Unusual Passover Cards
It is difficult to pin down who created the first Braille Haggadah and when.
View ArticleChaim Weizmann And The Weizmann Institute
Weizmann’s role as a founding father of the State of Israel is well known; less known is his role as a scientist – specifically as a pioneering biochemist.
View ArticleIsrael’s Constituent Assembly
The elections to the Constituent Assembly, which twice had to be canceled, were eventually held on January 25, 1949, with an impressive 87 percent of eligible voters going to the polls.
View ArticleYehudi Menuhin’s Mixed Record On Judaism And Israel
Best known for his technical mastery and emotional playing, Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) was one of the 20th century’s most distinguished violinists (as well as one of the wealthiest – in the late 1920s...
View ArticleCatch-18: Is Yossarian Jewish?
Even the title of Catch-22 has a conspicuously Jewish angle: it was originally written as Catch-18 because the number 18 (“chai,” or “life”), which has special meaning in Judaism, was relevant to early...
View ArticleYom Yerushalayim, Rubinger’s Photograph, And Me
I love how Yossi Klein Halevi described it: "The image endures, in part, because of the humility it conveys..."
View ArticleThe Six-Day War: De Gaulle Vs. Ben-Gurion
This correspondence stands as one of the most brilliant and eloquent presentations of Jewish history, and perhaps the grandest exposition of the Zionist right to Eretz Yisrael, that I have ever seen.
View ArticleSartre’s Muddled Views On Jews And Israel
Yet he argued that while Zionism was an important cause in the aftermath of the Holocaust, it had become irrelevant – indeed, it was now a “regressive ideology” – because, he claimed, there was no...
View ArticleThe 1928-29 Battle For The Kotel
It added that Jews had the right to “free access to the Western Wall for the purpose of devotions at all times.”
View ArticleWhat Did Philip Roth Consider To Be His Greatest Work?
Though Roth passionately rejected categorization as a “Jewish-American writer,” it is indisputable that a primary focus of his work was to brazenly, even defiantly, explore American life through a...
View ArticleNathan Birnbaum, Founder Of ‘Zionism’
Zionist leader, Yiddishist, journalist, and Jewish theoretician and philosopher Nathan Birnbaum (1864-1937), who sometimes used the pseudonyms “Mattisyahu Ascher” or “Mathias Acher,” is one of the most...
View ArticleThe Palestine Pavilion – 1924-25
They could view articles of Eastern craftsmanship, including Hebron glassware, Jerusalem pottery, Nazareth lace, Palestinian olive wood, and other locally manufactured products, including soap from the...
View ArticleSousa’s Jewish Connections
Sousa’s respect and affection for Liebling may explain why, for his time, the fiercely patriotic bandleader had a rather enlightened view of Jewish immigrants to the United States.
View ArticleAlbert Einstein’s ‘Music Of The Spheres’
Einstein once declared that while Beethoven “created” his music, Mozart's “was so pure that it seemed to have been ever-present in the universe, waiting to be discovered by the master.”
View ArticleThe Amazing Tale Of Morris ‘Two-Gun’ Cohen
One of the most colorful, albeit largely unknown, characters in contemporary Jewish history is Morris (Moishe) Abraham “Two-Gun” Cohen (1887-1970), a.k.a. “the uncrowned Jewish king of China.” Cohen...
View ArticleFreud’s Twisted View Of Jewish Origins
That Freud was Jewish is universally recognized. Not as well known is his strong and proud self-identification as a Jew. Freud was also very interested in Jewish history and, in his final and perhaps...
View ArticleMadame Dreyfus And Madame Zola
Dreyfus was one of some 50,000 attendees at Zola’s funeral in the Montmartre Cemetery. He remained deeply grateful to Zola and apparently never forgot his benefactor.
View Article500 Transplants and Counting: The Lifesaving Work of Renewal
Renewal never recruits potential donors, but when calls come in from those contemplating kidney donation, they answer questions and put callers in touch with previous givers.
View ArticleBeilis: From Jewish Victim To Jewish Hero
Menahem Mendel Beilis (1874-1934) was a Russian Jew accused of ritual murder in the “Beilis Affair,” an infamous Russian anti-Semitic trial reminiscent of the better-known Dreyfus Affair. The case was...
View ArticleHiding History In Hungary
Most of the Jews could have been saved if the government had really wanted to protect them.
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