What’s The Best Way To Avoid the Chatty Relative at Services?
Got a question? Fill out this form to submit your anonymous question to be answered in a future column. Dear Miriam, A relative attends the same synagogue that I do, […]
Hail Caesar! A New Biography On Comedy Legend Sid Caesar Will Delight Long-Time Fans And Create New Ones
Having recently written about the new Mel Brooks documentary, it’s fitting to now be reviewing a book on Sid Caesar. As Brooks has repeatedly noted throughout his lengthy career, “No […]
Opposing the ICE Surge while Supporting Israel
On Jan. 7, I returned home to Minneapolis from an eight-day trip to Israel, eager to share my takeaways about what it means to be a liberal Zionist in the […]
How Do We Get Through A Brutal Cold-and-Flu Season?
Got a question? Fill out this form to submit your anonymous question to be answered in a future column. Dear Miriam, This winter has been the worst! Every other week, […]
Adar Brings Joy, and a Call To Continue Helping Those In Need
This week, the Hebrew month of Adar arrived…just when we needed it. Adar is associated with joy, and we can use an extra measure right now. But where might we […]
A Prayer for the Country and Guiding Ethics
Diaspora Jews have for centuries added a special prayer to our prayerbooks for the monarchs, leaders, and institutions that provided us safe haven as an oft-persecuted minority. When those institutions […]
Do I Want To Know a Co-Worker’s Gossip?
Got a question? Fill out this form to submit your anonymous question to be answered in a future column. Dear Miriam, In casual conversation, a casual friend mentioned a major […]
Making a Comeback? Mutual Aid Organizations Then and Now
This article was originally published in ‘Ramsey County History’ in the Fall of 2021 and, given the recent increase in mutual aid efforts in the Twin Cities, it is reprinted […]
BernBaum’s: A New Cookbook Brings Fargo’s Beloved Nordic-Jewish Deli Back to Life
As a Jew-by-choice who identifies strongly with my Finnish heritage, it often feels like my identities are two non-overlapping circles: the Jewish part and the Finnish-American part. Although there is […]
Mel Brooks Is The Subject Of A New, Deeply Affectionate And (Of Course) Funny HBO Documentary
At nearly 100, Mel Brooks has been such a lasting fixture in comedy, television, theatre and movies, that fans could hardly be blamed for not knowing that at one point, […]