The Alarm Clock
New beginnings are always difficult. For those who are not “morning people,” every day is a new beginning, and we must be thankful to the inventor of the alarm clock, which keeps us from…
Kee Tavo 5780-2020
“There are Stones with Human Hearts” (updated and revised from Kee Tavo 5761-2001) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tavo, Moses transmits to the Jewish…
Rosh Hashana 5781-2020
“A Message for the High Holy Days: ‘Export, Export!’” (updated and revised from Rosh Hashana 5763-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Beginning this Friday evening,…
Great Scots
The story of the great masses of Eastern European Jews who arrived in New York and settled on the Lower East Side of Manhattan is more than simply conventional history. It is now regarded…
Thank You Nurses
Today, May 12th, is International Nurses Day, and so, Jewish Treats honors a woman who made a tremendous impact on the world of public health. Lillian D. Wald (1867 – 1940) was born to…
The Charleston Synagogue(s)
Charleston, South Carolina is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the United States. The 1669 charter for the Carolina Colony explicitly included liberty of conscious for…
Making it Transfusable
Today is World Blood Day, and Jewish Treats takes a brief look at the Jewish researchers who made safe blood transfusions possible. In 1901, Karl Landsteiner (June 14, 1868 – June 26,…
Fyvush
There are certain entertainers who are known by their first name, such as Matisyahu, Madonna, Cher, Eminem etc. Others are known by their first name, despite widespread knowledge of their…
The First Rabbi in America
The first ordained rabbi to serve in an American congregation was Rabbi Abraham Joseph Rice (originally Reiss, 1800-1862). After studying in Germany, in Wurzburg and then Fuerth, Rice was…
Jews in the Fold
Yesterday, November 11th, was celebrated internationally as National Origami Day. Origami is a compound Japanese term: ori means folding and kami means paper. Origami was created in the…