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The Children’s Poems And Songs Of Levin Kipnis
Kipnis was a leading pioneer of the Diaspora-negating Zionist narrative and one of its most active proponents, and much of his work was purposely designed to replace Diasporan poems, stories,...
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The Children’s Poems And Songs Of Levin Kipnis
Kipnis was a leading pioneer of the Diaspora-negating Zionist narrative and one of its most active proponents, and much of his work was purposely designed to replace Diasporan poems, stories,...
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18th Century Censorship Of Jewish Books
Originally the censors focused on religious works, particularly Kabbalastic and chasidic works. However, with time, they took on a political bent as well, promoting ideas favorable to the government...
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War-Wounded Soldiers And Civilians Touch The Southern Israel Skies
By re-imagining rehabilitation, ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran is advancing ability for all – empowering children, adolescents and adults with severe disabilities and pioneering cutting edge therapeutic and...
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The Zionist Revisionism Of Klausner And Jabotinsky And The Pro-Wailing Wall...
He believed that when Zionism succeeds in normalizing Jewish life, Hebrew writers would become capable of producing works of literate genius; as such, as a means to fulfill his vision of national...
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Judaic Instant Classics
I recently acquired a fine copy of a first edition of his Chochmat Adam, published in Vilna in 1815. His Chayei Adam, published prior, did not contain any approbation.
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Herman Melville’s Journey To Eretz Yisrael And His Resultant Epic ‘Jewish’ Poem
Some critics maintain that the poem was actually a prophetic pre-history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, as Melville brilliantly considers the friction between science and issues of faith and doubt...
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Preserving Memories Post-War
In this correspondence written by Emmanuel and family members in Salonica and Curacao, familial matters are interspersed with much important historical material and records.
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The Art Of The Yamim Noraim
Raban (1890-1970), who acquired his reputation through the designs he made for Bezalel, was undoubtedly one of the most important artists in pre-State Eretz Yisrael.
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Siddurim In The Vernacular
These marranos who returned to Judaism openly were often adults, with little or no real Jewish education or knowledge. The need to integrate them in to the new communities resulted in a new phenomenon,...
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The Yomim Noraim With Marc And Bella Chagall
In a connection with Rosh Hashana – literally the head of the year – the fish head is a well-known symbol of the Yom Tov. In many Jewish legends, fish are also traditionally a sign of parnassah...
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Does Kapparot Have Non-Jewish Origins?
There is mention of the custom of kapparot already in the 7th century, but even then, the source we have states the reason for this custom is unknown.
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Is This Etrog Reliably Kosher? – And Thank You For The Arba Minim Set!
A mitzvah at once beautiful, mystical, symbolic, and deeply meaningful, analysis and discussion of its halachic and Kabbalistic essence are far beyond the scope of this article.
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18th Century Tikkun Leil Hoshana Rabba
A few years prior, an edition printed in Venice for Sephardic Jews did include Selichot, though, as well as the additional Kabbalistic texts, and various editions in the following decades contained a...
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Etrog Boxes – In All Their Cardboard And Silver Glory
In the world of antique Judaica, it appears that containers made specifically for the purpose of holding an etrog is a rather late development, as the oldest verified etrog boxes... date no earlier...
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The Tragedy Of The WWII Refugee Ship Struma – And The Story Of Its Sole Survivor
Originally designed for about 150 passengers, the Struma was retrofitted to carry almost 800 people, such that its sleeping quarters lacked space for the passengers to even sit up.
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Ben Gurion And The Yossele Schumacher Affair
After the Affair, the Neturei Karta lost much of its public support and it never again tried to kidnap Jewish children to save them.
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Chalitzah Via Emissary
One major halachic dispute, though, has left its mark in literature and history. The impetus was a publication which I recently acquired, titled Av Bachochma, authored by Rabbi Avraham Aaron Yudelovitz...
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The Beilis Affair
One significant obstacle that the prosecution faced throughout the case was that Beilis was broadly respected, even beloved, by the Gentiles in his neighborhood, some of whom referred to him...
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A Mysterious Self Proclaimed Jewish Messiah
The book itself is described by its author as the final revelation of G-d in which all answers to all remaining questions with respect to the Tanach were answered.
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The Lubavitcher Rebbes And The Shabbat Congress
Presumably with Gelman’s assurance that the Shabbat Congress would be apolitical, the Rebbe did send a lengthy 22 Shevat (February 9), 1942 letter to the Congress, in which he emphasized the dangerous...
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The Mir Yeshiva’s Attempted Escape From Japan
Written by Pinchas Schon, on behalf of the Mirrer Yeshiva Association in New York, and addressed to Rabbi Eliezer Silver, rav in Cincinnati and head of the Agudas Harabonim, it pleads for his...
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Original Historic Documents Regarding The U.N.’S Recognition Of Israel
The odds against Israel seemed daunting, and many experts believe that it never would have made it through the Ad Hoc Committee (and ultimately, through the General Assembly) but for a passionate...
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Is Turkey Kosher?
Halachically, there is typically a requirement that a tradition of kashrut exists for a species, even if such a tradition is upheld by a community on the other side of the world.
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The Correspondence Of Menachem Begin
While it is virtually impossible to capture the essence and greatness of the man in a single article, or even in a full-fledged tome, I think that a good glimpse of who he was and what he represented...
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Rabbi Hutner’s Scant Written Trail
Rabbi Hutner’s correspondence is imbued with the same rich, poetic, and heartfelt language that characterizes much of his literary style.
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George Washington’s First – And Lesser Known – Letter To American Jews
When the British captured Savannah in December 1778, Levi lost almost everything, and after the Americans won their War of Independence and the Patriots regained control of the Georgia government in...
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Unique Italian Jewry In The 19th Century
While Jews in certain Western European countries were abruptly thrust into modernity during the 18th century, gaining access to universities and achieving a measure of equality as citizens, Italian...
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The World Of Rube Goldberg
Although he drew an estimated 50,000 cartoons in his life, relatively few of them were related to the eponymous machines for which he remains best known.
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Six Conductors And The Israel Philharmonic
Klemperer was deeply affected by the plight of Jews during the Holocaust and was supportive of the State of Israel and Jewish cultural institutions. His decision to conduct the Israel Philharmonic...
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Distinct Handwriting
In 1747, Rabbi Gershon traveled to Jerusalem, becoming one of the first chassidim to establish a presence in the Holy Land. There, he aligned himself with the study of the Rashash and the Kabbalistic...
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Take Me Out To The Ballgame, Written By Albert Von Tilzer
Take Me Out to the Ball Game brought Von Tilzer great fame and, by the 1920s, he was no longer writing for vaudeville. He was now composing full scores for Broadway and then, after moving to Hollywood...
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Dreidels On Display
Indeed, most of the 47 metal detector-find dreidels on display are of this design – but not all. I have come across six and eight-sided dreidels(!) as well, which I will expand upon.
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The Modern Orthodox Theology Of Rav Azriel Hildesheimer
Simple in his habits, fearless, and having an unusual capacity for hard work, Rav Hildesheimer joined his great Talmudic learning to his practical administrative ability and, financially independent,...
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Fascinating Italian Tefillah Customs
Aleinu is never recited during Mincha. However, according to the earliest edition of the Machzor from 1486, Aleinu is indeed recited on erev Yom Kippur when Mincha is observed earlier in the day. This...
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Shlomo Ben-Yosef And The Trial Of The ‘Rosh Pina Three’
As the bus approached, Schein fired several shots before his gun jammed and, when Ben-Yosef tossed the grenade, it failed to detonate and the bus, with its 24 Arab passengers, drove away with its...
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18th Century Fundraising In Hebron
Titled Limud VeSeder HaYeshivah Asher Be’Ir HaKodesh Chevron [The study and order of the day of the yeshiva in the Holy City of Hebron], this eighteenth-century document forges a connection between the...
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Richard And Robert Sherman And The Arguable Antisemitism Of P.L. Travers
When the stage production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang premiered in London in 2002, it became the most successful stage show ever produced at the London Palladium and it ran for three-and-a-half years,...
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First Edition Responsa Of Rav Akiva Eiger
Remarkably, the paper used for this edition bears watermarks identifying both the manufacturer and the individual who commissioned it: EIGER.
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