Who Was Rabbi Akiva?

Akiva ben Yosef was once an ignorant and illiterate shepherd. So poor and downtrodden a figure was Akiva that his extremely wealthy father-in-law disinherited his own daughter, Rachel,…

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Latrun: Battles for the Hilltop

Today, the hilltop of Latrun, just 15 kilometers west of Jerusalem, is a popular commemorative site that features an armored corps museum. This landmark, which was once the location of a…

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Always (Kosher) Coca Cola!

I’d bet you never heard of the Pemberton Medicine Company! Perhaps you have heard of the company into which it was incorporated on January 15th, 1889? That would be the Coca Cola Company…

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The Jews of Amsterdam

October 27, 1275 is noted as the first time the name “Amsterdam” was recorded as the name of a settlement in the Netherlands, near a dam on the Amstel River. That small fishing village…

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Word Magic

Did you know that the origin of the magical word “Abracadabra” is Hebrew? Well, it is! Therefore, you may enjoy today’s Jewish Treat highlighting the etymological connection of some…

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The Jews of Amsterdam

October 27, 1275 is noted as the first time the name “Amsterdam” was recorded as the name of a settlement in the Netherlands, near a dam on the Amstel River. That small fishing village…

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Bamidbar 5783-2023

“Surviving the Wilderness” (updated and revised from Bamidbar 5764-2004)   by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bamidbar, the Israelites enter the…

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