My Kids Live 10 Months For 2, and I Live For 10 pm

By Allison Cohen for Raising Kvell

My life is as a voyeur. In fact, social media has turned us all into complete voyeurs. We follow blogs of people we have never met, are cheerleaders for Team Ethan, and wait for the next post from Superman Sam’s mom.  Who hasn’t clicked on the Facebook page of the first person that broke their heart way back when? Not to mention trying to keep up with the Instagram pages of our kids and their 617 friends. Oh and all those beautiful “how to get beachy waves” tutorials—I keep watching, and it ain’t working. And, it is about to get much worse…

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I Hope My Daughter Questions Everything

By Shira Fischer for Raising Kvell


My 3-year-old daughter already knows the difference between dairy and meat. She saw our delight the first time she asked us if a meal was chalavi (dairy) or besari (meat) and now she can even choose the right silverware. She doesn’t yet understand all the details–but she knows there’s a difference. Yesterday we even went to the next level and discussed pareve (neither dairy nor meat), too.

Through these recent conversations, I’ve realized how much about our world must seem completely arbitrary to her, with names and categories she has to just accept–and she’s slowly learning to do so. No pajamas during the day–but no dresses at night. Why?

We brush our teeth and our hair but not our feet. Cereal for breakfast but never for dinner. Chicken for dinner but never for breakfast. Omelets for either. Why? Why? Why? It’s all equally confusing.

Soon kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) will be ingrained in her, like other cultural facts. Meat versus dairy will be categories for her, as will Shabbat versus the rest of the week, and clothes versus pajamas. This is fine with me. This is how our culture does things. One day, though, my daughter will suddenly realize the assumptions she’s making.Continue reading.

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My Family is Thinking About Moving to Israel–But It’s Hard Not to Be Afraid

By Denise Yellen Ganot for Raising Kvell

When I was a senior in high school, my family and I made our first trip to Israel for my little brother’s bar mitzvah. It was then that I decided that I wanted to marry an Israeli. All of my years at Solomon Schechter Day School learning Hebrew would be put to good use, I would get to visit a country I loved on a regular basis, and our kids would be bilingual and cute. All the kids I knew who had one Israeli parent were bilingual and cute. So, how could I go wrong?

I did marry my Israeli, as it turned out. A mutual friend set us up on a blind date and the rest–as they say–is history. We have kids who are cute, though not yet bilingual. They, too, are at Jewish day school, and they are using more Hebrew with each passing day.

Since that first trip 23 years ago, I have developed a strong connection to Israel. And so, on our last trip a year ago, I turned to my husband and said, “What if we moved here for a year or two? Wouldn’t that be amazing for our kids and for us?”

At the time, it seemed like a pipe dream. My husband’s career was in the U.S., though his only family and our nieces were in Israel. Our kids are settled at their school, we love our synagogue, and my family and our friends are here in Boston. But once we had planted the idea in our minds, we were unable to let it go.

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The Biblical Ideal of Marriage

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Addresses Humanum Conference

Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi emeritus of the United Kingdom, argues that the biblical idea of marriage (and love) is a contribution as important as monotheism itself. Addressing an interfaith conference at the Vatican, Sacks narrates the evolution of the family as seen through biology, anthropology, and the Bible, and concludes with a surprising exegesis of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.

Light Your Fire: What Does the Menorah Symbolize?

The Menorah stands for light, wisdom, and Divine inspiration. In this period of darkness, we welcome the approaching Festival of Lights and the timeless lessons of the Holy Menorah.

Originally, the Menorah was a seven-branched candelabra beaten out of a solid piece of gold that served as one of the sacred vessels in the Holy Temple. It stood in the southern part of the Temple and was lit every day by the High Priest. Only pure, fresh olive oil of the highest quality was suitable to light the Menorah.

As its unique design communicates, the Menorah endures as a symbol of Divine light spreading throughout the world. To this end, God commanded that the Menorah’s goblets be turned upside down on their stems, emphasizing the importance of spreading light to others. This design reflects the Menorah’s exact purpose in the Holy Temple, which was to spread the light of Godliness to the entire world.

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For more great Hanukkah ideas, check out our    page.

Hanukkah Kit

Where can you read all about the origins, history and different customs of celebrating Hanukkah?  From denominations of Reform to Orthodox to Interfaith?

Where can you find all the best videos about the holiday from the Lady Gaga of Hasidic Music to Woody Guthrie?

Where can you find the best recommended books for both children and adults?

And where can you find recipes for Cajun Potato Latkes, Coconut Latkes, Bimuelos, Torzelli and Kuku Sabzi?

You should check out Jvillage's Hanukkah Holiday Kit.  It has all this and so much more including crafts to make with your family, a guide to gifts including one-of-a-kind and personalized; music, DVDs, DIY menorahs and edible dreidels.

Check it out and have a Happy Hanukkah.



For more great Hanukkah ideas, check out our    page.

Love and the Older Dad

By Lili Kalish Gersch for Raising Kvell

My father was 46-years-old when I was born. He already had two children in their early 20s, and had recently been through a bruising divorce. He raised my half-siblings through his own 20s and 30s, a time when he was building his career, buying his first house, and going to school part-time. Before he knew it, they were grown.

This happens to so many parents…so busy providing for our kids that we miss some of the magic of their childhoods. But how many of us actually have a chance to go back and do it all again? My dad did.

This time, he promised himself that he would be there to experience everything. As a kid this translated into Daddy and Me classes, frequent dinner dates, a built-in chauffeur for all my weekend enrichment activities, constant homework help, and much more. I took all of this for granted–it was the only thing I knew–but as a parent I now realize that he carved out an astounding amount of time to spend with only me.

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