Jewish Treats

Minsk, Pinsk and Dvinsk?

Dvinsk, also known as Daugavpils or Duenaburg, is Latvia’s second largest city, situated 140 miles southeast of Riga, Latvia’s capital (Dvinsk is the city’s Russian name). Dvinsk became a…

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Jewish Treats

Swiss Jews

A Jewish presence in Switzerland can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Until the 19th century, Jews in Switzerland were restricted in both residence and employment. While there were…

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Jewish Treats

The Fast of Gedaliah (Tzom Gedaliah)

The Fast of Gedaliah is observed to commemorate the assassination of Gedaliah, the son of Achikam, which is described in the last chapter of the Second Book of Kings. This murder resulted…

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Jewish Treats

Whosoever Is Wise

“Return, O Israel, for you have stumbled in your sin” (Hosea 14:2). Let’s face it, none of us really want to hear a fire-and-brimstone reproof of all of the things we’ve done wrong and…

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Jewish Treats

The Flying Rabbi

On October 24, 2011, a memorial to 14 Jewish chaplains of the United States Armed Services was dedicated in Arlington National Cemetery. The 14 Jewish chaplains whose names were inscribed…

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Jewish Treats

International Holocaust Memorial Day

Speak of the Holocaust, and the first word that many think of is Auschwitz. It was, and is, the most infamous of the concentration camps established by the Nazis. In fact, Auschwitz was…

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Jewish Treats

Women of Vision

Our sages teach that there were seven women famed for their prophecy. (Talmud Megillah 14a states that only prophecies with a message for the future were recorded. In reality, there were…

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Jewish Treats

A Twentieth Century Jewish Poet

In honor of World Poetry Day, Jewish Treats presents a brief biography of Muriel Rukeyser (1913-1980). Born and raised in New York City, Rukeyser attended Vassar College and Columbia…

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Jewish Treats

A Memorial to a Brave Soldier

David Rosenkrantz is one of the many unsung heroes whose lives, cut short by the horrors of war, are honored on Memorial Day. Born in 1916, Staff Sergeant Rosenkrantz joined the army in…

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Jewish Treats

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…

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