By Jerry Klinger ASHLEY, North Dakota — May 21, 2017, was a sunny day. Strong, chilling winds whipped across the treeless Great Plains farming land. Nearly a hundred people gathered, some from the local community, some having traveled thousands of miles. They all came to honor, to remember, to respect, to preserve the past
The Jewish homesteads of North Dakota Read More »
Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, USABy Steve Kramer ALFEI MENASHE, Israel — 120 years ago, the First Zionist Conference under the leadership of Theodor Herzl was held in Basel, Switzerland. Before his untimely death, Herzl predicted that the modern State of Israel would emerge within 50 years. Herzl was wrong – it took 51 years until the State of Israel
A lightning quick history of Israel Read More »
Jewish History, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — I was in the ninth month of my first pregnancy when the Six Day War broke out, fifty years ago. I have written in some detail about this point in my life in my first novel, The Balancing Game, so if you have read it I apologize for
Pregnant and sheltered during the Six Day War Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish History, Middle East
By Dan Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — Take two Canadian offspring of Holocaust survivors, Moses Znaimer and Hindy Nosek-Abelson, and put them in Toronto TV studio and the result will be the first-ever Yiddish translation and group performance of Canada’s national anthem “O Canada” just in time for Canada Day on July 1st, which celebrates
O Canada in Yiddish to debut June 6 Read More »
International, Jewish HistoryCHICAGO — Harold Katz didn’t require a crash course in Hebrew before his bar mitzvah next week in Wilmette, Ill. He started preparing 76 years ago, and his skills never got rusty. Katz, 89, who lives in a North Side retirement home, was to have celebrated the occasion in Czechoslovakia back in 1941. But that
Delayed by Nazis, bar mitzvah to now be celebrated by 89-year-old Holocaust survivor Read More »
Jewish History, USABy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Someone in my synagogue asked me an interesting question about Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner: What kind of Halakhic dispensation was given to them to drive on the Sabbath to the Inauguration of the President? The same question came up recently when the Trump entourage
Ivanka: A fitting successor to Queen Esther? Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, USAAfter memorializing the Jews who once lived just north of the Mongolian border, the Chernykh family is brought to Israel by Toronto Jews as token of thanks By Renee Ghert-Zand On an evening in early May, Russian grandmother Taisya Chernykh and her family collapsed into chairs in the lobby of their Jerusalem hotel after long
Why did a Russian Orthodox family restore a Siberian Jewish cemetery? Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle EastBy Stanley Tiger SAN DIEGO — Although today his name is not a household word, it may be a measure of his success – his success in remaining private. Herman Wouk, celebrating his 102nd birthday on May 27th, is known for the value he places on his privacy, yet this extraordinary writer remains a luminary in the
Happy birthday Herman Wouk on your 102nd Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Jewish ReligionLA JOLLA, California (Press Release) — When World War II came to a close in 1945, the U.S. Government recruited a few leading German scientists, who it judged could contribute to America’s space and military programs. In addition, the rationale was that if the government hadn’t done this, these top scientists, along with their scientific
Journalist Eric Lichtblau to discuss ‘Nazis next door’ Read More »
International, Jewish History, San Diego Calendar, USA
Editor’s Note: Yaakov and Toby Greenwald vividly remember what they were doing during the Six-Day War of June 1967. In these two articles, they relate their personal histories. Yaakov Greenwald is a veteran teacher of Talmud, History and Mathematics. They married in 1976, live in Efrat, and are the parents and grandparents of children
Israeli couple tells their Six-Day War memories Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East, Toby Klein Greenwald, USAMonsignor Hugh O’Flaherty was wanted for saving hundreds of Jews in Rome during elaborate disguised operations that earned him the name ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’ By Michael Riordan DUBLIN — As the Gestapo surrounds the palace of an Italian anti-Fascist aristocrat, an Irish priest dashes to the cellar. He is wanted by the Nazis for his role
The unbelievable heroic story of Ireland’s overlooked ‘Oscar Schindler’ Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle EastBy Steve Kramer ALFEI MENASHE, Israel — June 5–10, 1967, (earlier this year according to the Hebrew calendar) is the most consequential period in the history of modern Israel except for May 14, 1948, when David Ben-Gurion declared Israel’s independence. In the midst of this six-day period, Jerusalem Day marks the 50th anniversary of the
Jerusalem Day Celebrates Israel’s Sovereignty Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East, Steve KramerBy Jerry Klinger WEST POINT, New York — American Veterans of Israel Legacy Corporation organized and commemorated on May 7 the life of Mickey Marcus. It is an annual event at West Point, the last number of years held at the Jewish Chapel overlooking the Hudson. This year was the 51st commemoration. The commemoration honors an extraordinary
Memories of Mickey Marcus and the Exodus Read More »
International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Middle East, USAJerusalem Rebuilt By Michael Ordman NETANYA, Israel — May 24th is Yom Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day – and the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Israel’s capital in the Six-Day War. Jerusalem is often called “the Eternal City” but although it has existed for over 3,000 years, it is continually evolving. Two days after Yom
Positively Israel: May 19, 2017 Read More »
Jewish History, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Travel and Food