The Jewish Internet With Mark Mietkiewicz Traditionally, fewer weddings are held between Passover and Shavuot, a period of semi-mourning. But after Shavuot, the Jewish wedding dam bursts. That means that right now, there are countless couples counting down the days as they plan their special ceremony. And that means choosing

The Jewish Internet By Mark Mietkiewicz, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer It may not have the fame of matzah. Or the kick of a mouthful of marror. But charoset, that lively mixture of nuts and wine and apple, plays a delicious role as we eat our way through the

The Jewish Internet By Mark Mietkiewicz, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Purim is almost here and if you just can’t wait, you can carry a Megillah wherever you go — or at least a noisemaker or two — if you’ve got an iPhone (or iPod touch or iPad). A

By Mark Mietkiewicz, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer On Shemini Atzeret, Jews around the world recited the beautiful Tefillat Geshem, the Prayer for Rain: “…for blessing and not for curse. For life and not for death. For plenty and not for scarcity (http://bit.ly/isrwat1).” But scarce it is. Israel’s perennial

In The Mix By Julie Wiener So, as you no doubt have already heard, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in response to complaints from major American Jewish groups, has pulled the controversial “Come Home Quick, Before You Assimilate Into Nothingness” commercials which are apparently, according to a representative from Israel’s

The Jewish Internet By Mark Mietkiewicz To Butter a bagel You need to finagle/Just to inveigle The slithering spread/To the edge of the bread (http://bit.ly/bagels01). That’s Alma Denny waxing poetic about the food that has conquered bakeries, supermarkets and wastelines everywhere. More than just a piece of dough that’s boiled

By Mark Mietkiewicz, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Chanukah is approaching but if you can’t wait and want a quick holiday fix, just head over to the Apple iTunes store. You’ll find an assortment of free and low cost apps for your iPhone and iPod Touch to put you

If you have ever had the chance to float on the Dead Sea supported by its salty waters, you now have the opportunity to support the Dead Sea. The unique body of water is a finalist in an international competition, to be named as one of the New Seven Wonders

By Mark Mietkiewicz, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer It’s one of the pivotal moments of the Jewish calendar. Worshippers, many dressed in white, flock to synagogue and wait, often with trepidation, for the cantor to start singing Kol Nidre. But why has a prayer concerned with annulling vows and

High Holy Days humor? Is this some kind of joke? Actually, yes. Rosh Hashanah ushers in the most solemn period of the Jewish calendar that culminates 10 days later on Yom Kippur. This is a serious time of introspection and cheshbon nefesh, a spiritual accounting. But Jews being Jews, there’s