For the Refugees
Oftentimes, one thinks of refugees as people who were forced from their homes. Most refugees, however, are not specifically expelled, but rather forced to flee due to increasingly…
What’s in the Book: Joshua
The Book of Joshua (Yehoshua) is the first of the ten books known as Nevi'im, the Books of the Prophets. It begins after Moses’ death, when Joshua bin Nun assumed the leadership of…
Taking a Stand in North Carolina
In honor of North Carolina’s ratification of the United States Constitution on November 21, 1789, making it the 12th state of the Union, today’s Jewish Treat presents Jacob Henry, a proud…
Philosophical Dialogue
Spain in the early Middle Ages was a breeding ground for philosophers. As the peninsula shifted from Christian control to Muslim and back to Christian again, philosophy became the common…
Name Change
It is not a coincidence that cultures around the world share a belief in the power of given names. In Judaism, it is believed that parents are granted a flash of ruach hakodesh, Divine…
The Fall of the Wall
Today, November 9, is marked on some calendars as World Freedom Day in tribute to the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The collapse of the iron curtain changed the world and…
Barbie’s Jewish Mother
One might easily wonder what Ruth Handler's reaction would have been to the recently released Barbies of various size. Having finally responded in 1997 to criticism about the original…
Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah
Tonight starts the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, literally the Gathering of the Eighth, a connected, yet independent holiday, that immediately follows Sukkot. During the seven days of…
Ushpeezin (Oo’shpee’zin)
During the festival of Sukkot, the sukkah is intended to be our home. For example, since one would normally dine in the house, on Sukkot one dines in the sukkah. Because the sukkah is…
Houston Healthcare
Many cities have Jewish hospitals, but only Houston has a Jewish Institute of Medical Research. In the 1950s, Houston’s Jewish community sought to create a medical facility that had a…