After her mother dies, a woman discovers one of Mom’s famous honey cakes is still in her freezer. She waits for a special day to chop it out of its “ice cave.” When she finally tastes it, she remembers not only her beloved mother but the beautiful and meaningful life lessons she imparted.

Pe...

Sibling rivalry is as old as the Bible. For this family, it starts on the third night of Hanukkah when Ellen lights the menorah with her kid brother, Harvey. Both amusing and tragic, the event has repercussions that last a lifetime.

Performed by Ellen Switkes
Produced by The Braid/Jewish W...

Is there such a thing as a criminal DNA? A worried woman looks back at her own history and relates it to that of early Lower East Side New York Jews who “grew up to be either Joseph Bloomingdale or Meyer Lansky.” She worries because her father had been arrested for fencing stolen goods and late...

The daughter of a Cuban Catholic father and a Jewish mother who converted to Catholicism through a correspondence course, Maria travels through life loved by both her mother, who gives her pink rosary beads, and her Russian Jewish grandmother, who feeds her potato latkes. After her parents’ divo...

Dr. Ron Wolfson, author and educator, looks back lovingly on his bubbe’s culinary skills, which filled him with ecstasy. As a boy, his huge appetite sent him right to the “husky” section of his local department store. As an adult he explores the history of Jewish face-stuffing and finds its or...

A 36-year-old expectant mother doubts whether she is ready to become a mother, since her real dream had been to “become the next Lucille Ball.” She goes on to experience severe trauma when a fibroid attached to her bowel ruptures 30 weeks into her pregnancy. What follows is a terrifying and nai...

The son of a Chinese father and secular Jewish mother embarks on a Birthright Israel trip, designed to introduce young American adults to Israel. Not at all religious, he is skeptical about whether he will be “wowed” by a visit to the Wailing Wall, as his guides promise. On the way to place his...