Shoftim 5783-2023

“Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue” (updated and revised from Shoftim 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   Parashat Shoftim--the name means “judges” or “magistrates,” deals…

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Happy Bow Tie Day

Today is Bow Tie Day, which is celebrated annually on August 28th. The bow tie originated in the 17th century with Croatian soldiers who wore them as part of their uniforms in the…

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Jews In Pakistan

In recent years, the nation of Pakistan has frequently been in the news, all too often, connected to reports of violence, bloodshed and war. Pakistan itself is actually a very young…

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Midwestern Sour Cream

There are a host of Jewish foods that are associated with the American Jewish experience. Most of these, such as blintzes with sour cream, sour cream and bananas, and (of course)…

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Literacy

Today, September 8th, is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) International Literacy Day. Established in 1965, International Literacy Day is meant…

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Yonah of Geronah

It is a fact of history that students have frequently been at the center of radical movements, often under the influence of a teacher or mentor. This was the case of Rabbi Yonah of…

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Sigd, The Ethiopian Holiday

While most of the Jews of Ethiopia–the Beta Israel, as the Ethiopian community is properly called, have made aliyah and rejoined the global Jewish community, they have their own unique…

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Albania and the Jews

Albania, which today marks its Independence Day, is a small Balkan country with an almost minute Jewish population. While it was never a country with a large Jewish population, there have…

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Rachel’s Tomb?

Kever Rochel, the Tomb of Rachel, in Bethlehem is considered to be the third holiest site in Jewish tradition, after the Temple Mount and The Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. The…

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