Jewish History

Sassoon Family History on Display in New York’s Jewish Museum

Published by DPA The story of the Sassoons, a family whose history spans centuries and nations, is now on show at New York’s Jewish Museum. The new exhibition follows four generations, from Iraq to India, China and England, showing their role in trade, art collecting, architectural patronage and civic engagement through more than 120 objects

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Jewish History

How Jews Made Purim Personal

By Sarah Ogince (JNS) “Cursed is Hitler, cursed is Mussolini … Blessed is Roosevelt, blessed is Churchill.” With these words, the Moroccan scribe Prosper Hassine concluded his account of World War II and the Holocaust. The story was familiar, but what made Hassine’s work unique was its style: Written on a long parchment scroll, it

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

Jewish Knowledge Book Provides Broad Introduction to Judaism

This work seems comprehensive, yet it is introductory.  It covers five important aspects of Judaism – its history, its teaching, its practices, its calendar, and its lifecycles – and yet no single volume could teach all there is to teach about any one of these aspects, much less all of them. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

The New Life of the ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion: The Rudolf Slansky Trial

By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — The ideology of antisemitism is not dying, it is changing forms somewhat, but the imagination of the ideologues does not go far enough. It uses the experience accumulated by the technologists of the witch trials. Blaming the Jews of the Diaspora for the creation and policies of the state

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Alex Gordon, International, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion

B’Shalom:  Jimmy Carter, Rose Schindler, U.S. Senate Aspirants, Gregory Peck

An Israeli-American of close acquaintance, upon hearing that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter had entered hospice, commented that he “never liked that guy, he was an antisemite.” He noted that Carter helped propagate the lie that Israel is an apartheid state, even though Arabs have entered the highest levels of government and industry alongside their Jewish neighbors in Israel.  Nevertheless, as we look back over his career, I think that we should be more charitable toward Carter, not forgetting his invaluable contributions as a mediator at Camp David, bringing about the peace between Israel and Egypt. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, USA

Holocaust Survivor Rose Schindler, 93, Laid to Rest

The very fact that we Jews can gather today is because of Rose Schindler and those like her.  Our standing here is a testament to just how durable she was, and how resilient Jewish civilization is.  Rose could record her story and tell it over and over again because she survived it.   And we can tell it today because we’re still here. [Rabbi Mathew Marko]

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California, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, USA

Many Jews Receive Mentions in Brief History of 17 US Presidents

Ronald Gruner, who spent his working career as a CEO of three different tech companies (Alliant Computer; Shareholder.com; and Sky.Analytics), is a lay historian deeply interested in economic policy and outcomes.  His book, analyzing the presidencies of the 17 U.S. Presidents from Warren G. Harding to Donald J. Trump, focuses largely on issues like unemployment, interest rates, and inflation.  But along the way he also makes mention of significant geopolitical events that occurred during those presidencies. I will leave it to economists to determine the value of Gruner’s economic analyses.  They are beyond my depth.  What I did take notice of was how often our fellow Jews, and issues of direct relevance to the Jewish community, cropped up in the book.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Jacob Wasserman: The Story of Unrequited Love

By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — In August 1912, in Neue Rundschau, Stephan Zweig analyzed the work of notable new writers who had appeared in German literature: “Apart from Thomas Mann, certainly the one with the greatest hope of creating a truly German novel, two writers, Heinrich Mann and Jacob Wasserman have already shown with

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Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History