J Blog

Dear Community Members, For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Rotem Cohen and I am the Israeli Shlicha (emissary) here at the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC. You may have heard about what has been happening in Israel over the past few weeks. These are complicated and sad times for everyone involved and I wanted to give some perspective to the situation as an Israeli. If I were living in Israel right now, I would have probably been ...

Every year on Iyyar 3rd, a siren rings out after sunset at 8:00 PM for one minute to signify the beginning of Yom Hazikaron, national remembrance day observed in Israel for all fallen soldiers who served in the IDF and civilian victims of hostilities. During the siren, there is silence. Everyone is standing. Some with their heads down and some up, some are crying and some not, but they all stand to respect the fallen. During the next 24 hours ...

As a 24 years old Israeli, Halloween seems like a pretty weird pagan holiday. A bit different from the Israeli - Jewish version of it - Purim. Maybe it’s the creepy decorated houses, maybe it’s the undead ghosts roaming the streets and maybe it’s the sugar rush from candy that makes it feel like real magic is in the air. 

This year, as a shaliach here in Houston, I got to witness Halloween for the second time. This time was unforgettable. Celebrating Halloween was, as expected, a cultural shock. Not a shock of American culture, but a shock to my own Israeli culture and life.