Jewish Treats

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…

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Jewish Treats

“…You Border on the Adriatic”

For many Americans, knowledge of Albania may derive from a famous scene in the sitcom “Cheers,” where “Coach” helps “Sam” study geography via the use of songs. They did this by singing,…

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Jewish Treats

Choral in the Capitals

The history of Jewish settlement in Russia is as long and complex as the narrative of the ever-shifting areas of Russian power. In the 18th century, Empress Catherine the Great banished…

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Jewish Treats

No Refuge in Alaska

Purchased from the Russian Empire in 1867, the territory of Alaska was the United States’ “Last Frontier.” Following its 1899 gold rush, which helped lay the foundation of Alaskan…

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Jewish Treats

Courland Jews, an Interesting History

There is no country by the name of Courland, but there is a historical subset of Latvian Jews known as Courland Jews. Their distinction comes from the connection in the 19th century of…

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Jewish Treats

The History of the Knesset

The founders of the State of Israel did not have much time to set up and plan the specifics of government, and so it is not surprising that the country emerged from its fight for…

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Weekly Message,Shemini

Shemini 5778-2018

“Kashrut and Copepods” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Shemini, is one of two parshiyot (the other is Re’eh, Deuteronomy 14:3-21) that serve as the main sources…

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Jewish Treats

Jews in Mauritius

In the Indian Ocean, just off the coast of Africa, is the island nation of Mauritius. Despite the general absence of Jews in Mauritius in the past, there is enough of a Jewish community…

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Jewish Treats

Based in Burma

Today’s Jewish Treat presents the unexpected Jewish history of Myanmar (formerly Burma), which gained its independence from the United Kingdom on January 4, 1948.  A synagogue is…

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Jewish Treats

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…

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