A dreidel game is a must for Jewish kids at Hannukah. Their parents give them chocolate coins, called chanuka gelt. Thanks to a dreidel, a four-sided spinning top, they can either multiply or lose the treasure. Each s...

A mezuzah is a small box made of wood, metal or glass. It contains a scroll of parchment inscribed with two fragments of the Torah. A mezuzah is affixed to the doorframe in Jewish houses. It should be placed sidelong...

The rite of ritual ablution was not alien to people living in the ancient Middle East. The Torah describes in detail the main rules governing ablution and construction of a water tank, which is called the mikveh in He...

Jewish marriages, just like Christian ones, have been arranged for centuries. This custom changed in the 20th century, except in the case of present-day Orthodox Jews who want to espouse by asking a matchmaker (shadkh...

Who of us does not know the skit ‘Sęk’ (‘Knag’), which was brilliantly performed years ago by Edward Dziewoński and Wiesław Michnikowski? However, not many people know that this witty text was written even before the ...

The word ‘shtetl’ means ‘town’ in yiddish. It is a diminutive of ‘shtot’ (’city’). The term is used to describe the places inhabited by Jews of Central-Easter Europe. Monika Adamczyk-Garbowska wrote in her commentary ...

The upsherin is a Jewish ceremony of the first haircut given to a boy who is 3 years of age practised by Orthodox and Hassidic families. Initially, the custom of upsherin was vivid in Sephardim circles. Chaim Vital, ...

As you might expect, Jews have had an interesting relationship with Christmas. For much of Jewish history, the challenges between Christians and Jews made the holiday if nothing else, an uncomfortable experience which...