Kee Tisah 5771-2011
"The Thirteen Attributes of G-d’s Mercy" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tisah, we encounter the dramatic episode of the Golden Calf. Moses comes down…
Kee Tisah 5772-2012
"The Preeminence of Shabbat" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tisah, we learn, among other things, of the preeminence of Shabbat, the Sabbath Day.…
Vayishlach 5780-2019
“The Massacre of Shechem, Can it be Justified?” (Updated and revised from Vayishlach 5760-1999) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, commences,…
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 Boschwitz…
The Buttonwood Jews
On the 17th of May, 1792, 24 businessmen met under a buttonwood (sycamore) tree and made an agreement to deal only with one another and to set a .25% commission rate on all…
General/Prime Minister Sharon
Ariel “Arik” Sharon served with unusual distinction and considerable controversy both in a military uniform and as a politician. Sharon’s life of accomplishment was punctuated by his…
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…
An Advocate for Mothers
In honor of Women’s History Month, Jewish Treats presents a brief biography of Flora Suhd Hommel, a woman whose lifework benefited thousands of other women. Hommel was one of the primary…
The Trouble with Casual Blasphemy
On February 23, 1658, Jacob Lumbrozo was brought before a judge in the colony of Maryland and tried for blasphemy. In a world such as ours today, it is hard to imagine someone being taken…
Revolutionary Doctors
At the time of the American Revolution, approximately 2,000 Jews resided in the colonies. A fair number of these Jews served in the Continental Army, and many others showed their…