Jewish Treats

The Fast of Gedaliah (Tzom Gedaliah)

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

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Jewish Treats

The Jews of Puerto Rico

On October 18, 1898, the “Stars and Stripes” flag of the United States was raised over Puerto Rico, announcing that the island was now under American sovereignty. Today’s Treat presents…

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Jewish Treats

A Document Against Antisemitism

It was on this day in 1965 that the Catholic Church officially stopped blaming the Jewish people for the death of Jesus. This groundbreaking statement came after more than a millennium of…

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Jewish Treats

The Jews of Panama

The history of the Jews in Panama is similar to Jewish history in other South and Central American countries. Conversos (Jews who publicly recanted the Jewish faith and adopted…

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Weekly Message,Vayishlach

Vayishlach 5782-2021

“Yisrael: The People Who Wrestle with G-d” (updated and revised from Vayishlach 5762-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, after having lived…

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Jewish Treats

A Friendly Emperor

On November 17th, in the year 331 C.E., Flavius Claudius Julianus (also known as Julian) was born. He was the son of the half-brother of Constantine, the first Roman Emperor to recognize…

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Jewish Treats

IPO Music

On December 26, 1936, corresponding to today’s Hebrew date, the 12th of Tevet, the Palestine Orchestra, founded by Polish-Jewish violinist, Bronislaw Huberman, held its initial concert in…

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Jewish Treats

A Brilliant Mind

In an era when most young women were encouraged to find a proper husband, Rita Levi-Montalcini (a combination of the last names of her father and mother) dreamed of a career in medicine.…

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Jewish Treats

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which is famous for its month-long resistance struggle against the Germans in April/May of 1943, actually began with an initial uprising on 12 Shevat 5703…

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Jewish Treats

Rabbi Israel Salanter and the Mussar Movement

The Mussar movement, the formal study and program of ethical improvement, was developed in the mid-nineteenth century by Rabbi Israel Salanter (1810-1883). Rabbi Israel’s family name was…

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