Chastisement with Love
“Reprove a wise man, and he will love you” (Proverbs 9:8). Not too many people respond to criticism with increased affection. Even when it comes from someone whom they know has the best…
Rabin
12 Cheshvan is the yahrzeit (anniversary of the death) of Yitzchak Rabin, who was assassinated in 1995. Born in Jerusalem on March 1, 1922, Rabin grew up in Tel Aviv. He entered the…
Situation in the Suez
The Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, and thus to the Indian Ocean, was built in the 1860s through a French-Egyptian partnership. In 1875, debt forced the…
The Exodus of the Syrian Jews
In 1948, Jews around the world celebrated the creation of the newly established State of Israel. After millennia of exile and centuries of struggle, the Promised Land would once again be…
Dinah, The Daughter of Jacob
Dinah, the seventh and youngest child of Leah and Jacob, was born the same year as her half-brother Joseph. In fact, the Talmud (Brachot 60a) notes that Leah specifically prayed that the…
Rabbi Eliezer Silver
Historians have noted the seemingly underwhelming response of the American Jewish community to the Holocaust as it unfolded in Europe. Among the few who were prominent activists was Rabbi…
Guilty By Association?
Historic references to David Salisbury Franks (c. 1740-1793) do not mention anti-Semitism. Franks had a far more serious cloud hanging over him--the unfortunate honor of serving as an…
The Longest 250 Miles: Sadat’s Bold Flight
Imagine America’s foremost enemy addressing a joint session of Congress? You can’t; it’s almost impossible to envision such a scenario actually taking place. But, such a miraculous event…
Rabin
Born in Jerusalem on March 1, 1922, Yitzhak Rabin grew up in Tel Aviv. He entered the military service in 1941 when he joined the newly formed Palmach. During World War II, he fought for…
The Jews Of Jamaica
As in many countries of the New World, the Jewish history of Jamaica begins with conversos, the secret Jews who fled Spain. They came to the New World seeking not only new opportunities,…