Jewish Treats

Jews in Mauritius

In the Indian Ocean, just off the coast of Africa, is the island nation of Mauritius. Despite the general absence of Jews in Mauritius in the past, there is enough of a Jewish community…

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Jewish Treats

The Purim Story in Under 300 Words

At the end of an 180-day feast, Achashverosh, the King of Persia-Media, banished (some say, executed) his wife Vashti for refusing to appear at his banquet. He then staged an elaborate…

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Jewish Treats

Navy Man

Jewish Treats presents a biography of Uriah P. Levy, the U.S.’s first Jewish commodore. Born in Philadelphia in 1792, Levy took to the seas early (some sources report that he was 10 and…

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Jewish Treats

A Twentieth Century Jewish Poet

In honor of National Poetry Month, which is April, Jewish Treats presents a brief biography of Muriel Rukeyser (1913-1980). Born and raised in New York City, Rukeyser attended Vassar…

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Jewish Treats

Oh My Gosh! Passover Is Coming!

It’s our wake-up call. As today is Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the first day of the month of Nissan, Passover is only two weeks away. The intensive physical and emotional preparations for…

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Jewish Treats

Passover Story in Brief

On Passover, we commemorate the exodus from Egyptian slavery. The following is a brief summary: Jacob’s family came to Egypt to escape a famine in Canaan. Joseph, Jacob’s son and the…

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Jewish Treats

Searching for Chametz

On Passover, Jews are commanded to get rid of all “chametz” (leaven) which may be in their possession. It is not unusual to begin cleaning and scrubbing the home weeks before the holiday.…

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Jewish Treats

The Charleston Synagogues

Charleston, South Carolina is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the United States. The 1669 charter for the Carolina Colony explicitly included liberty of conscious for…

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Jewish Treats

Kissing the Mezuzah

A person might easily think of the mitzvah of mezuzah as a passive mitzvah. Simply recite the blessing before affixing the mezuzah to the doorposts of the house, and it is done. While…

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