Jewish History

Women Artists, Survivors, and Victims who Fought the Nazis

Graphic artist Trina Robbins, who died earlier this year, was saluted by Comic-Con panel members who recalled Robbins’ salute to Lilly Renée, another woman pioneer in the comic book industry.  Both Jewish women had a hand in World War II comic book stories in which the evil Nazis were given their comeuppance.
[Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Father of Missile Defense Systems Gave Up Career as Locksmith

In the late 1970s, when no one thought it could be possible, Dov Raviv, a Technion alumnus, had a fantastical idea for a defensive weapon that could intercept and shoot down long-range incoming missiles. The idea developed into what would become the Arrow Antimissile System, the world’s first missile defense platform, and what would protect Israel from Iran’s missile barrage on April 13, 2024. [Press Release]

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Israel, Jewish History, Press Release, Technology, USA

Who Is the Man Second from the Left as Ben-Gurion Declares Independence?

David Remez worked closely with Golda Meir in the Histadrut, where she served on the executive committee before leading the political department of the Jewish Agency in 1946. Remez and Meir were joined at the hip for many years. As Remez’s grandson Gideon Remez, a Sokolov (Israel’s version of the Pulitzer) Prize winner, explained, their relationship was “the most guarded, and yet most well-known, state secret.” [Gedaliah Borvick]

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Gedaliah Borvick, Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Zooming into Calabria, Italy’s Jewish History

So many Italian names have Jewish meanings, links or describe Jewish occupations. Her website has a section devoted to this study.  For just a small sampling, Bonanno means good year, Shana Tova. Ferrari was the name given to the Jewish craftsmen who were skilled wrought iron workers from Spain. The names were useful in making shidduchim, and served as a sort of “Jewish Geography.” [Eva Trieger]

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Eva Trieger, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

How the Mossad Assassinated a Latvian Murderer

The author must have had privileged access to Mossad documents and/or agents to be able to describe in such great detail precisely how the agent managed to gain Cukurs’ confidence to such an extent that, although suspicious of being traced by hostile Jewish elements, he agreed to fly to Montevideo in Uruguay, where the Mossad considered the conditions for assassinating him would be more favorable. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Summer is the Season to Try New Jewish Experiences

As I tell many people, you are never too old to learn something new, whether it be a new art medium or listening to a discussion about someone’s life experiences. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

Technion Researchers Pursue 21st Century Water Solutions

Prof. Eran Friedler co-invented a system that produces clean water from the air with a colleague, Professor David Broday. Their atmospheric water generator harvests air moisture by an innovative continuous liquid desiccant system. Energy is only invested when condensing the vapor into liquid water. It even works in desert regions and can run on solar energy. They founded a startup, H2OLL, to commercialize the product. [Press Release]

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Israel, Jewish History, Press Release, Science, Medicine, & Education, Technology

Evangelicals Compare Trump to the Biblical Kings. That’s Actually an Indictment

For those, like myself, who take the bible’s wisdom with great seriousness, supporting Trump as a biblical king is a gross misreading of the Hebrew Bible. A fair, close reading shows that the Hebrew Bible not only disapproves of the kings Trump is most compared with, but also disapproves of the monarchy itself, depicting it as a disastrously corrupt institution. [Rabbi Philip Graubart]

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Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Musicians in the Family Led Lives of Disharmony

Nachum was an awkward provincial boy with a gentle soul. He was drawn to beauty and was fascinated by the art of music and by my aunt’s appearance. He idolized her and fell under her power. At that time, she was a beautiful young woman, ambitious, bossy, capricious, and everything worked out for her: she was successful in her career and in winning men’s hearts. However, she was at the mercy of national tradition and married a Jew, Nachum, without loving him. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, International, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors