Jewish History

Fight Against Antisemitism On Numerous Fronts

Human rights icon and former Soviet refusenik Natan Sharansky, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, Malcolm Hoenlein and Prof. Susannah Heschel, daughter of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, were among the leading figures who participated in a special online symposium marking Jewish American Heritage Month. Speakers emphasized that the Free Soviet Jewry campaign’s successful blending of grassroots activism and political advocacy can be a model in today’s fight against the dangerous growth of antisemitism.  [Combat Antisemitism Movement]

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Jewish History, USA

A Jewish Honor for Admiral Max Horton

On Saturday, May 22, 2021, an interpretive supplemental footstone was added to the Admiral Max Horton memorial at the Rhosneigr seaside community in Anglesey, Wales. The successful placement grew from the unique friendship between Martin Sugarman, a Brit, and myself.  Together we are pushing back, at least a little, the dark clouds of forgetfulness and antisemitism. [Jerry Klinger]

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International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History

‘River to the Sea’? That Means ‘Eradicate Israel’

The catchy slogan that is chanted so ardently by supposedly well-intentioned human beings in demonstrations being held around the world, ‘Palestine shall be free, from the river to the sea,’ is in effect a call for the destruction of Israel. And that, of course, is what the terrorist organization of Hamas wants to achieve. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish History, Middle East

A Jewish Odyssey from Ethiopia to Israel and Back

“From Africa to Zion” is a remarkable memoir that takes us from the author’s childhood in a rural Ethiopian village without electricity or running water through his perilous journey to a crowded, multi-ethnic refugee camp in the Sudan, where disease and crime were rampant, and onto his arrival to the modern world of Israel, in which his family were initially mystified by such conveniences as toilets and refrigerators. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East

Local ranch poised for historic status

There is no shortage of places in Valley Center that would qualify for an official government historic register. Yet, not a single home, building or site has ever been recognized on any local, regional or federal government official list of sites, buildings, structures or objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historic significance.  Only signs reading “Site of Historic Interest” appear on many properties, all installed by the Valley Center Historical Society.
That is about to change.  [Robert Lerner]

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Jewish History, San Diego County

Ukraine Announces Stipends for Life for Holocaust Rescuers

At a ceremony hosted by the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center (BYHMC), Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmygal, the Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine Andrii Yermak and Ukraine’s Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko honored Ukrainians who saved Jews during the Holocaust and announced that those still alive will receive a lifelong monthly state stipend, in recognition of their heroism. [News Release from Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center]

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International, Jewish History

Good News from Israel (May 9, 2021)

In the May 9, 2021 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
-New Israeli treatment allows multiple myeloma patients to get bone transplants.
-Israeli kidney specialist donates his own kidney.
-Israeli leaders host Muslims for Ramadan events.
-Israel’s next astronaut will supervise 44 Israeli space experiments.
-An Israeli startup is recycling worn out car tires.
-An Israeli consultancy is project managing a new industrial zone in Dubai.
-Unique videos, photos and a new discovery to help celebrate Jerusalem Day.
[Michael Ordman]

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Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, The World We Share, USA

Lithuania Has Yet to Acknowledge Its Holocaust Role

Like most South African Jews, my ancestors came from Lithuania and my family tree has relatives who perished in the Holocaust. I grew up with very little knowledge of what occurred in Lithuania during the Holocaust and attributed the slaughter of its Jews to the German Nazis, however, if fact, it was the Lithuanians, with very little or no German supervision, who enthusiastically carried out this slaughter and this is borne out by the testimonies of 121 Jewish survivors of the Holocaust in Lithuania. [David Solly Sandler]

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International, Jewish History

Jewish Folk Remedies from the Pale of Settlement

Wait, it’s not the chicken soup, it’s the herbs that count! Eastern European Jewry, particularly those living in the area known as “The Pale of Settlement,” on the western side of the Dnieper River, in present-day Ukraine, whose history there began in the Middle Ages, have a “long and distinguished canon dedicated to the healing process,” a research area unfortunately ignored, by-and-large, by sociological scholars. Cohen and Siegel, in their joint venture Ashkenazi Herbalism, describe the history and role of plants and herbs employed by Ashkenazi folk-healers, piecing together sparse, fragmented sources, and weaving them into an engaging story. [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, International, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education