A guide to Elul: The Jewish last month of year is for reflection and repentance

Food for thought! I knew the Jewish week is very different from the Western week, but I forgot or was not aware that the Jewish calendar is also very different, except for Yom Kippur.

"... The Jewish calendar differs fundamentally from the Gregorian calendar because it is a lunisolar system rather than a purely solar system. ...

Starting Epoch: The Gregorian calendar counts from the estimated birth of Christ. The Jewish calendar counts from the calculated date of Creation (3761 BCE), meaning the year 2026 CE falls during the Jewish year 5786. ...

The Jewish calendar has a different beginning and end of the year because it follows two distinct biblical tracking tracks—one for the agricultural/civil cycle and another for the historical/religious cycle. This is vastly different from the Gregorian calendar, which relies on a single, fixed civil New Year on January 1st that was arbitrarily set by Roman politics. ..." (Google Search/AI)

"It may be the middle of summer on the Gregorian calendar right now, but on the Jewish calendar, we are approaching the end of the year. The month of Elul begins this year at sundown on August 13. Although Elul contains no major Jewish holidays, it is quite an important period of reflection and preparation for the High Holidays, which begin with Rosh Hashanah on the first of the following Hebrew month, Tishrei. ...

However, asking Hashem for forgiveness is not enough when we have wronged another person. For those transgressions, we must take responsibility, make amends, and seek forgiveness directly from the person we have hurt. ...

Eleazar of Worms, a 12th-century Jewish scholar also known as the Rokeach, points to a connection between Elul and a verse from the Song of Songs: אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי (Ani L’dodi V’dodi li), meaning “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me.” The verse is an acronym for the Hebrew month of Elul — אלול — using the first letter of each word to form the name of the month. ..."

A guide to Elul: The Jewish month of reflection and repentance "‘I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me’: Why is the month of Elul so important in Judaism? What is Elul, and how is it observed? Explore the meaning of the Hebrew month and the traditions that prepare Jews for Rosh Hashanah."

Temples in Antiquity Jewish History in the Torah Terumah with Henry Abramson

Recommendable!

Temples in Antiquity Jewish History in the Torah Terumah - YouTube

The final days of Mizoram’s Jewish community in India

Recommendable! One of the lost tribes?

Who are the Cochin Jews, one of the world’s oldest Jewish communities?

Amazing stuff!

My Christmas wish 2025

Can we not all get along in peace and prosperity? Christians, Jews, and Muslims!

Will it happen in my lifetime? I pray and hope!

The Arab Initiative Racing Against a Global Surge in Antisemitism

It would be wonderful if there are such initiatives among Arabs/Muslims in the Middle East and if these initiatives make a difference!

Caveat: I did not read the article.

The Arab Initiative Racing Against a Global Surge in Antisemitism "A team of translators is tackling antisemitism by confronting its roots in the Middle East through education, empathy, and a return to a forgotten tradition of [peaceful] coexistence."

Joint Assisted Suicide by married, older British couple in Switzerland to Avoid Future separation by death. She is a Polish Holocaust survivor

Food for thought! Dignity and the choice of one's death. Does love survive death?

This was a Jewish couple from the UK. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with Judaism and its relation to death or suicide.

Switzerland is a very special, small country in more than one respect! Direct democracy is another example.

"Ruth Posner, 96, and her husband Michael, 97, sent an email to loved ones saying they'd "shuffled off this mortal coil" after travelling to a Swiss Dignitas clinic because they did not want to leave each other behind. ...

Neither Michael Posner, 97, nor his wife Ruth, 96, had a terminal illness, but had made the decision to die together because they were desperate not to be apart after 75 years of marriage. ..."

"... This is far from the first such case as euthanasia consciousness has spread throughout the West. I even know of one joint euthanasia homicide in Belgium of an elderly couple who weren’t sick but worried about future widowhood. It was arranged by their son so the children could avoid future caregiving. ..."

"... The Polish-born actress, 96, who escaped a Nazi ghetto as a child and forged a successful career in dance and drama, is thought to have died last weekend at the Pegasos clinic near Basel.

She and 97-year-old Michael sent an email to family and friends on Tuesday informing them of their decision to die, according to playwright Sonja Linden who told BBC News she had received it.

In the note, first reported by The Times, the couple said they were "sorry not to have mentioned it, but when you receive this email we will have shuffled off this mortal coil".

"The decision was mutual and without any outside pressure. We had lived a long life and together for almost 75 years. There came a point when failing senses, of sight and hearing and lack of energy was not living but existing that no care would improve," they wrote.

"We had an interesting and varied life and except for the sorrow of losing Jeremy, our son. We enjoyed our time together, we tried not to regret the past, live in the present and not to expect too much from the future. Much love Ruth & Mike".

Ms Linden, a close friend of Mrs Posner, paid tribute to her as "the most vibrant, amazing woman" and Mr Posner as a "remarkable, clever, intellectual man".

Speaking to the PA news agency, she said of Mrs Posner: "She felt increasingly, every time I visited her over the last year, she said 'we've had enough, we're ready to go, we don't want to just exist. And that's what we're doing, we're just existing at the moment'." ..."

Joint Elderly Assisted Suicide in Switzerland to Avoid Future Widowhood | National Review

Actress and husband choose to 'die at Swiss clinic' as they 'can't be apart'

Holocaust survivor Ruth Posner and husband die at Swiss clinic

DIGNITAS - To live with dignity - To die with dignity

Ruth Posner

The Posner couple

Image of the day

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wears a kippah while speaking at the opening of the synagogue Reichenbachstraße in Munich. How phony is that! He is perhaps the first German chancellor ever to wear a kippah in public!

And he was reportedly crying at the event!

Source

Who was the German Ludwig Riess, Jewish Historian in 19th century Japan?

Recommendable! Life is stranger than fiction!

South Africa Chief Rabbi Goldstein: President Ramaphosa “cursed” for ICJ case against Israel

South Africa has a chief rabbi? And this rabbi casts curses on high government officials?

Looks like this chief rabbi from South Africa has little good to say about South Africa's government.

ICJ case against Israel curses Ramaphosa, says SA Chief Rabbi Goldstein - The Jerusalem Post "Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein criticizes President Ramaphosa for accusing Israel of genocide, calling his Oval Office humiliation ‘Divine justice’ and a sign of deeper moral failure."

On the religious identity of D.C. shooting victim Yaron Lischinsky

Food for thought!

He "belonged to “a Messianic community in Jerusalem that blends traditional Jewish practices with the Christian belief that Jesus is the messiah.”"

Jewish Telegraph Agency

Messianic and Episcopal communities mourn Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as their own

Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky

Baltimore rabbi (age 62) attacked and punched hard by two masked attackers, ends assault by drawing gun

Since the Holocaust, Jews have sworn never to be unarmed again!

It appears the old Rabbi waited for a long time to draw his gun! Only after he was attacked a second time, he drew his gun.

"... "It was so hard, my glasses fell off, my yarmulke fell off. Rabbi Goldfeiz, 62, was knocked to the ground by the man, who then began striking him and snatched his car keys. ...

The suspect and his accomplice then attempted to start Goldfeiz's vehicle but were unsuccessful. After being unable to start the car, the suspects tried to assault him again, [but] Goldfeiz drew his firearm and pointed it at one of the men. ...

Baltimore Police said that Rabbi Goldfeiz possesses a valid handgun permit. ..."

Baltimore rabbi attacked by masked attacker, ends assault by drawing gun - The Jerusalem Post "Rabbi Emanuel Goldfeiz was in the parking lot at 11p.m. on Saturday night when a masked individual "sucker punched [him] in the face.""

Armed and dangerous rabbi. Just kidding!

38% of American Jews believe in life after death, but 83% of US Christians do, study finds

Amazing stuff!

"... That share was lower than the 83% of U.S. Christians who believe in life after death, as well as the 58% of Israeli Jews who say there is an afterlife. ...

Unlike in some Christian denominations where a belief in the afterlife is an organizing idea, Judaism has no single doctrine about what happens after death. Still, the idea that ultimately the dead will be resurrected by God is a core aspect of classical rabbinic theology embraced by Orthodox Jews, who make up a larger share of Jews in Israel than in the United States. ..."

38% of American Jews believe in life after death, study finds - Jewish Telegraphic Agency "About half of American Jews, and nearly two-thirds of Israeli Jews, said animals can have spirits."

Believing in Spirits and Life After Death Is Common Around the World "Younger people are just as likely as older people to hold some spiritual beliefs"

Why Do South Koreans Love the Talmud? with Henry Abramson

Very recommendable! Amazing stuff! The ways of the Lord are inscrutable! 😊

Morocco Designates Ancient Synagogue as Official Heritage Site

Good news! Make love, not war!

"In a deeply symbolic gesture of cultural preservation, Morocco has officially declared the 200-year-old Kahal Synagogue in Asilah a state heritage site, breathing new life into one of the country's historic Jewish landmarks.

Originally built in 1824, the synagogue had long stood neglected in the scenic coastal town, its walls weathered by time and its sanctity fading from memory. But thanks to a remarkable restoration effort led by members of the local Jewish community and supported by Moroccan officials, Kahal Synagogue has been restored to its former grandeur down to the last pew. ..."

Morocco Designates Ancient Synagogue as Official Heritage Site "Restoration of 200-year-old Kahal Synagogue honors Morocco’s Jewish legacy."

A majority American Jews say they rarely or never pray, new Pew Research poll finds

What does it mean?

I was unable to find this Pew Research poll or article. The link provided in the article below points to some generic page about American Jews. Presumably, the 2025 Religious Landscape Study is the source.

"... In 2014, 45% of Jewish adults chose “seldom/never” to describe their prayer frequency. When Pew asked the question again in 2023 and 2024, the proportion was 58%. ...

The poll also found that fewer American Jews say religion is important in their lives. ...

The proportion of Jews that hardly if ever pray is far higher than among other religious communities. For Muslim Americans, the corresponding figure was 18%, while for evangelical Christians it was 7%. Among religious groups, only followers of the New Age movement had a larger proportion of people who seldom or never pray, at 62%. ..."

Most American Jews say they rarely or never pray, new poll finds - Jewish Telegraphic Agency "The proportion of Jews that rarely if ever pray is far higher than among other religious communities — and on the rise."

9 remaining Syrian Jews revisit one of the oldest synagogues in the world in Damscus after Assad's fall

Amazing stuff!

"The remaining few Jews in Syria are now able to visit the Jobar Synagogue, one of the oldest synagogues in the world, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.

The synagogue, located in the Jobar suburb of Damascus, was partially destroyed during the Syrian Civil War ... The area was heavily restricted by Assad’s forces from 2018 until just a few weeks ago.

Syria only has nine Jewish people remaining in the country, the head of the Syrian Jewish community, Bakhour Chamntoub, told the AP."

Syrian Jews revisit historic Jobar synagogue after Assad's fall - The Jerusalem Post

A damaged synagogue is seen in the Damascus suburb of Jobar December 14, 2014. The shrine and synagogue of prophet Eliahou Hanabi, dates back to 720 B.C.

Using menorah from Argentina's Milei, Volodymyr Zelensky lights Hanukkah candles with Ukrainian rabbis

Powerful symbolic by the comedian turned wartime president!

"The video shows Zelensky flanked by 11 rabbis, emissaries of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement who are the main purveyors of Jewish leadership in Ukraine. While many who could leave the country have done so over the course of the war, the rabbis have remained in place, ministering to an increasingly needy population of Jews who remain. ..."

Using menorah from Argentina's Milei, Volodymyr Zelensky lights Hanukkah candles with Ukrainian rabbis - Jewish Telegraphic Agency "“I’m sure that as you say and as Hanukkah says, the light will definitely overcome the darkness,” Zelensky told the rabbis."

Why Do Jews Eat Chinese Food on Christmas?

Recommendable!

Why Do Jews Eat Chinese Food on Christmas? | The Nosher

Jews and Thanksgiving Holiday or what is the meaning of chutzpah

Some headlines of today:

How Judaism makes every day Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Is Basically a Jewish Holiday. Here’s Why.