Data Privacy: Yesterday and Today
The Council of Europe’s Convention for the Protection of Individuals with Regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data was passed on January 28, 1981. “Data Privacy Day,” established…
Literacy,Weekly Message,Judaism,All Audience,Bo
Bo 5780-2020
“Rational Love and Emotional Love: A Lesson from Tefillin” (revised and updated from Bo 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bo, we read about…
75 Years since the Liberation of Auschwitz
Today, January 27th, which marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Death Camp by Soviet troops, falls out on the first of the Hebrew month of Shevat, which,…
Illusions and Magic
Make sure to distinguish between an illusion and actual “magic” which is a problematic issue in Jewish law.
Maryland’s Jews
While the mid-Atlantic State of Maryland is often associated with un-kosher seafood, Maryland has a vibrant history of Jewish settlement. The state of Maryland’s “Act to Extend to the…
The Pungency of Peppers
While some people love adding “heat” to everything that they eat, January 22 has been designated as “Hot Sauce Day.” Hot sauce is made by crushing or pureeing raw, cooked, smoked, or…
Inauguration Oil
Elected U.S. presidents are inaugurated on January 20th. But, it wasn’t always that way. The Congress of the Confederation set March 4, 1789, as the date for “commencing proceedings” of…
Judah Touro
Unlike many of the great philanthropists recorded in history, Judah Touro (1775-1854) was neither the scion of old money nor a man famed for his incredible business talents. His…
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…
America’s First Synagogue
In 1656, Shearith Israel, the first synagogue was established in the territory that came to be known as the United States. The synagogue, also known as the Spanish and Portuguese…