Chanukah Yum
While Jewish holidays are often known for their food, most of these foods are not known for being particularly healthy. Chanukah is no exception. Forget matzah or apples, those are…
Chanukah: What’s the Mitzvah?
Here’s a quiz: What is the primary mitzvah of Chanukah? a) Eating latkes (potato pancakes) b) Giving Chanukah gifts or gelt (money) c) Publicizing the miracle of the oil that lasted 8…
Samuel Gompers, Labor Leader
Jewish Treats presents a brief biography of Samuel Gompers, a man who helped transform the early American Labor Movement. Born in London, England, on January 27, 1850, Gompers was the son…
Vayeishev 5783-2022
“The Two Sides of Joseph” (updated and revised from Vayeishev 5764-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald There are few characters in world literature who are as gifted, dynamic,…
Lancaster Jews
Many people do not realize that Lancaster, Pennsylvania, home to the famous Amish community, was one of the few active Jewish communities during the colonial era and has the fourth oldest…
Dinah, The Daughter of Jacob
Dinah, the seventh and youngest child of Leah and Jacob, was born the same year as her half-brother Joseph. In fact, the Talmud (Brachot 60a) notes that Leah specifically prayed for her…
Study the Torah
Set aside time to study the Torah each week to gain a better understanding of the Jewish heroes and heroines and their impact upon Jewish history. While the story about Dinah’s abduction…
The Story of Chanukah
Around the year 167 B.C.E., the Syrian-Greek rulers of Judea tried to force the Jews to assimilate into Hellenic culture. They summoned the Jews to the town squares where they were forced…
A Day That Will Live in Infamy
In one of the 20th century’s most memorable and impactful speeches, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called December 7, 1941, “A day that will live in infamy,” due to the deadly…
Tooning Machines
There are not many people whose names appear as a dictionary entry, and even fewer whose names have become adjectives. As of 1966, however, the name “Rube Goldberg” took on an official…