Presidents’ Day: The Jews and Martin Van Buren
In 1840, the news of the terrible fate of the Jewish community of Damascus (Syria) reached the shores of America and brought the disparate Jewish communities of the young American nation…
A Taste of Shakespeare
Yiddish theater, which saw its heyday in the early decades of the twentieth century, played an important role in the lives of the American Jewish community. More than just entertainment…
The Occident
In honor of World Press Freedom Day, commemorated annually on May 3rd, as declared by the United Nations General Assembly, Jewish Treats takes a quick glance at the first general Jewish…
First on the Court
Born in 1856, in Louisville, Kentucky, Louis Dembitz Brandeis was the child of European immigrants who maintained a minimal Jewish identity. However, his maternal uncle, Lewis Dembitz,…
The Jews’ Hospital of New York
Healthcare is a topic that is frequently in the news these days and is a major part of the current public discourse. Before it became standard practice for governments to fund public…
The Importance of Flag Day
Today is celebrated as “Flag Day” throughout the United States. On this day in 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the “Stars and Stripes” as the flag of the United States. In…
B’ha’alot’cha 5783-2023
"Searching for Eldad and Medad" (updated and revised from B'ha'a'lot'cha 5764-2004) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat B’ha’a’lot’cha, brims with many fascinating…
What A Player
Today marks 177 years since the first official game of baseball was played on June 19, 1846. In honor of this anniversary, today’s Jewish Treat presents a brief biography of a unique…
Making it Transfusable
In 1901, Karl Landsteiner (June 14, 1868–June 26, 1943) discovered that people have different types of blood, and by 1909 he was able to begin labelling the different blood types. Born in…
Chukat-Balak 5783-2023
"How to Market G-d!" (updated and revised from Chukat-Balak 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the first of this week’s parashiot, parashat Chukat, the Israelites, who are soon to…