D-Day and The Dunera Boys
Seventy years ago today (June 6, 1944), the Allied armies began the largest seaborne invasion in history. D-Day, as it is now called, began the Invasion of Normandy. Among the thousands…
Get Out!
The history of the Jews in Europe can almost be read as a timeline of expulsions. At one time or another, Jews have either been expelled from, or prohibited to settle in, almost every…
Drama At The Seder
While the basic text of the Haggadah and format of the seder is the same around the world, each community has its own unique customs. One such custom that is pervasive throughout the…
Did You Say Satan?
The word Satan derives from the Hebrew satan, literally “hinderer.” However, the common Christian belief that Satan is a fallen angel who opposes God by tempting humans to sin is…
Finally Buried
On the 4th of Adar 1307, the Maharam of Rothenberg was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Worms–fourteen years after his death. The rabbi’s remains were released from the fortress of…
A Ship’s Tale
Well sit right back and you'll hear a tale...Alas, this ship’s tale is no three-hour tour, but the story of the birth of Jewish life in North America. It is well-known that the first…
Lowly for a Purpose
“I am a worm and not a man,” Psalms 22:7 There is an old joke among those who are familiar with the Mussar Movement: A new student comes to a Novardok yeshiva and during the first…
Coveting
“Covet” is a strange word that is rarely used today except to cite the last of the Ten Commandments, “Lo Tachmod, Do not covet” (Exodus 20:14). The desire for things that others have is…
What’s Mine Is Whose
On September 17, 2011, Zuccotti Park, in downtown Manhattan, became the center of what would become an international protest movement. Occupy Wall Street was organized as a statement…
Thank You For Having Me
Giving an appropriate gift to a host or hostess is the topic of many an etiquette column. But when one is invited to a Shabbat meal, not just any gift will do. Although “Miss Manners”…