Vayechi 5777-2017
“The Passing of the Last of the Patriarchs” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Vayechi, is the final parasha of the book of Genesis. In this parasha, Jacob, the…
Israel’s First Spy
While religious Jews acknowledge that the creation and continued existence of the State of Israel is a Divine gift, God appoints his messengers to facilitate His work, including…
Zionism Is Not Racism!
After acquiring control over the territory known as Palestine in the aftermath of its victory in World War I, the British soon realized that there were no simple solutions when two…
Soles and Souls on the Danube
The Danube River is closely identified with the city through which it runs, Budapest, Hungary. Yet that river was defiled in late 1944. On March 19, 1944, the German army conquered…
Before Bagels On Broadway
During the 2016 election, a presidential candidate uttered the words, “New York values,” and was accused of referring pejoratively to New York Jews. Of course, he denied the allegation.…
Of Shamrocks, Snails and Survivors: the life of Rabbi Isaac Herzog
Rabbi Isaac Herzog, the State of Israel’s first Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi, passed away, at age 70, on this date - the 19th of Tammuz – sixty years ago, in 1959, corresponding to July 25th.…
For The Mothers And Their Children
Sophie Irene Simon Loeb had no children of her own, but she dedicated her life to fighting for government support for widowed mothers. Her passionate campaign, which started after she did…
Evian!
Before Evian became a popular brand of natural spring water, the French resort of Evian was host to an international conference to address the mounting crisis of Jews seeking to escape…
“Kafkaesque”
Franz Kafka was born into a Jewish family on July 3, 1883 near the Old Town Square in Prague, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Franz was the eldest of six children (two tragically died in…
An Advocate for Mothers
In honor of Women’s History Month, Jewish Treats presents a brief biography of Flora Suhd Hommel, a woman whose lifework benefited thousands of other women. Hommel was one of the primary…