Cartoon Power
The mesmerizing imagery in Syd Hoff’s classic children’s books Danny and the Dinosaur and Sammy the Seal (and Herschel the Hero!) may evoke a bygone era, but the storylines remain…
Conservationist First
In the early 1900s, those who are now called “environmentalists,” would have been known as “conservationists.” Of the great conservationists of the era, New York State benefited from the…
Lord George Gordon
As few members of the British aristocracy have converted to Judaism, the conversion of Lord George Gordon* (1751 - 1793) was a matter of note in British society.…
The Netziv
At most yeshivot, the primary focus of study is on the Oral Law (as compiled in the Talmud and later legal compendiums), leaving the study of the written Tanach (the five books of…
The First American Jewish Poetess
In celebration of National Poetry Month: When asked to name early American Jewish poets, the first name that comes to most people’s mind is Emma Lazarus. It may therefore be surprising…
The Jews of Charles Dickens
As has been frequently reported, anti-Semitism is on the rise. Beyond strengthening our own Jewish identities, what can we do? There are often simple, non-threatening actions that can…
“In Every Generation” 1903
This Passover, Jews around the world will recite: “In every generation, our enemies rise up to destroy us.” Passover, Purim, Chanukah, the Inquisition, the Holocaust...we are well aware…
Henry Ford’s Anti-Semitism
In 1919, Henry Ford, already a famous industrialist, purchased the Dearborn Independent (The Ford International Weekly) newspaper and used the paper as a vehicle to spread his…
Hail The Accuser
In the era of social media, it is almost an everyday occurrence to be asked to sign a petition or to “like” a cause. When Emile Zola, the celebrated French novelist, published J’Accuse on…
Best Seller
For a high school dropout who failed English three times, Leon Uris had an outstanding career as a best-selling author. The Baltimore-born (August 3, 1924) Uris was the son of a Jewish…