Between Nusach and Niggun: The Chazzan’s Evolving Role
Certainly, a chazzan can make—or break—the Yamim Noraim experience. Given the importance of the chazzan to the upcoming holidays, it’s worth exploring the history of singing in shul.
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Volume # 86Fall 2025 (5786)
The Power of Preparation: Elevating Mitzvos Through Hachanah
Our lack of meaningful personal hachanah may well lie at the root of many of our religious challenges.
Tips for Preparing for the High Holidays
Ten meaningful things you can do during the forty days of Elul and the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah to prepare spiritually and emotionally for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Building a Community: Stories from the Ground Up
What does it take to build a community? In the articles ahead, we meet some of the men and women whose steady efforts have shaped the rhythm of Jewish life in their cities.
Getting It Done, and Doing It Right, in Houston: Yakov Polatsek
“He sat with me for half an hour, called his wife, took money from one place, borrowed from another place and addressed the deficit . . . From that moment, by default, he took financial responsibility for the school.”
Warmth Beyond Sunshine in Phoenix: Shaun and Gary Tuch
Shaun and Gary have both rolled up their sleeves and thrown themselves into local life, doing their part to take the community to the next level.
Living Together in Linden: Andy and Samantha Van Houter
“I don’t think that this type of relationship between Modern Orthodox and Chassidic Jews exists anywhere else.”
Putting Springfield, New Jersey, on the Map: Ben Hoffer
Even families that move away for one reason or another always come back to attend a Springfield simchah.
How a Shul Rewrote Its Story: Yosef Kirschner
The invitation came as a surprise to Kirschner. “Growing up, I never saw myself as a leader and never sought out leadership positions.”
The Accidental Activist: Avi Apfel
To be heavily involved in an initiative like this, you must have thick skin . . . . And that’s before you start fundraising or recruiting a board.
Modeling Leadership in Memphis: Noam and Dr. Deena Davidovics
“The experience in Baltimore made us realize that things can actually fall apart. . . . We can’t take it for granted that an institution will survive without hard work.”
Where Is Tennessee?
Far from the frum frenzy, one newly Southern Jew reflects on finding home—and herself—deep in the heart of Memphis.
Lessons in Community Building—From Israel: How a Religious Community Took Root in Ariel
Though Ariel always had religious residents, they were a small minority. That has changed.
Snooker and Second Chances
How OU Israel’s Teen Center is changing young lives in Ariel
Inside Ariel’s Jewish Campus Scene
“We want to let our students feel a part of the Israeli melody.”
Building a Community: Pointers from the Pros
What do you need to build a community?
The Artistry of Shabbat Lights
Explore the history of Shabbat candle lighting with this photo essay.
Shabbat Candles: Halachot & Customs
The rabbinic mitzvah to mark the onset of Shabbat by lighting candles is an ancient and important halachah.
The Shabbat Table That Found Me: Filling the Silence with Women’s Voices
None of us would have chosen this path. Yet somehow, in the aftermath of our greatest losses, we found each other.
Shabbat in a Changed Israel: How Israelis Have Embraced Shabbat Since October 7
From the moment Agam was abducted from her army base in the Gaza Envelope on October 7, the rest of Meirav’s family joined her in keeping Shabbat.
All the Lonely People
During my formative years, separation and divorce were taboo topics—no one spoke about them.
From Kashering Boards to Cookie Factories: Inside a Groundbreaking Kashrus Program for Women
“When an ad for the ASK OU Summer 2025 Women’s Kashruth Experience caught my eye, I was intrigued and applied to join the program.”
An Apple a Day . . . Recipes for the High Holidays
Some delicious ways to incorporate apples in your menus and holiday table
Reviews in Brief – Fall 2025
Jewish Customs: Exploring Common and Uncommon Minhagim; Al HaRishonim Ve’Al Ha’Acharonim; Mastering the Mind: A Guide to Focused Learning and Torah Retention
Articles of Faith: Traditional Jewish Belief in the Internet Era
Halachic Judaism, Rabbi Student suggests, may well have been brought into its democratic age thanks to the internet’s ubiquity . . .
The High Holidays of My Youth
In that tiny shul, the prayers of survivors hung heavy in the air.