Bamidbar 5780-2020
"Jewish Continuity through Family Structure” (Updated and revised from Bamidbar 5761-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bamidbar, G-d instructs Moses to…
A Jewish Income Tax?
On February 3, 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived,…
Minsk, Pinsk and Dvinsk?
Dvinsk, also known as Daugavpils or Duenaburg, is Latvia’s second largest city, situated 140 miles southeast of Riga, Latvia’s capital (Dvinsk is the city’s Russian name). Dvinsk became a…
The Golden Ages of Estonia
Estonia, one of the three Baltic states, has never historically hosted a large population of Jews, but the quality of its hospitality toward Jews and other minorities has been quite…
The Crown of Israel’s Jezreel Valley
Today the city of Afula, with a population of 49,000, sits as the crown and virtual capital of the Jezreel Valley in north-central Israel. Many identify modern day Afula with the…
How to Unify the Nation
This Shabbat we read in the Torah both parashat Vayakhel and the special Torah portion for parashat Shekalim, that describes the half shekel donation given in Temple times to the Temple…
Earthshattering Moments in One of Israel’s Holiest Cities
Tzfat (Safed), the Israeli city in the rolling hills of the Galilee, is known as one of the four holy cities of Israel, along with Tiberias, Hebron and, of course, Jerusalem. It was the…
Minsk, Pinsk and Dvinsk?
Dvinsk, also known as Daugavpils or Duenaburg, is Latvia’s second largest city, situated 140 miles southeast of Riga, Latvia’s capital (Dvinsk is the city’s Russian name). Dvinsk became…
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…
The First World War and the Jews
A great deal has been written about the devastation that resulted from the First World War, which left millions dead, thousands maimed and a generation devastated. For those who have…