By Noah Hadas SAN DIEGO — As a teacher of Jewish history, I’ve often been asked about the historical veracity of the Exodus (the biblical account not the movie with Paul Newman.) In preparation for Passover, I’d like to summarize the opposing views and provide my own insight. Those who claim the story is mythical […]
Can any parts of ‘Exodus’ be verified? Read More »
Jewish HistoryThe Devil That Never Dies, by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen; New York: Little, Brown and Company, 201 By David Strom CHULA VISTA, California — Former professor Daniel Jonah Goldhagen of Harvard University wrote a stinging and, most likely, controversial book on the rise of global anti-Semitism. His extensive analysis of speeches, newspapers, radio stations, statements by
Book Review: ‘The Devil That Never Dies’ Read More »
Jewish History
HANOVER, Germany (WJC) — Margot Kaessmann, the former head of the Protestant and Lutheran Churches in Germany, says that her church had been complicit in fostering anti-Semitism in Germany since the times of Martin Luther. Kaessmann called Luther’s 1543 pamphlet ‘About the Jews and their lies’ “horrible” and wrote in an opinion article published by
Former Lutheran bishop says Luther’s writings ‘horrible’ Read More »
International, Jewish HistoryEditor’s Note: Israel Video Network put this film up on YouTube. It shows Anne Frank watching from her window to see a bride and groom who are neighbors. The apartment window she leans from apparently was the one in which the Frank family lived before moving to the Secret Annex made so famous in young
A video of Anne Frank before she went into hiding Read More »
Jewish History
By Aryeh Savir JERUSALEM (TNA) – After decades in exile, Zionist leader Zeev Jabotinsky’s ceremonial saber was returned to his heirs, the State of Israel. After being confiscated by the British in 1920, the sword was presented yesterday (Mar. 24) by Police Commissioner Insp.-Gen. Yochanan Danino to Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. The top police brass convened
Israel receives sword of Jabotinsky Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East
NEW YORK (Press Release)-It’s one of the most notorious cold cases of World War II — 900,000 Jews transported by the Nazis to a camp in eastern Poland, never to be seen again. Rare documents and eyewitnesses claimed Treblinka was a death camp even more ruthlessly efficient than Auschwitz-Birkenau, but evidence was thin, because
Scientists unearth grisly secrets of Treblinka Read More »
International, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education
NEW YORK (Press Release)– AJC praised Japanese Prime Minister Abe for visiting the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam on Sunday, March 23. “Prime Minister Abe’s visit to the place where Anne Frank and her family hid, where she wrote her diary, until their capture by the Nazis is a strong demonstration of remembrance and solidarity with
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International, Jewish History
By World Jewish Congress Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday voice doubts about the scale of the Holocaust, questioning the West’s “red lines” on freedom of expression. In a speech in the city of Mashhad Ali Khamenei said that In Europe, “no one dares to speak of the Holocaust, the crux of which
Khameini: Not clear if Holocaust really happened Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East
NEW YORK (Press Release)– The government of Spain “wants to right an historical wrong” against the Jewish people, declared Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, Spain’s Minister of Justice, at an AJC luncheon on Wednesday, March 19. The government initiative would offer Spanish citizenship to Jews who can trace their ancestry to the time of the forced expulsion of Jews
Spain trying to ‘reverse 500 years of injustice’ Read More »
International, Jewish History
NEW YORK (Press Release) – AJC announces the publication of Exit Berlin: How One Woman Saved Her Family from Nazi Germany. Authored by Charlotte Bonelli, director of AJC Archives, and published by Yale University Press, Exit Berlin offers unique insights into Nazi Germany and the Holocaust from the perspective of one young German Jewish woman.
Utilizing employee’s letters, AJC publishes ‘Exit Berlin’ Read More »
Jewish History
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –The Mishnah teaches that, “Anyone reading the Megillah backwards (or out of sequence) has not fulfilled his obligation” (BT. Megillah 17a).[1] Hassidic Scholars noted that one should never think that the miracles and the story of Purim are a relic of the ancient past. Rather its message continues
Opposites: Samuel Rosenman and Queen Esther Read More »
Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –During the Holocaust years, Purim celebrations were forbidden to the Jews. Christians and Jews could not even own the book of Esther. Such decrees did not stop the Nazis from poking fun at the Jews on this Jewish holiday. With diabolical glee, the Nazis frequently orchestrated special
Purim and the Nazi Julius Streicher Read More »
Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiA LOOK BACK OVER MY SHOULDER (Second Edition March 2014) Editor’s Note: In 1936 Garry Fabian’s family fled Germany to Czechoslovakia, hoping to escape Nazi persecution, but in vain. By 1942 Garry, aged eight, was interned in Theresienstadt. He was to spend till May 1945 in that ‘model’ concentration camp and was one of
Memoir of a survivor of the Terezin ghetto Read More »
International, Jewish History
By Binyamin Kagedan/JNS.org The names of religious holidays are usually fairly straightforward, pointing us to the central symbol or theme of the festival. Pesach refers to the ancient lamb offering, the korban pesach; Shavuot, meaning “weeks,” points to the careful counting of seven weeks that precede it; Sukkot are the booths that Jews inhabit
What is the name ‘Purim’ all about? Read More »
Jewish History