Aryeh Ben-Gurion was an educator. Born in Russia, he came with his family to Palestine in 1924. His grandfather, Avigdor Green, was among the founders of ḥibat Tsiyon, and his uncle, David Ben-Gurion, was Israel’s first prime minister. In the 1930s, as part of the United Kibbutz Movement, Aryeh Ben-Gurion founded the Kibbutz Institute for Holidays and Jewish Culture, to celebrate Jewish festivals in a secular environment. He earned the Avi-Chai Prize for creating a Jewish cultural infrastructure in the kibbutz community and throughout Israel.
The book of Esther (also known as the Scroll [megillah] of Esther) is read out loud on the holiday of Purim. This example of a scroll from Venice has Hebrew text framed by arcades and borders…
The manuscript is believed to be the earliest extant Reform Jewish liturgical composition. An early example of the work of Giacomo Meyerbeer, “Hallelujah” was probably prepared for use at a service at…