Jewish Jeaneology
February 26, celebrated as “Levi Strauss Day,” is the day, in 1829, that marked the birth of the blue jeans icon. Born in Bavaria, Levi Strauss immigrated, along with his mother and two…
The Mother of Women’s Basketball
As today is International Women’s Day, Jewish Treats highlights some of the many accomplishments of Senda Berenson, the mother of women’s basketball, who revolutionized women’s athletics.…
Metzorah 5782-2022
“The Nidah--Affirming the Infinite Value of Human Life” (updated and revised from Metzorah 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Toward the end of this week’s parasha, parashat…
An Interesting Philologist
Language is considered to be one of the unique characteristics of humankind. Lazarus (Eliezer Solomon) Geiger, who is recognized as one of the pre-eminent philologists of his time, made…
Symbolic Foods
Since Rosh Hashana is the Day of Judgment, it is customary to eat simanim*, foods with symbolic meanings that invoke God’s blessing. We also recite a short prayer before eating them.…
His Tricks Were Quite A Treat
It is commonly acknowledged that the magician and escape artist Harry Houdini (1874-1926) set the standard for all performing magicians to come. Many people are also aware of the fact…
Jewish Work in Diabetes
Today is World Diabetes Day. Not so long ago, diabetes was often thought of as a “Jewish disease.” This was before doctors and scientists understood genetics. The idea of diabetes as a…
Tooning Machines
There are not many people whose names appear as a dictionary entry, and even fewer whose names have become adjectives. As of 1966, however, the name “Rube Goldberg” took on an official…
The Story of Chanukah
Around the year 167 B.C.E., the Syrian-Greek rulers of Judea tried to force the Jews to assimilate into Hellenic culture. They summoned the Jews to the town squares where they were forced…
Natural Born Athlete
In the world of sports, Bobbie Rosenfeld had, what a person might call, the “magic touch.” As it was once noted: “The most efficient way to summarize Bobbie Rosenfeld’s career…is to say…