We’ve just completed our first cruise as a family and generally it went pretty well. I spent much of the cruise feeling like an outsider trying to understand the culture of cruising. By no means am I an expert after one cruise, but having been through the process I have learned a few things that [...]

We just completed our first cruise vacation as a family and, while the verdict is still out on whether we will repeat it again in the future, the pictures are great. (If I don’t say so myself.) I’m working on a longer piece on the ups and downs of cruising (hey, there’s a nice title for [...]

We miss not being with my dad, AKA Grandpa Hal, for his birthday on Dec. 24. So we’ve recorded a greeting for you, dad and hope that you have a good day and a great year. Much love from all of us.

There’s no way we could have known in September when we booked this trip that we’d be in LA for three days and not see the Hollywood Hills, nor the Hollywood sign, nor the sun. No way to know that we’d be clamouring to get out of this town built on sunshine and money – to [...]

We left Edmonton bleary-eyed and heads slightly aching. Our days ahead were full of promise and hope. As the snow fell, we imagined how nice the warm sun would feel on our backs. I remember a song from the 70s – something about it never raining in California. Well, that myth has been shattered. It’s been raining [...]

This is going to sound strange for a Jewish guy – but there are some things about Christmas that I just love. The music, the lights and the cookies, just to name three. For me, the Christmas thing goes way back – to the formative early childhood years. Born to a Jewish father and a recently [...]

Finally, Hanukkah is coming to an end…and so is our list of videos. Truth is, I couldn’t pick the final one, so I am including five of my favourites as a Youtube playlist for you to share with your friends.

Well, what can I say. This one is a bit amateurish, but it makes me laugh. “Hanukkah Hey Ya”, by suburbanhomeboy (AKA smooth-e, Eric Schwartz). It’s a light-hearted time of the year. You can watch a 150-strong flash mob dance to this tune on Ben Yehuda in Jerusalem. Enjoy!

Yet another Jewish a cappella group from NYC Six13 hits it out of the park with “I Light It” – a take off on tunes by Justin, Kanye, and Enrique.

Josh Nelson represents a new and exciting voice in contemporary Jewish music. A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Josh’s music is celebrated and integrated into the repertoire of congregations, camps and communities around the world. In this video, he performs has song L’Dor V’Dor as part of the “Lights: Celebrate Hanukkah Live In Concert.”