The Jews of Charles Dickens
As has been frequently reported, anti-Semitism is on the rise. Beyond strengthening our own Jewish identities, what can we do? There are often simple, non-threatening actions that can…
Tazria,Metzorah,Weekly Message
Tazria-Metzora 5778-2018
“Looking at Tzara’at from a Different Perspective” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s double parshiyot, Tazria and Metzora, deal almost exclusively with the issue of the…
Best-Seller
For a high school drop-out who failed English three times, Leon Uris had an outstanding career as a best-selling author. The Baltimore born (August 3, 1924) son of a Jewish paperhanger…
A Jewish Boy Goes to Hollywood
Joshua Charles Malina, a prominent Jewish American actor, was born January 17, 1966 in New York City. His father, an investment banker and Broadway producer, and mother, moved to…
The Great Jewish Tenor
There was a time, in the first half of the 20th century, when chazanut (cantorial/synagogue music) was the rage in the American Jewish community. In fact, there were celebrity chazanim…
Best-Seller
For a high school drop-out who failed English three times, Leon Uris had an outstanding career as a best-selling author. The Baltimore born (August 3, 1924) son of a Jewish paperhanger…
For Whom Do You Mourn?
In an era when media and entertainment are strongly integrated into personal lives, many people feel as if they have a connection to the celebrities they most admire. It is human nature…
Proud Maker of Music
Giacomo Meyerbeer (born in 1791 as Yaakov Liebmann Beer) succeeded in creating the 19th century’s most frequently produced operas while maintaining and taking pride in his heritage. While…
No Such Thing As A Human Herd
The recent social media discussions about the meaning of the Jewish reggae star Matisyahu’s shaving his beard has raised many issues: the significance of a beard in general, Chassidic…
They Make Us Laugh
When the recent hit comedy Funny People was released in movie theaters, it was frequently noted in the Jewish press that almost all of the comic actors in the film, including the…