By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — Hanukkah starts on Sunday night, December 18. It is usually celebrated during the “Christmas season.” This coincidence makes the Jewish holiday very significant in the U.S., probably more so than in Israel. Here, the holiday is mostly noted by the ubiquitous appearance of oily donuts, jelly ones and […]
Hanukkah: An Overview Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Steve Kramer
(JNS) Israeli researchers recently discovered a lead projectile dating from the Hellenistic period in the ancient palace at Yavne, an archaeological site in central Israel. The 4.4 centimeter (1.7 inch) long projectile was designed to be launched from a sling. It is estimated to be 2,200 years old, placing it at the time of the
Israeli Archaeologists: 2,200-Year-Old Sling Bullet Possibly Linked to Hanukkah Story Read More »
Israel, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education
By Jerry Klinger Philip Freeman was too old to enlist in the regular British Armed Forces during World War II. 67. Yet, he felt compelled to do what he could. Freeman or Friedman, his is spelled both ways in records, lived in very modest housing at 131 Magdalan Road in Exeter. He father was Hyman
Philip Freeman, Volunteer Firewatcher: Recognizing Jewish Heroism and Honor Read More »
International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History
San Francisco State historian Marc Dollinger said only one Jewish group – the Reform rabbis of San Francisco – publicly objected to the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II. The rest of the organized Jewish community acquiesced to the imprisonment of these innocent American citizens, Dollinger said during the 18th annual Mimi Epstein Memorial Lecture at Temple Isaiah on Sunday, Dec. 4, here. [Donald H. Harrison]
San Francisco Rabbis Protested WWII Japanese-American Incarceration Read More »
California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education
The question of turkey’s status as a permitted (kosher) bird is a topic that comes up every Thanksgiving holiday season. Nevertheless, many Orthodox Jews I personally know will never eat turkey since there is no tradition permitting it. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
How Thanksgiving Turkey Became Kosher—For Some Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
By Gedaliah Borvick JERUSALEM — My friend recently texted me from Tel Aviv: “What are the chances that I would be on Imber Street in the morning and at the Hatikvah Market on Hatikvah Street in the afternoon? Unbelievable!” After I pleaded ignorance, my friend helped me connect the dots and gain an appreciation of
Hatikvah: The Bohemian’s Rhapsody Read More »
Gedaliah Borvick, Israel, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
(JNS) Nov. 30, 2022, is proscribed by Israeli law as the annual remembrance day when 850,000 Sephardi/Mizrahi Jews were driven, expelled, coerced, and “encouraged” to leave their homes across all Arab lands and from Iran. It will mark the 75th anniversary from when the expulsion pressures began with redoubled earnestness. One day earlier, on Nov.
November 30 in Jerusalem: Annual Remembrance Day for Jews Expelled From Arab Lands Read More »
Israel, Jewish History, Middle East
LA JOLLA, Calif. — On Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 6:30-9 p.m., South African Jewish American Community (SAJAC) San Diego will hold the gala opening of “The Goldene Medina: Celebrating 175 Years of Jewish Life in South Africa,” a new exhibition in La Jolla. Gourmet bites and refreshments will be served. September 2016 marked the 175th
La Jolla Exhibition to Mark 175 Years of Jewish Life in South Africa Read More »
International, Jewish History, San Diego County
By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — The assassination in Sarajevo of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was the most important political assassination of the twentieth century, for it was the trigger for World War I. However, this assassination, committed in 1914, was not the only resounding political assassination in the
The Red Terror of the Pacifist Read More »
Alex Gordon, International, Jewish History, Opinion
An ideologically diverse coalition of parties led by the centrist Prime Minister Yair Lapid opposes Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc. Lapid cobbled together this “change coalition” after the last election in March 2021. It incorporated all of the left and center parties, multiple right-wing parties, and, for the first time in Israeli history, an Arab party. These parties had only one goal in common: end Netanyahu’s 12 years in power. [Nikolai Schweber]
Israeli Election Primer: The Players, the Stakes, the Issues Read More »
Israel, Jewish HistoryBy Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — Tragedies often have a comic origin. This affair started out as being amusing and pleasurable, as well as uplifting, life-affirming and optimistic. It is August 25, 1917 Berlin. The premier of the operetta, The Black Forest Girl (Schwarzwaldmädel) is performed at the Komische Oper theatre. It has been a
(JNS) On Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. at the beautiful, lakeside Shamir Park located in Ma’ale Adumim, a growing city outside of nearby Jerusalem, the district’s newest tourist and interpretive cultural attraction, the “Tree of Life,” will be dedicated by Mayor Benny Kashriel. The public is invited to attend the ceremony and share in the
Largest-of-its-Kind ‘Tree of Life’ to be Dedicated in Ma’ale Adumim Read More »
Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
Some of you may have heard about an incident at Carmel Valley Middle School, where a teacher there had on display, among several pictures of other historical figures, a photo of Adolph Hitler. When confronted by a student who protested, the teacher responded that while Hitler did some bad things he also displayed strong leadership qualities. Parents and community members were rightfully very concerned and expressed that concern to school district leaders. [Heidi Gantwerk]
Hitler’s Portrait and a Response to Antisemitism Read More »
California, Heidi Gantwerk, Holocaust, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USABy Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — In June 1917, in the capital of the Russian Empire, Petrograd, formerly St. Petersburg, the poet Leonid Kannegiesser wrote a poem in which he glorified the chairman of the Provisional Government Alexander Kerensky, comparing his idol to the Messiah. Kannegiesser was born into a wealthy and cultured family of
The Jewish War Over Red Terror Read More »
Alex Gordon, International, Jewish History, Opinion