Before Michigan
The foundations of Michigan’s Jewish community were laid by the German Jews who came to America in the 1840s and spread out across the continent. Jewish history in Michigan, which became…
Rabbi Israel Salanter and the Mussar Movement
The Mussar movement, the formal study and program of ethical improvement, was developed in the mid-nineteenth century by Rabbi Israel Salanter (1810-1883). Rabbi Israel’s family name was…
President William Howard Taft – Friend of the Jews
Jewish Treats presents a quick look at the relationship of President William Howard Taft (1857–1930) and the Jewish people. Taft’s presidency (1909–1913) overlapped with the era of…
The Board of Deputies
The contemporary Jewish community of England began to form in the late 17th century, after a nearly 400 year ban on Jewish settlement. While the majority of the Jews who initially came to…
Make a Difference
Advocate on behalf of the Jewish community by joining a Jewish organization and lending your support. To understand the preparation for, and the actual confrontation between Judah and…
A Historical Overview of Jews in Morocco
Jews have lived in Morocco for thousands of years. Jewish nomadic tribes integrated into all aspects of Moroccan life even before the Mohammedan conquest of Morocco, which occurred in the…
Never Again
Recent acts of anti-Semitism and tragic events remind us of the words found in the Passover Hagaddah: "In each generation there are those who rise to destroy Jews." It behooves the Jewish…
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, literally the Night of Crystal, but generally translated as the Night of Broken Glass, was a tragic turning point in the fate of Germany’s Jewish community. The…
Vayeitzei 5782-2021
“From Ish Tam to Business Mogul: The Transformation of Jacob” (updated and revised from Vayeitzei 5762-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As this week’s parasha, parashat Vayeitzei,…
The First Rabbi in America
The first ordained rabbi to serve in an American congregation was Rabbi Abraham Joseph Rice (originally Reiss, 1800-1862). After studying in Germany, in Wurzburg and then Fuerth, Rice was…