Jewish History

Jewish Biography: Isaac Levitan, Russian Landscape Artist

By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — Isaac Levitan, founder of the genre of the “mood landscape,” is one of the greatest artists of Russia.  He was born in a shtetl of Kibarty, a part of the Russian Empire (present-day Lithuania), into a poor but educated Jewish family of a railroad clerk. His father Elyashiv, the son of a rabbi, learned French and […]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Hannah Arendt Documentary Warns of Totalitarianism

Arendt: “Propaganda provided the foundations for building totalitarian power. The Nazis translated the propaganda lies of the movement into a functioning reality. Totalitarianism replaces all first-rate talents with crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty. The Nazis act as though the world were dominated by the Jews and needed a counter-conspiracy to defend itself.” [Eric George Tauber]

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Eric George Tauber, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Holocaust Memoir Tells of Family’s Strength to Survive

“All Holocaust survivors’ stories are extraordinary and precious because of the improbable odds of outwitting Hitler and escaping the Nazis’ meticulous and murderous rampages,” states Karen A. Frenkel at the beginning of her family’s stories of survival before, during, and after the Nazi invasion of present-day Ukraine. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Author Chronicles Israeli Discrimination against Ethiopian Jews

In We are Black Jews: Ethiopian Jewry and the Journey to Equality in Israel, Roni Fantanesh Malkai provides eye-opening, need-to-know information about the history and difficulties of Ethiopian Jews. We should read it and do our best to get people to treat others as they want others to treat them. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Shanda File, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish Biography: Leopold Infeld, Physicist who Worked with Einstein

In USA, Infeld recalled, “I arrived at Princeton in September 1936. Five months later our collaboration with Einstein began to work out well; we understood each other perfectly and had achieved even partial success, although the problem of formulating the equations of motion was far from being completely solved. …” [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish Biography: Gregory Sokolnikov, First Soviet Finance Minister

The offspring of a Jewish family was ashamed of the wealth of his family and the Jewish way of life. At the 5th Moscow Gymnasium, where he studied with the future poet Boris Pasternak, Nobel Prize winner in literature, and the future famous writer Ilya Ehrenburg, 15-year-old Gregory told his fellow students that he was a Marxist. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Perennial Daffodils Memorialize 1.5 Million Children Victims in Holocaust

The project’s goal is to plant 1.5 million Daffodils in memory of the 1.5 million Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust. Seeing the flowers anew every spring reminds us that innocent children continue to be victimized by adult hatred, ignorance, and prejudice globally. [Jerry Klinger]

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Holocaust, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

A Serious Discussion about Israel Between an American Jew and a Pakistani Muslim

“…In Pakistan, a person can be killed not just for converting, but even for behaving outside religious norms—not by the government, but by mobs of extremists. Very few countries are like Pakistan in this regard. Still, we’re an open nation. If someone doesn’t want to follow our laws, they’re free to leave for any country—except Israel.”

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International, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA, Yakov Nayerman

Trump Dumps Prominent Democrats from Holocaust Memorial Council

Trump is treating the Holocaust Memorial Council as a patronage dump, as if he is awarding a spot on the zoning board. Presidents, governors and mayors are going to base many of their appointments on politics, but a wise president will approach the Holocaust council with particular propriety when one considers the delicate subject matter. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA