Segacs's World I Know » Chag sameach

Happy new year to all the MOTs out there! It’s been a time of new initiatives and new beginnings for me. New job, new outlook, new projects… I do love the fall and the fact that Rosh Hashanah...

https://www.segacs.com/2011/shana-tova-5772.html

And, depending on how you define it, happy new decade. If this list of the 100 best songs of last decade by Rolling Stone is any indication, the new decade can only be better cause it sure can�...

https://www.segacs.com/2010/happy-new-year-4.html

Interesting op-ed by David Brooks in the New York Times about the real story of Chanukah and the difficult questions that it raises: Generations of Sunday school teachers have turned Hanukkah int...

https://www.segacs.com/2009/chanukahs-difficult-questions.html

The first decade of the century (the 00’s?) is coming to a close in a little more than a month. A lot happened in the past ten years. Need a recap? Here’s Newsweek’s American-centric but st...

https://www.segacs.com/2009/the-decade-in-review.html

Check out this great virtual menorah, created by Michael Scherotter. It updates automatically at 6pm each day until all the candles are lit. The post Happy Chanukah first appeared on Segacs's ...

https://www.segacs.com/2008/happy-chanukah-2.html

My New Year’s Resolutions for 5769 are: Walk to (and from) work. See the post below. This one’s an easy resolution to make now, and might be tougher to stick to when the minus-30 weather begi...

https://www.segacs.com/2008/new-years-resolutions-2.html

Q: What’s red and white and red and white and red and white? A: Canada Day in Ottawa. Another first for me, as I headed up to Ottawa for the day yesterday to celebrate our nation’s birthday. ...

https://www.segacs.com/2008/more-flags.html

What she said. I’ve never understood why foods that bear no resemblance to chametz are outlawed, while matzah meal, Passover “rolls”, brownie mixes and the like are all kosher, either. I’...

https://www.segacs.com/2008/on-kitniyot.html

My New Year’s Resolutions: 1. Don’t make any resolutions you don’t intend to keep. 2. When considering making a resolution, see #1. In all seriousness, I’m resolving to live more fully, e...

https://www.segacs.com/2008/new-years-resolutions.html

To all the fine-looking Jews out there: Best wishes for a happy and healthy 5768. The post Shana Tova first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2007/shana-tova.html

The Two-Minute Haggadah A Passover service for the impatient. By Michael Rubiner Opening prayers: Thanks, God, for creating wine. (Drink wine.) Thanks for creating produce. (Eat parsley.) Overvie...

https://www.segacs.com/2007/passover-for-hockey-fans.html

Check out the top 100 April Fool’s hoaxes of all time, as judged by the Museum of Hoaxes. The post April Fools first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2007/april-fools.html

Especially in Montreal, where – irony of ironies – St. Paddy’s Day is such a beloved holiday precisely because it’s so inclusive and apolitical. Yeah, you can laugh now. But it’s true. ...

https://www.segacs.com/2007/everyones-irish-on-saint-patricks-day.html

Happy New Year – see you all in 2007! The post On Vacation first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2006/on-vacation.html

A decade later, hundreds are still celebrating the Seinfeld-coined holiday, complete with metal poles. The post Happy Festivus (for the rest of us) first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2006/happy-festivus-for-the-rest-of-us.html

To my Christian readers who are celebrating tonight and tomorrow, hope it’s a good one! The post Merry Christmas first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2006/merry-christmas.html

Chag sameach… enjoy the latkes, and hope the heartburn isn’t too bad! The post Happy Chanukah first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2006/happy-chanukah.html

Since this story about a Chabad Rabbi who threatened to sue the Seattle-Tacoma airport unless they took down their Christmas trees has been getting so much media attention, I figure I’d better ...

https://www.segacs.com/2006/the-requisite-christmas-tree-rant.html

Have an easy fast, y’all. The post G’mar chatima tova first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2006/gmar-chatima-tova.html

Best wishes to all for a happy and healthy new year. The post L’Shana Tova first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2006/lshana-tova.html

If Saturday evening’s Canada Day festivities at the Old Port are any indication, then federalism in Quebec is in serious trouble. Sure, it was raining, the Jazz Fest offered better music just a...

https://www.segacs.com/2006/red-and-white.html

According to the Canadian groundhogs, it will be an early spring. Neither Wiarton Willie nor Shubenacadie Sam saw their shadows. It’s been one of the warmest winters on record, so I can’t say...

https://www.segacs.com/2006/groundhog-day.html

It’s 2006. Which means, well, not a whole lot of difference from 2005. Except I will have to remember to date my cheques with 2006. Not that anyone writes many cheques anymore. The post Happy...

https://www.segacs.com/2006/happy-new-year.html

Or, should I say, happy heartburn-holiday. Meryl has a virtual menorah. So I give you virtual latkes. Made by my mom. They taste even better than they look. And Merry Christmas to all my Christia...

https://www.segacs.com/2005/happy-chanukah-3.html

I need to rant. (It’s great having a blog for times like these…) This whole debate about the Christmas/Holidays terminology has gotten way out of hand. We in North America live in a place whe...

https://www.segacs.com/2005/seasons-greetings.html

Wednesday in the office was one of those do-a-zillion-things-at-once-to-try-to-leave-before-the-holiday-starts days. So of course I didn’t hear about this until it was time to leave and try to ...

https://www.segacs.com/2005/fun-getting-home-for-yom-kippur.html

Here in Montreal, anyway… when Rosh Hashanah is “late”, like this year, it coincides with the peak of apple season. Fresh-picked apples and honey… mmmmm…. The post The best part of Ro...

https://www.segacs.com/2005/best-part-of-rosh-hashanah.html

Just in time for Rosh Hashanah: the High Holidays Seating Request Form. A very happy New Year to all my MOT readers. L’Shana Tova. The post Shana Tova first appeared on Segacs's World I Know...

https://www.segacs.com/2005/shana-tova-2.html

Happy July 4th to all Americans reading this. Hope you’re enjoying your Independence Day. The post And for our neighbours south of the border first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2005/happy-july-4th.html

Today is a day to celebrate our country for its greatness despite its faults – maybe even because of its faults. We Canadians are a diverse lot and we rarely agree on much. Our politicians are ...

https://www.segacs.com/2005/happy-canada-day.html

Unfortunately I missed today’s mega-solidarity rally due to work overload and a nasty cold. But thousands of people made it downtown to wave the blue and white and cheer 57 years of Israeli ind...

https://www.segacs.com/2005/yom-haatzmaut-celebrated.html

Happy birthday to me. The post Where’s my cake? first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2005/happy-birthday-to-me-2.html

Whew, what a weekend! Three seders – yep, count ’em, three. Dozens of relatives. More food than some small countries consume in a year. I’m exhausted, and all I had to do was show up. I hon...

https://www.segacs.com/2005/all-sedered-out.html

Yep, it’s that time of year again – complete with the crazy relatives, awful kosher wine, and savoury cardboard-tasting food. In honour of the holiday, Jewlicious has a collection of really a...

https://www.segacs.com/2005/happy-passover-almost.html

Yep, it’s that time of year again. April 1st. The day when salt in your coffee and sugar on your eggs doesn’t mean senility has set in early. Since I’m not motivated enough to think up a ga...

https://www.segacs.com/2005/april-fools-2.html

Once again, it’s the holiday for people who seem to require a “day” in order to express romance. And once again, I will roll my eyes and go back to my daily life. The post Happy Hallmark ...

https://www.segacs.com/2005/happy-hallmark-holiday.html

We now enter the year of the Rooster, which, according to the predictions on the radio this morning, is a bad year to get married, a year in which married people are likely to break up, and, for ...

https://www.segacs.com/2005/happy-chinese-new-year.html

“It’s been a long December and there’s reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last.” – Counting Crows The post Happy New Year first appeared on Segacs's World I Kn...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/happy-new-year-2.html

Merry Christmas to all my Christian readers… and to anyone else who likes the lights, the cheesy jingles, and the vacation time. Especially the vacation time. The post Merry Christmas first ...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/merry-christmas-3.html

Tonight was the first candle of Chanukah. It may not be that big a deal, and it certainly gets ridiculously commercialized and blown out of proportion because of its proximity to Christmas. But I...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/happy-chanukah-4.html

A non-Jewish friend asked me why it was that we don’t really celebrate Thanksgiving. After all, it’s not a religious holiday. I had to answer that I wasn’t really sure. Thanksgiving isn’t...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/happy-thanksgiving.html

10. Pick a long song, like “American Pie”, and try to remember all the words. 9. Play anagrams with the English side of the Machzor text. 8. Start a rumour that a high school classmate is eng...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/top-10-ways-to-pass-time.html

With Yom Kippur beginning at sundown, everyone’s walking around today wishing each other an “easy fast”. I’m not sure why we do this. Maybe it’s because, unlike happy holidays, there is...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/easy-fast.html

L’Shana Tova u’Metuka to my fellow MOTs. Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year. See you all in 5765. The post Happy New Year! first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2004/happy-new-year-lshana-tova.html

Today is the American Jewish community’s 350th “Arrival Day”, a cultural holiday celebrating the arrival of the first group of Jewish people to North America. Jonathan’s Blogburst on the ...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/arrival-day.html

We live in a crazy country. Our political system is a curious cross between boring and chaotic. Excessive regionalization, a province that keeps threatening to separate, and a national identity t...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/happy-canada-day-3.html

Happy St-Jean Baptiste Day to Quebec nationalists… and to everyone in Quebec, for that matter. (Hey, who can complain about a day off?) The post La Fête Nationale first appeared on Segacs's...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/la-fete-nationale.html

Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there. And to whoever invented the father’s day barbecue, with all sorts of evil foods, I simultaneously thank and curse you. The post Happy Father...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/happy-fathers-day.html

Monday is a legal holiday, making this weekend one of the most beloved long weekends all year. It’s in springtime, when the weather is often beautiful; it comes at the end of a long winter, and...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/nameless-legal-holiday.html

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! The post To the Moms first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2004/to-the-moms.html

Yes, I’m another year older today. And it seems like this past year flew by. Where does the time go? The post Happy birthday to me! first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2004/happy-birthday-to-me-3.html

Today is Yom Ha’Atzmaut – Israeli Independence Day. In Israel and in Jewish communities around the world, the blue and white will be displayed prominently as everyone celebrates. For the firs...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/happy-56th-birthday-israel.html

Meryl’s singing bread’s praises. I don’t blame her. There’s nothing quite like a hot-out-of-the-oven Montreal bagel to end the long bread-free nine days of Passover. The post Mmmm, brea...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/mmmm-bread.html

What on earth is that William Hung kid doing performing on Jay Leno? Sheesh, he’s so bad it’s embarrassing! I’d feel bad for the poor kid… but he’s more successful than most real musici...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/random-musings.html

Irony: One of the nicknames of Passover is “chag ha’aviv” – the holiday of spring. Yep. This snowstorm sure makes it look spring-like out there… But, whether it looks like it or not, th...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/happy-passover-2.html

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to everyone. Sláinte! The post Saint Patrick’s Day first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2004/saint-patricks-day-2.html

Today was the annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade here in Montreal. And I must say that, despite the slightly chilly weather and our disturbing inability to find green antlers, it was a blast! Th...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/top-of-mornin-to-you.html

And check out Allison’s very fitting – and poignant – reflections on what it means to be a mother in Israel. The post Happy Purim! first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2004/happy-purim.html

Purim has a Scrooge, and his name is Rabbi Ovadia Yosef: The crazy Sephardic rabbi Ovadia Yosef has made some new ridiculous extremist pronouncements for Purim. He says it’s forbidden to dress ...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/purim-has-a-scrooge.html

Yep, it’s February 2nd, otherwise known as Groundhog Day. And if you believe the rat-looking furry creatures, it looks like we’re in for six more weeks of winter: During one of the coldiest a...

https://www.segacs.com/2004/bundle-up.html

Well, I’m back and I just wanted to sign off the year that was 2003. Here’s hoping 2004 will be a good one! The post Happy New Year! first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2003/happy-new-year-3.html

Yep, I’m officially ON VACATION and I’m heading out early tomorrow for a few days of fun and relaxation in the sun. So to my readers, take care, enjoy, and I’ll be back soon. Do try to beha...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/happy-holidays.html

It’s beginning to look a lot like… Chanukah! The post Winter’s here first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2003/winters-here.html

It seems to me that people ought to be used to the routine by now. Closing services have been the same in all the years I can remember. Yes, the service will go long. Yes, the Rabbi and the synag...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/another-year-another-yom-kippur.html

Have an easy fast, everyone. The post Yom Kippur first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2003/have-an-easy-fast.html

Just wanted to extend my best wishes to all my Jewish readers for a Happy and Healthy New Year. Incidentally, I haven’t been blogging much this week because I’ve been sick. There’s been a l...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/shana-tova-3.html

Labour day today – the day with the least labour of the year, just about. And we all know what that means: Tomorrow is the day with the most traffic of the year. The post Labour Day first ap...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/labour-day.html

Why don’t we get a National Slacker Day? Stressed-out Britons are set for a day of doing nothing as workers and managers alike are being urged to relax and slack off on Friday. Organizers of Na...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/national-slacker-day.html

Michael J. Radwin has an interactive Jewish calendar on his site . . . for all those times when you’re trying to figure out if that dentist appointment you’re about to schedule coincides with...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/interactive-jewish-calendar.html

Happy Independence Day to our neighbours to the south! For those Gazette subscribers, Gil Troy has an excellent opinion piece in today’s paper saluting the values of American democracy and libe...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/happy-independence-day.html

Happy Canada Day! The post Happy Canada Day! first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2003/happy-canada-day-2.html

Happy separatist day – er – St. Jean Baptiste Day – to all out there. Whether you spent La Fete Nationale draped in blue and white, or just enjoying the day off from work, I hope it was a g...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/happy-separatist-day.html

Today’s the day when we celebrate those who gave us life . . . and who have been putting up with us ever since. Happy Mother’s Day! The post Happy Mother’s Day first appeared on Segacs's...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/happy-mothers-day.html

I’m always impressed at large-scale community showings of support. Today, thousands of Montreal Jews (organizers say 15,000) came out to stand up, show our colours, and be counted. Religious an...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/and-now-to-briefly-describe-todays-rally.html

Here are some photos from today’s Yom Ha’atzmaut Rally in downtown Montreal, in support of Israel: ……….. The post Today’s Yom Ha’atzmaut rally first appeared on Segacs's World I ...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/todays-yom-haatzmaut-rally.html

Am Yisrael Chai! Fifteen thousand people attended today’s Yom Ha’atzmaut rally here in Montreal. I just got back and I don’t have time to write extensively about it now, but this evening I�...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/yom-haatzmaut-rally-in-montreal.html

Happy 55th birthday, Israel! The post Yom Ha’atzmaut first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2003/yom-haatzmaut.html

Happy birthday to me 🙂 The post Totally narcissistic post first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2003/totally-narcissistic-post.html

The Yom Ha’atzmaut rally is being held in Montreal this upcoming Wednesday May 7th at 11am at Phillips Square. Last year, attendance reached nearly 25,000 people. This year, it’s extremely im...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/yom-haatzmaut-rally-details.html

Happy Easter to all those out there who are celebrating! The post Happy Easter first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2003/happy-easter.html

Too . . . much . . . food . . . The post Seder woes first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2003/seder-woes-too-much-food.html

It’s about that time again . . . Allow me to take this opportunity to wish a Happy Passover to all of you out there celebrating tonight, tomorrow night, and this week. I hope everyone has a nic...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/happy-passover.html

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to everyone. Oh, and happy birthday to the zillions of people who I know who were all born this week. This is always the World Series of birthdays at this time of year...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/saint-patricks-day.html

Happy over-commercialized high-pressure relationships to fall apart day (aka Valentine’s Day). To all of my friends out there who just went through Valentine’s breakups, get some Haagen Dazs ...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/valentines-day.html

As some of you may notice, I didn’t do any kind of “year in review” or other such summary of the year that was 2002. It’s my sense that there are enough of them out there for those of you...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/2003-is-cool-too.html

Happy New Year to everyone. Hope you all had fun bringing in 2003. I’m officially back from my vacation. Whistler had great powder, the Habs lost to the Canucks, and the word “service” is a...

https://www.segacs.com/2003/shes-back.html

This is it for me for 2002, folks. I’m heading off on vacation tomorrow. The skiing should be great but I’ll be without Internet access for the week. I’ll be back shortly after New Year’s...

https://www.segacs.com/2002/see-ya-in-2003.html

Merry Christmas to all you Christians out there. Enjoy the holiday! The post Merry Christmas first appeared on Segacs's World I Know .

https://www.segacs.com/2002/merry-christmas-2.html

CNN’s online poll asks readers what they believe are the top 10 news stories of 2002. According to the results so far, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the terrorist attack in Bali, and the Ru...

https://www.segacs.com/2002/sad-sad-sad.html

International Hillel lights seventh candle in support of Concordia Hillel. On the international website for Hillel, a call went out yesterday to stand in solidarity with Concordia Hillel. While w...

https://www.segacs.com/2002/seventh-candle-for-concordia-hillel.html

And now, to write about what happened tonight at Concordia: I arrived at about a quarter to five, unsure what to expect in terms of turnout – after all, this event had been organized less than ...

https://www.segacs.com/2002/concordia-chanukah-rally.html

Wow! Tonight was easily the best Chanukah party I’ve ever been to. Hundreds of Jewish students and members of the community showed up to Concordia today to light the Chanukah candles, sing song...

https://www.segacs.com/2002/chanukah-party-photos-from-concordia.html

Hillel’s holding a quasi-rally/ Chanukah gathering tomorrow (Thursday) at 5pm on the Mezzanine of the Hall Building, in defiance of the Hillel ban. Be there if you can! The post Further updat...

https://www.segacs.com/2002/further-update-hillels-holding-quasi-rally.html

I hate – HATE – HATE shopping at this time of year. The mall is disgustingly crowded. Everyone pushes and shoves their way through the stores. A fight over a parking space can evolve into Wor...

https://www.segacs.com/2002/tis-the-season.html

Fête de Dollard, the holiday formerly known as Victoria day, is undergoing yet another name change, courtesy of our thumb-twiddling separatist government: Premier Bernard Landry announced last S...

https://www.segacs.com/2002/whats-in-a-name-2.html