Happy Birthday Adam
Adam Richard Sandler was born September 9, 1966 in New York City to Judith (Levine) and Stanley Sandler, who descended from Russian Jewish immigrants on both sides. When Adam was 6, the…
Awareness
Be aware of the things that affect your judgment of other people and try to remain non-judgmental in your approach. In the first chapter of Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, we are…
Samuel Gompers, Labor Leader
In honor of Labor Day, Jewish Treats presents a brief biography of Samuel Gompers, a man who helped transform the early American Labor Movement. Born in London, England, on January 27,…
Shoftim 5784-2024
“The Extent of Rabbinic Authority” (updated and revised from Shoftim 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Shoftim, 41 new Torah laws, are…
Rabbi Shmuel Salant
On the 29th of Av, 1909, Rabbi Shmuel Salant, Jerusalem’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, for almost 70 years, passed away. Rabbi Shmuel was born in 1816 in Bialystok, then part of Czarist Russia.…
Extraordinary Role Models
Learn about great pious men and women, so their lives can serve as a model for us, even if many years later. Distinguished rabbis who lead their community are often known for their…
An Interesting Philologist
Language is considered to be one of the unique characteristics of humankind. Lazarus (Eliezer Solomon) Geiger believed that there was a great deal to learn about humanity from studying…
National Bow Tie Day
Today is Bow Tie Day, which is celebrated annually on August 28th. The bow tie originated in the 17th century with Croatian soldiers who wore them as part of their uniforms in the…
What Goes Around, Comes Around
Is there any truth to the popular statement, “What goes around, comes around?” It is a pithy phrase that is all too often suggested (somewhat viciously) after a person falls on hard…
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…