Madagascar and the Jews
The island of Madagascar has never been the home to a formal Jewish community. There is no synagogue, nor any formal Jewish congregation. And yet, this island off the coast of Africa,…
Mourning Jerusalem: 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 First…
What’s in the Book – Malachi
The Book of Malachi is the last of the Twelve Prophets, and there is no reference to its historical period in the text other than the fact that sacrifices are once again being offered in…
Mourning Jerusalem: A Brief History of the First Temple
On Sunday, 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 First…
Continual Presence
The tumultuous record of Jewish history has led many to wonder how Jews can remain faithful to the Torah. But the very exiles and persecutions that might shake our faith are mentioned in…
Jewish Genetics
The fact that one’s genetic code is a combination of the DNA one inherits from both mother and father is a basic lesson of high school biology. According to traditional Jewish…
Slavery In The Modern World
Say the word slave and the immediate image that comes to mind is a man or woman bound in shackles, possibly cowering under a whip. Modern day slavery is often far more subtle--the chains…
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…
Golda
Stories of the Zionist leaders of the early twentieth century usually begin: "He came from Poland (or Russia) and...” Golda Meir’s account, however, begins quite differently: She came…
Adopting Moses
In honor of National Adoption Day (November 20, 2010), Jewish Treats pays tribute to Bithia, the daughter of Pharaoh, whose adoption of a baby in a basket changed the course of human…