A Memorial to a Brave Soldier
David Rosenkrantz is one of the many unsung heroes whose lives, cut short by the horrors of war, are honored on Memorial Day. Born in 1916, Staff Sergeant Rosenkrantz joined the army in…
First You and Then You
From a broad perspective, the opportunity for all members of a prayer service to participate in a Torah reading service is an important statement on Jewish inclusion. In reality, however,…
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…
For The Medal of Honor: The Story of PFC Leonard Kravitz
On March 6, 1951, a platoon of American soldiers serving in the Korean War came under heavy fire by the Chinese Army near Yangpyeong, Korea. When the platoon’s Machine Gunner was wounded,…
Pidyon Ha’ben – Redeeming the Firstborn
“You must redeem the firstborn of a person…when he is one month old, for the value of five silver shekels” (Numbers 18:15-16). God sanctified the firstborn male Israelites when He…
Think First
By virtue of the fact that there is a blessing “Blessed is He who makes strange creatures,” recognize that all human beings have a Tzelem Elokim, an imprint of Godliness within them, so…
North Star State’s First Jewish Senator
Rudolph Ely Boschwitz was born on November 7, 1930, in Berlin, Germany to his Jewish parents Lucy (Dawidowicz) and Eli. When he was 3, coinciding with Hitler’s rise to power, the…
Nitzavim,Uncategorized,Vayeilech
Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5783-2023
“The Promise of Total Return” (updated and revised from Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5762-2002) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s double parashiot, Nitzavim and Vayeilech, are among…
The First World War and the Jews
A great deal has been written about the devastation that resulted from the First World War, which left millions dead, thousands maimed and a generation devastated. For those who have…
Tisha b’Av
This Wednesday night at sunset, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar begins. Known as the Fast of the 9th of Av (Tisha b’Av), the observances of Tisha b’Av are very similar to Yom…