Adopting Moses
In honor of National Adoption Month, Jewish Treats pays tribute to Bithia, the daughter of Pharaoh, whose adoption of a baby in a basket changed the course of human history.…
Mourning Jerusalem I: A Brief History of the First Temple
Today, Jews all over the world are observing the fast of Tisha b’Av. It is on this day that the Jewish people mourn the destruction of both the First and Second Temples. The…
History for Everyone
Barbara Tuchman (January 30, 1912 - February 6, 1989) never earned a doctorate in history, but the books that she authored injected new life into the layman’s study and understanding of…
The Jews of Finland
For most European countries, the history of its Jewish presence begins some time in or before the Dark Ages and is accented by varying periods of exile or oppression. Since Jews were not…
More Than a Financier
Known as the Juden Kaiser (the Jewish Emperor), Rabbi Samson Wertheimer was a man of incredible accomplishment. Born in Worms in 1658, he was educated in the yeshivot of Worms and…
Biodiversity
Today is the International Day of Biological Diversity, which was created in 1993 by the United Nations to promote discussions about issues of biodiversity. Biodiversity means that there…
Using A Live Virus
Mention the polio vaccine and most people think of Jonas Salk. The fact is, however, that the polio vaccine used today is actually based on the work of another Jewish physician, Albert…
Why Am I Not Interested in Idols?
There is an interesting dialogue between the elders of Rome and the sages of Israel recorded in Talmud Avodah Zarah 55a: [Rome]: "If [your God] has no desire for idolatry, why does…
Mourning Jerusalem I: A Brief History of the First Temple
On Tuesday, Jews all over the world will observe the fast of Tisha b’Av. It is on this day that the Jewish people mourn the destruction of both the First and Second Temples. The…
The Tribe of Issachar
As the ancestors of the tribes of Israel, the lives and personalities of each of the twelve sons of Jacob significantly impact the history and behavior of the tribe members who descended…