Jewish Treats

They Make Us Laugh

When the hit comedy Funny People was released in movie theaters (2009), it was frequently noted in the Jewish press that almost all of the comic actors in the film, including the…

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Jewish Treats

The Sabbath of Remembering

This Shabbat is Shabbat Parashat Zachor, the Sabbath of Remembering. The Torah portion that is read as the Maftir (additional) portion, after the conclusion of the regular weekly Torah…

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Jewish Treats

Great Scots

The story of the great masses of Eastern European Jews who arrived in New York and settled on the Lower East Side of Manhattan is more than simply conventional history. It is now regarded…

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Jewish Treats

Yiddish in Shanghai

During World War II, Japanese-occupied Shanghai, China, became a haven for Jewish refugees, most notably the students of the Mirrer Yeshiva. After the “Battle of Shanghai” in 1937, the…

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Jewish Treats

The Month of Av

The months of the Jewish year are called in the Torah by number only (the first month, second month, etc.). Over time, during the exile, the months assumed the names given to them by host…

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Jewish Treats

Mourning Jerusalem I: A Brief History of the First Temple

This coming Saturday night and Sunday, Jews the world over will be observing the fast of Tisha b’Av. It is on this day of the Hebrew calendar that the Jewish people mourn the destruction…

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Jewish Treats

Midwestern Sour Cream

There are a host of Jewish foods that are associated with the American Jewish experience. Most of these, such as blintzes with sour cream, sour cream and bananas, and (of course)…

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Jewish Treats

The Jews Of Cyprus

The history of the Jews in Cyprus is surprisingly “benign” given the island’s proximity to both Europe and the Holy Land. The third largest island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus was home to…

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Jewish Treats

Swiss Jews

A Jewish presence in Switzerland can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Until the 19th century, Jews in Switzerland were restricted in both residence and employment. While there were…

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Jewish Treats

Jabotinsky

When Vladimir Yevgenyevich Zhabotinsky was born on October 18, 1880, in Odessa, it was virtually inconceivable that he would become a staunch advocate for the resettlement of the Jewish…

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