How it works
Latest contributions
Discover the most recent traditions shared by our community.
Kavod Ha-Met: Honoring our ancestors
Most medieval Jewish cemeteries in Spain are invisible after being suddenly abandoned with the expulsion of 1492. In Barcelona this happened earlier, after a wave of anti-Jewish attacks in 1391. But in 2008, local Jews secured government recognition, researched its boundaries and, in 2018, designed a special ceremony to reconnect with the site and to restore its place in the city’s memory. Thus, the tradition of Kavod HaMet (honoring the dead) is renewed, after being interrupted for centuries.
Spain
Hebrew, Catalan, Spanish, English
The tradition of eating milk products on Shavuot
It is customary to eat dairy foods on the first day of Shavuot and there are differences of opinion (some quite charming) as to why it is a custom.
Czechia
Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino and other Jewish Diaspora languages
On the first night of Shavuot, after the festive meal, Jews remain awake learning Torah, often reading a syllabus (known as Tikkun Leil Shavuot) that contains excerpts of every book of the Tanach (Hebrew Bible), Mishnah, Kabbalah, as well as the 613 mitzvot, allowing the reader to skim through the landscape of Jewish tradition in just a few hours.
Austria
Hebrew
Torah reading tropes or cantillation marks, are an important part of intangible Jewish heritage. These musical symbols guide the chanting of the Torah during synagogue services, determining melody, rhythm, phrasing, and emphasis. Passed orally for centuries before being codified in written form, the tropes preserve the traditional pronunciation and interpretation of the sacred text.
Azerbaijan
Hebrew
Kabbalah (קבלה, sometimes spelled qabalah or cabala) means “received.” In common use today, Kabbalah refers to the received wisdom of theology of Jewish practice built upon teachings handed down through the generations from Sinai. It is sometimes described as Jewish mysticism.
Russia
Hebrew
A Shiduch (or shidduch) is the traditional matchmaking system used in Orthodox Jewish communities to help singles find a spouse. It focuses on meeting potential partners who share your core values, religious goals, and lifestyle, aiming for marriage rather than casual dating.
Albania
All languages
Halitzah: The Ceremonial release from levirate marriage
A rarely performed ritual that releases a man from the obligation of marrying his deceased brother's childless wife.
United Kingdom
Hebrew
Pilpul. Style of Talmudic analyses
Pilpul (Hebrew: פלפול, loosely meaning 'sharp analysis'; from פִּלְפֵּל (pilpel) 'pepper') is a method of studying the Talmud through intense textual analysis in attempts to either explain conceptual differences between various halakhic rulings or to reconcile any apparent contradictions presented from various readings of different texts.
Belgium
Hebrew
KEEPING MEMORY ALIVE