Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman – The Jewish Connection
Name the first talking animated film. The answer most people usually offer is Walt Disney’s Steamboat Willy (1928). In actuality, however, the first talking cartoons were produced by…
Yoo Hoo Mrs. Goldberg
In the age of “Reality Television,” it is easy to forget how magical the very early television programs were. Many of these series had originally been successful radio programs and…
Rock of Ages
“Rock of Ages let our song / Praise thy saving power / Thou amidst the raging foes / Wast our sheltering tower....” This is the first verse of Maoz Tzur as translated, loosely…
Founder of the Council
It is said that, by nature, women are social creatures. This social, when organized, can be an incredible life-force. This idea became reality when Hannah Greenbaum Solomon (1858-1942)…
Rock Of Ages
“Rock of Ages let our song / Praise thy saving power / Thou amidst the raging foes / Wast our sheltering tower....” This is the first verse of Maoz Tzur as translated, loosely from the…
With Moveable Type
The first known book to be printed in Europe with moveable type was the Gutenberg Bible, printed in Germany in 1445. And while the German printing guild had strict rules against…
American Archivist
Selma Stern-Taeubler (1890-1981) was a natural achiever. Not only was this doctor’s daughter the first woman to be accepted to Baden-Baden’s Gymnasium in Germany, she even graduated from…
Tisha b'Av,Weekly Message,Devarim
Devarim-Tisha B’Av 5761-2001
"Eichah, The Annual Search for Meaning and Introspection" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Devarim, is the parasha which is always read on the Shabbat that…
Shemot 5763-2002
"The Making of a Concerned Jewish Leader" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The story of Joseph has come to a conclusion, and with the arrival of the children of Jacob in Egypt, G-d's…
Sitting in the House of Commons
On July 26, 1858, Baron Lionel Nathan de Rothschild entered the British House of Commons and took the oath required to serve as a Member of Parliament. His oath was a groundbreaking step…