Note:  The following article was found here on "The Times of Israel" website and is based on a study done at Baylor University.

Regular synagogue attendance may make you healthier, a new study indicates.

A study of four large American Jewish urban communities by Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion found that “adults who affiliate with a Jewish religious denomination and attend synagogue report significantly better health than secular or non-practicing Jews,” Jeff Levin, director of the institute’s Program on Religion and Population Health, said in a statement issued Tuesday by the Texas university.

The study, based on data collected throughout the 2000s as part of Jewish community surveys from Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and New York, was published in January’s Journal of Religion and Health.

“While there have been hundreds of studies of physical and mental health among Christians and members of other faiths, Jewish studies have been limited mostly to Israelis and to smaller clinical samples in the US or the United Kingdom,” Levin said.

What do you get when you cross a Chanukah menorah with a whole lot of pasta and other dry goods for charity?  A mac-a-norah, of course!  In case you weren't there, or just have the urge to relive the experience, here's this year's menorah lighting ceremony:

I visited the chapel today to take photos.  Don't get me wrong, the chapel is more than adequate for our needs, but compared to our old shul, it looks and feels sterile, almost without soul.  As much as it pained me to look at the photo of the old shul, I realized it's part of our history.  As a result, I've augmented the header image to show a "Then ... and now" theme.  Do you think it's an appropriate way to celebrate our past while looking to the future?

Let me know by sending your comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.