1.From New Bedford to Palm Beach

Dartmouth's Bed Bath & Beyond is closing permanently. The news is not surprising with the chain widely expected to file for bankruptcy in the near future.

I suspect that most Bulletin readers know that BB&B has strong New Bedford roots through founders Warren Eisenberg and Leonard Feinstein. Pictured at right (Feinstein left, Eisenberg right), the two chatted about how they turned two small stores into a retail force and pop-culture phenomenon in this article: "What happened to Bed Bath & Beyond? These two reasons may explain." It has appeared in many media sources after it originally appeared in the The Wall Street Journal. If you subscribe to the Journal you can check out the original article too.

2.Not a Linear Numbers Game

A good conversation took place at Monday’s board meeting about the policies of the new Israeli government. I will write about that nuanced conversation more next week, but as a starter here is the Jewish Journal’s Shmuel Rosner to help set the stage.

"At the heart of the battle against the legal reforms initiated by the Israeli government lies a great fear: the fear of a future that does not bode well for the opponents of the government. The fear of a future in which Israel will look different, simply because its population will be different. 

"The opposition is rational not to fully believe in the idea of a comeback: Israel’s demography would not allow it. The currents are pulling the groups supportive of the ruling coalition up the river. There is nothing new in the data: three groups in Jewish Israel have high birth rates. The ultra-Orthodox, the religious and the traditional-religious. These are three groups that vote at a high rate for right wing parties. They vote and grow. Mainly the ultra-Orthodox. The predicted number of children per ultra-Orthodox woman, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, is 6.64 (2020 data). For secular women, it is less than two children. For a traditional non-religious woman it is 2.24 children."

For a deeper look and perspective, read "Israel's Demographic Time Bomb" in Jewish Journal,

3.The Devil's Lost Confession

The Israeli docuseries with -never-before-heard confessions from Adolf Eichmann is available on Amazon Prime Video. Below is a trailer for The Devil's Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes.

It's "a three-part documentary series that combines interviews from Holocaust survivors, key witnesses at the Eichmann trial, historians, and experts on the Holocaust with reenactments of the historical events. The series, which first aired on Israel’s Kan public broadcaster last year, tells the story of Adolf Eichmann’s role in orchestrating the Final Solution during the Holocaust."

4.The Birthday of All Fruit Trees

With the arctic air we are about to experience, I imagine planting trees is the last thing on your mind. Still, we can take a moment to read what you need to know about Tu B'shvat in STL Jewish Light. It's a good reminder that winter eventually becomes spring.

And if you wish to sing along with the most popular of Tu B’shvat songs try this one.

5.Once Again - Let's Eat

"As part of the Tu B’shevat seder it is customary to eat from shiv’at ha’minim (seven species endemic to the Land of Israel): wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, dates. Some customs partly mirror the Passover seder and involve eating biblical foods native to the Holy Land and drinking four cups of wine.

"Beyond that, there are many possible variations for preparing a Tu B’shevat meal, usually incorporating dried fruit and nuts, and one can be creative in deciding how to plan the menu," writes Tori Avey.

Below are a few recipes to inspire you.

TBA