Fast of the Firstborn
There has always been a lot of pressure on firstborn children, as they were often expected to care for the family property or business in order to ensure stability within the family and…
Natural Born Leadership
“No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President” (U.S.…
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies
Did you grow up with the planetary mnemonic “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies”? Of course, since 2006, when Pluto was removed from the roster of planets, the mnemonic has…
A Candy Treat
While most people would not be surprised at the Jewish back-story of Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews, they might not realize just how deeply involved Jews were in the development of the early…
A Candy Treat
While most people would not be surprised at the Jewish back-story of Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews, they might not realize just how deeply involved Jews were in the early American…
Using A Live Virus
Mention the polio vaccine and most people think of Jonas Salk. The fact is, however, that the polio vaccine used today is actually based on the work of another Jewish physician, Albert…
An Extraordinary Run
With the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in full swing, NJOP shares the story of a Jewish British Olympian. When Harold Maurice Abrahams was born on December 15, 1899, movies were short,…
Shavuot 5784-2024
Shavuot 5784-2024 “Abba’s Final Shavuot” (updated and revised from Shavuot 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Our father, of blessed memory, Moshe Aharon Buchwald, whom my sisters…
First on the Court
Born in 1856, in Louisville, Kentucky, Louis Dembitz Brandeis was the child of European immigrants who maintained a minimal Jewish identity. However, his maternal uncle, Lewis Dembitz,…
Jews in Mauritius
In the Indian Ocean, just off the coast of Africa, is the island nation of Mauritius. Despite the general absence of Jews in Mauritius in the past, there is enough of a Jewish community…