Tisha B’Av: Day of Endings
There is no comfort in endings, no matter how much good might come to you at other times.
Author Archive for Jenna Zark
Contributing writer Jenna Zark is a local Jewish playwright whose plays have been produced at Circle Repertory Company, Illusion Theater, History Theatre, Minnesota Jewish Theatre and elsewhere. She also provides communication services to businesses and nonprofits. More information is at www.jennazark.org.
Are We There Yet? Standing At Sinai
“Do you believe Jews are chosen above all other people?” “Chosen for what?” I reply. “Suffering?” He looks as though he wants to kick me, but does not.
May 14, 2010 | 3 comments | View Post
The Sign at the Border: Remembrances on Yom Hazikaron and Yom Hatzma’ut
An Israeli soldier is asleep under a tree, his cheek against a gun that he cradles in his arms.
Apr 16, 2010 | 4 comments | View Post
Alef, Bet: On the other side of the Holocaust
I want my son to see a flaming Alef lighting the sky above us when he dreams at night; right now it is all I have.
Apr 08, 2010 | 2 comments | View Post
A Hole in the Floor: Prepping for Passover
“My mother,” she says, in a thick Russian accent, “used to bake her matzohs in secret, in the middle of the night, and stored them in a hole in our kitchen floor.”
Mar 26, 2010 | 2 comments | View Post
Esther, me and the “I word”
I was seeing someone who wasn’t Jewish, though it had not been my intention to get involved. In fact, I tried hard not to—as Esther did, centuries ago. Perhaps she and I had something in common. Or did we?
Feb 23, 2010 | 7 comments | View Post
Tu B’Shevat: Fruits of Jerusalem
We are alive, Josh and I, like the fruits of Jerusalem. The trees, figs, noise and clatter tell us we are alive, and we cannot take it for granted.
Jan 25, 2010 | 7 comments | View Post
Hands of Light: A Traveler’s Hanukkah
It sits on my shelf, a poor relation to the stone menorah with its carvings of children holding up our candles every Hanukkah. THAT menorah is weighty with memories. THAT menorah is staying home.
Dec 07, 2009 | 4 comments | View Post
On Simchat Torah: unraveling joy
So God shows up and asks if you want 613 Laws. The Jews took all of them. According to the story, they did not ask why. But if ancient Jewry was anything like my relatives, I’ll never believe it. The Jews I know would never settle for anything without asking why.
Oct 05, 2009 | 4 comments | View Post
On Sukkot: Celebrating the Secret Holiday
Like the house Anne Frank lived in when she and her family were in hiding from the Nazis, Sukkot is a secret holiday, translated literally, as booths. Sukkot is a pilgrim’s holiday, honoring those who wandered forty years in the desert and those who made arduous journeys to the holy temple of Jerusalem while living in temporary dwellings along the way. A symbol of life’s fragility, it is made of branches and beams with ample space for the intrusions of sun and rain.
Sep 29, 2009 | 8 comments | View Post
