Jewish Treats

Presidentially Approved

As the only territory completely under the control of the Federal Government, it is not surprising that Washington, D.C. is home to the only synagogue whose existence was enacted by an…

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Jewish Treats

Ushpeezin (Oo’shpee’zin)

During the festival of Sukkot, the sukkah is intended to be our home. For example, since one would normally dine in the house, on Sukkot one dines in the sukkah. Because the sukkah is…

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Jewish Treats

The Power of Propaganda

In the last decade, there has been a noted increase in anti-Semitism, especially in Europe. But, attacks against the Jewish people are hardly new. Even the authors of the…

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Jewish Treats

Counting Shabbat

“And the maiden [Esther] pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily provided her with her ointments, along with her appointed rations, and with the seven maids, which…

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Jewish Treats

Rebecca

Of the four matriarchs, it is Rebecca, the wife of Isaac, for whom the Torah provides the most background information. Notably, she is the only matriarch whose birth is recorded: “And…

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Jewish Treats

From the Balcony

Take a virtual tour of some of the best known historic synagogues and you may notice several common features: an aron kodesh (ark/cabinet) that houses the Torah scrolls, a bimah (raised…

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Jewish Treats

Martin Buber

I and Thou (Ich und Du), the best known philosophical work of Martin Buber (February 8, 1878 - June 13, 1965), was published in 1923. I and Thou presents Buber’s philosophy of dialogue,…

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Jewish Treats

Partners Throughout

The relationship between two people sharing authority can often be difficult. Nevertheless, in the early Talmudic era, the leadership of the Jewish people was usually shared between two…

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Jewish Treats

New Hampshire’s Jewish History

As Americans await the outcome of today’s New Hampshire primary, Jewish Treats takes a look at Jewish life in the ninth state of the Union. While the Jewish population of New Hampshire…

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Jewish Treats

An Encyclopedic Work

When Rabbi Yaakov Culi arrived in Constantinople, Turkey, in 1714, he did not expect to find a Jewish community lacking Jewish knowledge. While the city was home to some of the great…

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