The Book of Ruth
Ruth was the Moabite wife of Machlon, one of the two sons of Elimelech and Naomi, a wealthy Hebrew couple who had fled Bethlehem during a bitter famine. Elimelech’s family had settled in…
Preparing for the Torah
Shortly after the Israelites encamped at the base of Mount Sinai, they agreed to accept the Torah and do all that God had commanded. And so, God declared that He would bring Himself, in…
Shakespeare’s Jew
From 1290 until the 1650s, Jews were not permitted to settle in England. However, marranos/anusim–Jews from Spain and Portugal who had converted to Christianity in name only in order to…
In Arkansas
Jewish life in Arkansas began in 1825 with the arrival of Abraham Block to the town of Washington in Hempstead County, Arkansas. For Block and his family, however, it was a very lonely…
Protecting Widows
Today, June 23rd is the official date recognized by the United Nations as International Widows Day. The day was first observed in 2005, and, in 2010, it was ratified by the U.N. to…
After an Incident
Jewish Treats acknowledges the life-endangering incident that resulted in tragic loss of life and multiple injuries that occurred as a result of the horrific shooting at the Independence…
The Rebbe
Jews worldwide observe the yahrzeit (anniversary of death) of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of blessed memory, on the 3rd of Tammuz, which is observed…
A Woman in Charge: Bessie Gotsfeld
Mizrachi Women’s Organization of America (MWOA, known today as AMIT – Americans for Israel and Torah) began as part of the religious Zionist organization known as Mizrachi of America. The…
Matot-Masei 5782-2022
“The Massacre of the Midianites: Does Judaism Countenance Genocide?” (Updated and revised from Matot-Masei 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald At the conclusion of parashat Balak,…
Shabbat Chazon
This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of the Vision (prophecy), named after the opening word of the Book of Isaiah, the first 27 verses of which are read as the haftarah on…