Of all peoples, we Jews should be in the forefront of those promoting help to men, women and children literally running for their lives. The principle is certainly in our history, maybe even our genes. The impulse dates back to Biblical days, when patriarch Abraham was celebrated for his hospitality. [Joel H. Cohen]
Jews Must Show Compassion for Refugees Read More »
Jewish History, Joel H. Cohen, USA
By Gedaliah Borvick JERUSALEM — My company’s Netanya maven, Ruthie Yudin, texted me from Dona Gracia Street in Netanya. Googling the street name, she was blown away by Ms. Gracia’s life, and wrote: “Her story must be told!” Although streets in Tiberias and Haifa are also named in her memory, I was surprised that Dona
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous — and Generous Read More »
Gedaliah Borvick, International, Israel, Jewish History
By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — Jews have been criticized many times – by the left for being capitalists, by the right for being socialists. Only once in history has a Jew been both a socialist and a capitalist. It was Alexander Parvus. In Latin, “parvus” is small, the pseudonym under which Israel Gelfand began
Revolution as Business Read More »
Alex Gordon, International, Jewish History, Opinion
By Eric George Tauber CINCINNATI, Ohio — Several years ago, on the sixth night of Chanukah, Chabad set up a giant Menorah for a celebration at Mission Valley Mall. It was fun. Kids were busily making crafts. Some were dressed as Maccabees and Dreidels and there was Chanukah music coming from the speakers. This is
Why We Need Chanukah Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion
By Sarah Ogince (JNS) The lights are kindled, the shamash is returned to its place and the family breaks into song: It is a rousing, march-like melody that is the aural equivalent of the menorah’s light—energy, joy and hope in the depth of winter, a promise of rebirth. It’s a familiar, comforting scene, repeated in
Everyone Knows ‘Ma’oz Tzur,’ Except They Don’t Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
My friend Susan Ferraro, who lives in a rural part of Northern California. tells me that since about the age of 7, she had fantasized about becoming a Jew. It started, she said, when she read Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl. As children often do, she imagined herself invulnerable; death being something that unfortunately happened to other people. If she had been born Jewish, and living at that time, she could have prevented those Nazis from hurting Anne and her family and those hidden with them in the secret annex. [Donald H. Harrison]
Postwar Encounters with the Holocaust Read More »
California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual ArtsBy Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — On March 1, 1881, in Russia, members of the People’s Will assassinated Tsar Alexander II. The murder, to which the Jews had nothing to do, triggered the largest wave of Jewish pogroms in the 19th century due to a blood libel against Jews falsely accused of complicity in the
The Triumphant and Tragic Odyssey of the Inventor of Sea Cruises Read More »
Alex Gordon, International, Jewish History, Opinion
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