Chanukkah or Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, will be observed the evening of Nov. 28 through the evening of Dec. 6. Locally, Dr. Marc Orner will lead a service, which includes dinner, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3. at Temple Mizpah, 849 Chestnut St. Tickets for the dinner are $5 and reservations are required by Dec. 1. Those who
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By LORETTA FULTON The Jewish High Holy Days are being observed online in Abilene this year, with in-person services being another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. Monica J. O’Desky, cantor at Abilene’s Temple Mizpah, said in an email that she prepared recordings of both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services for members to watch. They were filmed inside the sanctuary
Read moreTraditional seder plate. Photo credit: tannazie on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-SA The Jewish Pesach or Passover is observed this year from the evening of April through April 16. Monica O’Desky, cantor for Temple Mizpah, prepared a video that can be watched in place of the traditional service due to the coronavirus pandemic. Click on the link below to view the video. The website chabad.org gives
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(Editor’s Note: Monica O’Desky is the cantor at Temple Mizpah, 849 Chestnut St. She travels to Abilene for special services, including Hanukkah, which will be observed Dec. 23-30. She submitted the following primer on what Hanukkah is and isn’t.) By MONICA O’DESKY For those who may not be aware, what Hanukkah isn’t, and what it is: What Hanukkah isn’t: *
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By MONICA J. O’DESKY Hanukkah was a mixed bag in our house as it is in many households. I don’t think anyone in the family really knew what we were celebrating and, most likely, if not for the proximity to Christmas, probably would not be having a Hanukkah celebration at all. It wasn’t until I was much older that I
Read moreCantor Monica O’Desky will lead a Hanukkah service Friday, Dec. 7, at Temple Mizpah, 849 Chestnut St. A dinner will begin at 6 p.m., with services to follow at 7. Cost for the dinner is $5. Call 572-3037 for reservations. Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival of lights that begins at sundown on the first day, which this year falls
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By MONICA J. O’DESKY I was conducting Torah study in Waco, Texas, when one of the participants received a news flash on his phone. There was a shooting in a synagogue in Pittsburgh. We all stopped to catch our breath for a minute. As details came out, we looked around at each other. There were maybe 15 of us in
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Spirit Of Abilene 