Catch-22
In honor of National Novel Writing Month: Joseph Heller is best known for his novel Catch-22, a satiric work whose title has become an idiom referring to a situation in which one cannot…
How Many Tribes?
The challenge to name the number of tribes of Israel would fall into the category of “easy” by trivia fans. However, the term “The Twelve Tribes of Israel” can be enumerated in…
They Came to Texas
From the annals of history, we are often left with the mistaken impression that all Jewish immigrants to the United States in the early twentieth century arrived through Ellis Island.…
The Left-Handed Warrior
The Book of Judges tells of the men and women who led the Children of Israel from the time of the conquest of the land of Israel by Joshua until the selection of the first king, Saul.…
The 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…
The First Jewish Author in the Americas
Forgetting the rights and wrongs of conquest, one must acknowledge that the men and women who crossed the ocean to settle the so-called "New World" were incredibly brave. Imagine leaving…
The Bnei Menashe of India
It is the belief of the Bnei Menashe of Northeastern India that their legendary forefather Manmasi,* was actually Menashe the son of Joseph and that their communities are the remnants of…
Frankfurt on the Hudson
Rabbi Joseph Breuer (1882 - 1980) was 57 years old when he and his family arrived in New York City from Europe. It was 1939, and the grandson of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch immediately…
The 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…
For National Novel Writing Month: Laura Z.
Although three of her published novels were structured around a Jewish storyline, Laura Zametkin Hobson did not wish to be perceived as a Jewish American novelist. She saw being a writer…