Census 2020 – Why It’s Important to Our Jewish Community

After the last United States Census was compiled in 2010, Berkshire County (and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts) experienced one of the most consequential outcomes that the decennial population count can deliver – loss of a seat in the United States House of Representatives.

The seat th…

The Jewish History of Barbados, Once a Haven for Jews Fleeing Persecution

A visit to the Nidhe Israel Synagogue and the oldest Jewish burial site in the Western Hemisphere

By Carol Goodman Kaufman

It was 10 degrees back home, so I was thrilled to be sailing in the sunny Caribbean, where temperatures hovered around 85 every day. Joel and I, along with our good fr…

Young Judaism: Back to Her Roots - With Help from Federation

Local Teen Maya Kaufman shares memories of her Federation-supported trip with Roots Israel Service Learning Adventure, a community service program of the Jewish National Fund and the Alexander Muss High School in Israel

Links to BJV Stories by Talia Caine, Albert Stern, & Rachel Barenblat

Links to two stories that appeared in the February 2020 BJV - "Fallen Angel: Hannah Senesh," fiction by Talia Caine, and Rabbi Reflection: "The Kaleidoscope of Cuba," by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat

Book Review: Beside Still Waters: A Journey of Comfort and Renewal

Rabbi Jack Reimer reviews Beside Still Waters: A Journey of Comfort and Renewal, reflections on mourning and mortality through a Jewish lens, edited by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat of Congregation Beth Israel in North Adams, MA.