[audio:http://ajcarchives.org/ajchomepage/audio/Simcha_Torah_Shemini_Atzeret.mp3]

Steven Bayme, AJC’s director of Contemporary Jewish Life, discusses the traditions of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah. “Much too much is invested in a language of Jewish woes,” says Bayme. “The message of the holiday is that fundamentally the reason to be a Jew is not because terrible things have happened to Jews. The reason to be a Jew is the tremendous sense of joy and celebration in Judaic heritage.”

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[audio:http://www.ajcarchives.org/ajchomepage/audio/tishabav072307.mp3]

Steven Bayme, AJC’s director of Contemporary Jewish Life, discusses Tisha B’Av, the holiday commemorating the destruction of the two temples in Jerusalem and other major tragedies in Jewish history. Bayme reviews the holiday’s origins, how it has been observed over the centuries, as well as how memory reinforces commitment to Jewish continuity. “Tisha B’Av is a permanent reminder to us of the centrality of Jerusalem to the Jewish people,” says Bayme.

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Download: mp3 of discussion.
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