Sarah Aroeste's New Album Evokes the Lost Jewish World of Monastir

Berkshire-based singer Sarah Aroeste has long been an ambassador of Ladino music and Sephardic culture, but with her new album – and the broader undertaking it is a part of, The Monastir Project – she delves deeper into her family’s roots in the Balkan region of Macedonia.

Why Are Jews from the Former Soviet Union Often Called Russians?

In this Berkshire Jewish Voices essay, Yefim Kogan, a 1989 immigrant to the United States, explores some of the personal and historical consequences of how Soviets defined the idea of “nationality” - and what, in particular, that meant for Jews.

Traveling With Jewish Taste: "You Say Potato, I Say Картофель"

Our Traveling With Jewish Taste correspondent Carol Goodman Kaufman shares an overview of Russia's Jewish history, with a recipe for Eastern European-style potato salad.

Rabbi Reflection: This Year’s Early “Festivals of the Eternal”

Rabbi Neil P.G. Hirsch of Hevreh of Southern Berkshire shares his thoughts on how we may prepare this summer for this year's early celebration of the High Holy Days - "Let us come back into our communities, at the appointed times, with full hearts, ready to start this new year with joy and awe."

Undoubtedly Fortuitous - Development Officer Janet Lee on Her New Role

Development Officer Janet Lee shares her thoughts about working with our Jewish community to help Federation achieve its goal for Annual Campaign 2021