World famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil was mentored by a stalwart of the local Jewish community. By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel The world’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, emerged from his winter hibernation Tuesday on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and predicted another six weeks of winter. It was a Jewish coal miner who helped bring flair to the annual event in the Pennsylvania hamlet. Hear Ye! On this Groundhog Day, February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, King of the Groundhog Day is kind of a big Pennsylvania thing. And while I live in Toronto now, I, my friends, am originally from Pennsylvania. and Groundhog Day was Jewish even before it existed. Jewish texts and source sheets about Groundhog Day from Torah, Talmud and other sources in Sefaria's library. To accomplish this, Gd first undoes the hundred’s of years Groundhog Day loop by giving all of B’nai Yisrael its first command with the famous Pasuk (12:2) The observance of Groundhog Day in the United States first occurred in German communities in Pennsylvania, according to known records. The earliest mention of Groundhog Day is an entry on February 2, 1840, in the diary of James L. Morris of Morgantown, in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, according to the book on the subject by Don Yoder. This was a This feast day, called Candlemas, falls 40 days after Christmas, marking the end of the period when Jewish tradition would have considered Jesus’ mother unclean after giving birth. She would Read on to learn about the history and origins of Groundhog day, the day's Christian roots, and how it came to be the holiday it is today. Jewish Food Influencers Grapple With Politics in the Groundhog Day and Jewish life during COVID-19 May 8, 2020, 2:41 PM Edit; when each day has the potential to be yet another “Groundhog Day,” I have come to realize that it’s not a task at The movie Groundhog Day is a curious favorite of faith communities and the subject of many sermons and lessons. One year, its director taught my congregation some lessons in person when he took to the bimah. Every year at Passover we experience the Jewish religion’s version of Groundhog Day. We call it Seder Night – the annual event that commemorates the founding of the Jewish nation. Like Groundhog Day in the eponymous movie, the timetable on Seder night is governed by a prescriptive schedule, unchanged for over a millennium. Four years ago, Rabbi Pini Dunner was preparing a sermon to deliver on the last day of Pesach. He wanted to express that the ritual of a Seder night consists of “a prescriptive schedule, unchanged for over a millennium,” as he put it in his sermon, titled “Groundhog Day and the Jewish Experience.” Groundhog Day is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Ramis and Danny Rubin. Teamed with a relentlessly cheerful producer (Andie MacDowell) and a smart-aleck cameraman (Chris Elliott), TV weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover the annual Groundhog Groundhog Day, in the United States and Canada, day (February 2) on which the emergence of the groundhog from its burrow is said to foretell the weather for the following six weeks. In the United States the most popular event occurs in Pennsylvania and centers on a groundhog designated Punxsutawney Phil. In the meantime, even though the start is of the winter season is mere hours away, at this school, it feels like Groundhog Day given the ongoing repetition of vile antisemitism. Speaking of Groundhog Day, we were surprised to see York Centre MP Ya’ara Saks crawl out of her hole and actually make an appearance at the school. In Punxsutawney, 1886 marked the first time that Groundhog Day appeared in the local newspaper. The following year brought the first official trek to Gobbler’s Knob. Each year since then has seen a steady increase in participation of the celebration from people all over the world. Ironically, the same year “Groundhog Day” was released, a seemingly seminal moment occurred in the history of Israel and the Jewish people. On Sept. 13, 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and lead negotiator for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)—now head of the Palestinian Authority—Mahmoud Abbas signed a Declaration Groundhog Day the musical, based on the much-loved 90s movie by screenwriter Danny Rubin (who also reworked it for the stage), stars Jewish American actor Andy Karl, whose onstage life has been imitating art thanks to his repeated – and award-winning – portayal of the show's lead on Broadway and at the Old Vic's original run in 2016. The famous 1990s movie Groundhog Day that starred Bill Murray as weatherman Phil Connors who became trapped in the same day over and over, has been made into a musical thanks to the creative brilliance of Australian composer, actor and comedian Tim Minchin, alongside the original writer of the screenplay Jewish American Danny Rubin, and English theatre director Matthew Warchus. Originally, Groundhog Day was a Celtic festival marking the year’s first cross-quarter day, or a midpoint between seasons. Read more about the ancient Celtic calendar here. Celebrated at the beginning of February, the day was called Imbolc —a term from Old Irish that is most often translated as “in the belly”—a reference to the soon
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.