How William Friedman, the Jewish Dean of Modern Cryptology, Enabled the Allies Victory in...
When the United States entered World War I, the Army lacked an official cryptographic service, and Riverbank’s Department of Codes and Ciphers, where the Friedmans worked, became the de facto center for American codebreaking.
Family Mental Illness in a Family – Chapter Ten
I still believed that if I sat with her long enough, in the right way, she would open up. That I just hadn’t found the right approach yet. I know now that this was wishful thinking.
Dear Dr. Yael
When we have watched one marriage unravel, especially that of our own child, the heart and amygdala become hyper-alert. What once might have registered as background noise now sounds like an alarm.
The Versatile Halachic World of the Shadal
Perhaps the most enduring aspect of the Shadal’s legacy is his personal integrity.
How Georg Duckwitz & Rabbi Marcus Melchior Saved Danish Jewry During the Holocaust
It is interesting that Duckwitz was required to forward a simple autograph request up the chain of command and to obtain formal approval from the Reich Foreign Minister in Berlin to provide the signature.
The Rabbinics and Zionism of Rav Yitzchak Nissenbaum
Rav Nissenbaum’s published oeuvre and editorial work give the best available access to his substantive positions on Jewish law, social practice, and the national question, as he was a prolific writer of derashot (sermons), pamphlets, articles, and at least one substantial autobiography/memoir.
A Refuge for the Jews – in Alaska?
Slattery’s administrative record, like that of many career public servants of his era, was primarily secular and bureaucratic; he was not known as a leader of Jewish communal life nor as a voice on Zionist issues prior to the Slattery Report’s association with his name.
The Judaism and “Zionism” of Hannah Arendt And Eichmann in Jerusalem
Arendt shrugged off her inaccuracies and errors by arguing that much of the public onslaught was little more than a political campaign to discredit her and that criticism often misrepresented the book.
The History of the Swastika: Was It a Jewish Symbol?
When scholars consider whether the swastika was a Jewish symbol in the sense that the Star of David or the Menorah is a Jewish emblem, the answer from mainstream academic literature is that there is no evidence that Jewish religious authorities, rabbinic leadership, or organized Jewish communities adopted the swastika as a recognized symbol of Judaism.
Migdal David: A Chronicle of Jerusalem’s Citadel Through the Ages
Contrary to its name, the Tower has no direct connection to King David, yet its name and its stones tell a complex story of conquest, religion, empire, destruction, and preservation.
The Role of Béla Schick’s Judaism in His Medical and Social Contributions
Across a long life that spanned the collapse of the Habsburg world, two World Wars, the Holocaust, and the founding of the State of Israel, Schick combined scientific innovation with leadership in Jewish medical institutions, philanthropic circles, and public-health education aimed at protecting children – an ethic he framed repeatedly with moral language rooted in Jewish concern for life.
Ark-etype: The Shape And Carrying Capacity of Noah’s Ark
It seems preposterous to me that an ark containing many thousands of animals – and a year’s supply of food for them – could possibly be seaworthy if it were made from reeds.
The Astonishing Reign of Joshua Abraham Norton, ‘Emperor of the United States and Protector of...
Much has been written about the theatrical elements of his “reign” and the popular tolerance that allowed a self-declared emperor to roam a major American city free of serious harassment.
The Jewish Art of Samuel Hirszenberg
Hirszenberg was born in Łódź, in the Russian partition of Poland, the eldest son of a poor Jewish weaver, who was initially opposed to Samuel's artistic ambitions, which were viewed as incompatible with the values of traditional Jewish life.
Is Transferring Birthrights Forbidden? Not So Fast
We can argue that Yaakov was destined to replace Eisav as having the right of the firstborn, and thus that Rivka’s deceiving Yitzchak, which brought about that result, had Divine sanction.
Sefer Mikneh Avraham: Far More Than a Collector’s Item
Mikneh Avraham occupies a singular place in the evolution of Hebrew grammatical literature.
Pinkas Hazkarot Neshamot – a Miraculous Treasure
This handwritten volume, recording the names and yahrzeits of nearly 1,500 neshamot, was copied for the shul’s last rav, Rabbi Shlomo Baumgarten, just before he fled the Nazis in 1938. It is only thanks to that copy that we know what we know today.
The War on Parents Intensifies
An inflection point in this process was reached during the Covid school lockdowns of 2020-22, when many parents were shocked, even outraged, to discover what their children were being taught.
A Testament to the Endurance of Jewish Identity
The Hitler Haggadah takes the traditional Passover narrative and reimagines it through the lens of wartime realities, framing the Allied victory over the Nazis as Divine intervention.