jewish revival inpoland

My dear friend Witold invited Kelley and me to spend Shabbat in his home, along with several others. It was indeed a Shabbat of rest and peace. Shabbat was on the 9th of Av, so the observance was postponed to…

Chelm deserves, as usual, her own blog. Charming and beautiful, yet mysterious and quirky. Arriving there on Friday, we went directly to an apartment to settle in for Shabbos. It was supposed to be on the first floor instead of…

Dancing the Hora with a Catholic Priest 

No, it isn't the start of a joke. Last year I went to the town of Wojlawice near the border of Ukraine. I wrote about it in my blog in November 2021. When…

Kazimierz and Lublin 

We stayed in Radom on Sunday night after the concert in a brand new hotel. It was lovely. Then we traveled the next day to Kazimierz to begin the long-awaited seminar. We started on Tuesday with an…

First Shabbat in Poland  

We drove back from Ostroviec to Warsaw on Friday and checked in to the hotel. We participated in the March of Remembrance, directly afterward commemorating the deportation of the Warsaw Ghetto's Jews to…

One of the best things I have ever done is to travel to Israel and sit on the beach in Tel Aviv for an entire week. No meetings, no calls--sleep, eat, swim, study, sleep--repeat daily. After that, our trip from…

The train from Krakow to Gdansk/Sopot was almost six hours, but the most comfortable ride ever.  The US Infrastructure bill barely passed, which would provide an opportunity to upgrade our rail system. With food, drinks, internet, and electric outlets, the…

Shabbat in Krakow 

Leaving the Kazimierz Dolny area on Wednesday, I was fortunate enough to get a ride to Warsaw and then a few days later to Krakow. The best part about it was that the person who drove, Adam…

Where to begin? This past Shabbes was a fantastic experience in every way!! Lighting Shabbat candles in the synagogue in Chelm, where there has not been a service for 80 years, was a humbling experience. As I explained the meaning…

Miecmierz, Poland 

I have been here in Miecmierz for three days, and each day I am working with Marcin Krol on recording new music. It is a blast--he is one of the most incredible violinists that I have ever heard…

See Polish Television News Story

Shabbat in Zielona Gora 

Sundown in Zielona Gora, November 5th, standing in front of yet another marker/monument in Poland. Yet this town was part of Germany when the war began. In this small area, the…

Another fantastic day in Poland. With limited mobility, I haven't been able to do everything that I wanted, but I still kept pretty darn busy. I met with my new friend Jose  Florenko for coffee, and then we went to…

My first Shabbes in Warsaw got off to a flying start. Literally! I walked down the hotel's stairs to the lobby, did not correctly negotiate the last step, and flew onto the floor. Thank God I avoided broken bones. But…

Okay, there were six Hassidim that were on the plane. I loved seeing them in their tallaisim and tefillin as we reached the time for Shema. It was a shock to the passengers, but I think that they were counting…

I am sitting in the air terminal waiting to go to Poland about LOT Airlines. I am looking around and seeing many Hassidic Jews and wondering why they are going to Poland—perhaps on a mission? I look closely at some…

Havdallah means "separation." This ceremony marks the end of Shabbat (the holy) and the beginning of the weekday (the usual).

There are three symbols utilized in this ceremony:

1. Candle with at least two wicks. Lighting candles can only be done…

Candles are lit on Shabbat for many reasons: 

To enjoy the oneg, the delight of Shabbat by literally seeing the festive meal and the symbols of the day. Light will also avoid a fall that would dampen the joy. 
Light…