Rosh Jodesh Sh’vat. I noticed then, that in 1970 January 22 would coincide with Tu b’Sh’vat. […]
the days grow short, the moon fills and begins to wane.
The date clusters hang ready.
Come with me to the oasis.
The late summer harvest has begun.
I sort the fruit of my past year’s labor.
The fruit is full and sweet.
I look back on my year’s efforts with satisfaction.
The time for pruning has come.
Much dross weighs down my […]
studying pirkei avot during the omer
During the period of the Omer I have been studying Pirkei Avot. This is a traditional activity for the period, but I have been doing it in a non-traditional manner. I take each Mishnah and break it down into as few words as I can, yet still express a meaningful thought. Then, most of the time, I add […]
a growing haggadah
We printed a private new edition of A Growing Haggadah last year for personal use. We will use it again this year. If you are interested in having a PDF version of the text to print and use (in whole or in part) at your Seder you can download it here:
A Growing Haggadah (for family use)
A […]
I am not the first to use the phrase, but beginning on March 15, 2000 I began a file in which I collected our mother’s sayings. I will periodically share them here. One of her primary expressions was:
if you can’t say anything nice about someone,
don’t say it
It’s that simple.
Our mother was not a learned person. Though she graduated near the […]
giving
On May Day, The New York Times published an article about how to determine how much money you should donate, suggesting that “God Knows”. The article states that “Americans gave away 2.2 percent of their personal disposable income to nonprofit groups of various sorts in 2008”. It reviewed the usual amounts suggested by various “Western” […]
[…from the archives (with minor updating)]:
The cool blankets act like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest [Isaiah 18:4]
During which we share a Biblical Bouquet:
Our rabbis tell us this bouquet is like our people:
Some with many good deeds,
others with much learning;
Some with neither…
Some with both.
The Four Species Table
Fragrance
is like good deeds.
Taste
is like learning.
The […]
If she had not been murdered by the Nazis in early March 1945, Anne Frank would turn 80 years old on 12 June 2009.
Anne Frank in an age progression image at 80 years old
What would you say to Anne Frank if you were to meet her on the street? …that she transformed your […]
On 23 February, 2009, in honor of Rosh Ḥodesh Adar 5769:
The Hebrew text around the edge says: MiShenichnas Adar Marbim BeSimcha(When Adar Comes, Joy Is Increased)
משניכנס אדר מרבין בשימחה
Why should joy increase when the month of Adar begins? Because this is the true end of winter which was heralded by Tu b’Shvat two weeks […]
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In the year 5779… May we strengthen our covenantal relationships
as we reflect and reinforce
the love of a caring universe. 
Mishneh Torah, Blessings 10:16;
based on Genesis 9:11
To see the full size image and those of previous years click the graphic above. preparing for ראש השנה & יום כפורpreparing for ראש השנה & יום כפור
I began creating a Web site in my head as early as August 1995 when I drafted the following
For a project I’m pursuing regarding Jewish involvement on the internet and the World Wide Web in particular, I’m interested in learning about any sites about which you may know. For example, do any rabbis have Home pages? Which synagogues or synagogue organizations have Web sites? Does Marge Piercy have a site at which you can read portions of "He She and It"? Does Howard Rheingold have a site where you can learn more about creating a Virtual [Jewish] Community? Is there a Web Camera at the Kotel? In the Wilderness of Zin?
More
¡warning! This site remains under considerable reconstruction.
Most pages should still be available in their original location. However, I will be moving the vast majority of the old site (static html pages) into the Web 2.0 (blog) site. If you experience any "link rot", please let me know.
When I initially created this site I organized the material into what seemed to be meaningful categories (in the days before "tags"). But the time came when, it was hard to figure out which link to click if you wanted to know about Sammy Levinger's ("who"?) death ("what"?) while fighting during the Spanish Civil War ("when"?), though we had visited Belchite the site ("where?") of the battle where he sustained his mortal wounds. The new tools should make this process easier.
`//rite on!
,\\ark Hurvitz Producing content on the Web since 1995.
some sayings of ר‘משבצונה“ל
For many years I have worked hard, and struggled with mastering virtuous. Now, in addition, I’m working on becoming more virtual.
This is an expression of that effort.
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השיבנו ה‘ אליך ונשובה חדש ימינו
כעוד לא היו
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ומביא גאלה…
לצאצאיהם All photographs are by Mark Hurvitz unless they are obviously not (or credit otherwise is given).
The photos in the banner at the top (only a shallow sliver of a much larger photo) are either from our home or our travels and are offered for their beauty alone (though a brain-teaser for me: "Where was that?").
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