יום חמישי, כ״ד תמוז תשפ״וThursday, July 9, 2026
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By Marc Gronich
Only eight of the ten Torah scrolls went to Ahavat Achim – Bavli. A ninth Torah scroll was presented to a hospital sanctuary in Islip, New York, and a tenth Torah scroll was presented to Beit Choron, which was established as a kibbutz on December 1, 1977.
Developing substantive analysis of Benjamin’s Judaism and the degree to which he used his influence and position to advocate for his coreligionists is seriously hampered by the fact that he was a very private man who remained intentionally opaque and rarely discussed his role.
Weegee’s notable photographs of Jewish New York that reflect his Jewish sensitivities include subjects such as bagel sellers, street peddlers and garment workers, and I include here four of my personal favorites of his “Jewish genre” work.
The highest price realized for an item in the sale was on an 18th-century silver Torah crown from Italy. Assigned an estimate of $200,000-$300,000, it realized $478,000.
Though the mitzvah is understood to apply only when the Jews are all residing in Eretz Yisrael, the Aderet in this work and in an additional book he wrote on the subject encouraged to idea of reviving the mitzvah of Hakhel in modern times.
The back story on R. Morris Joseph is one of the most fascinating, albeit largely unknown, narratives in the history of British-Jewish clergy.
"More German than the Germans" is what aptly described many German Jews from the 19th century up to and occasionally including the Hitler Era.
In Kol Nidre (1918), Reik begins with a recollection of visiting the home of a music-loving friend and having an inexplicably strong reaction to a haunting minor musical passage that sounded very familiar to him but which he could not place.
Describing the situation in 1918, R. Itshe Mater Korman, a Breslov hasid from Poland recalled, Then began the great dangers surrounding the Gathering in Uman – even from within the Ukraine – due to the bands of murderers, may their name be blotted out.
In this article, I present some of my more “off the beaten path” items that I think might be of interest to readers.
R. Haim Meir Mizrahi overcame many tribulations to be able to print this volume. A large portion of his writings were destroyed in the great fire in Izmir, which occurred on the 11th of Av, 1851.
The cornerstone for the Knesset was laid on October 14, 1958, but the building was not formally dedicated until almost eight years later on August 30, 1966.
Many authors who had no living descendants had a particular urge to write a book, both to leave a legacy and in the hope that the publication may serve as a merit to be blessed with offspring.
Fighting for the Confederacy would put him in a position of possibly contributing to the death of his son, Alfred, Jr., who had followed in his footsteps, graduated from West Point, commenced his own army career, and was fighting for the Union.
By Sandy Eller
Imagine a crowd of 50,000 or even more praying in Uman and [the Russians] decide to shoot missiles, said Korniychuk. Can you guarantee that won’t happen after they were shelling shopping malls and kindergartens and schools?
Beginning in 1934, all Jews who were able to emigrate from Germany were blocked from removing any major assets or funds. In lieu of their assets, they were issued "Konversionskasse," a sort of promissory note supposedly backed by the Reichsbank...
Anna sought to capture great subtlety and abstraction of Middle Eastern landscapes and the almost primordial views that featured a blazing sun and desert sands; vibrant colors often muted by dusty air; ravines and vegetation manifesting riots of color; and, most of all, rocks, bare hills, and olive trees.
Following the great tragedies and deaths, many of the survivors were left destitute and homeless, with many traveling west or south. An indirect result of the tragedy was the arrival of many great rabbis as refugees in the Jewish communities of Central and Western Europe.
Infuriated by Nazi antisemitism, Sarnoff began regular travel to Washington after Kristallnacht to meet with branches of the armed forces to plan RCA’s integration into the American defense buildup...
By Baruch Lytle
We are a yeshiva where you can feel comfortable to learn and to grow and to pursue goals even beyond learning, such as careers, dating and growing in observance. And we want our students to feel comfortable being themselves.
The title page tells of the interesting background to the writing of this work and the travails of the author that led to it.
Gompers, who had actively encouraged representatives of the Zionist movement to attend the convention with the hope that they would sway their fellow delegates, condemned the majority of the Jewish delegates who voted against the resolution.
Indeed, your Esther scroll with case dates to 1953. It is unclear if Barton’s Chocolate Company kept re-releasing this Esther scroll every Purim throughout the 1950s and 60s...
Printing a sefer in centuries past took extraordinary effort and commitment; the stories behind the printing of many of these books tell tales of immense self-sacrifice.
By Eve Glover
Recently, Goldstein has noticed a dangerous trend of blatant antisemitism that is being sanctioned by medical institutions, universities and online platforms, where Jews are purged just for being Jewish.
Peretz doubted that an ancient tongue could be revived or that an ancient country could be reborn.
This occasion, Mrs. Kass related years later, gave the impetus to the present-day Kosher Hotel arrangements for larger public functions.
By Alan Zeitlin
Ritch said that first, her running-mate, who was not Jewish and was elected president, first resigned after it was stated by students that he had made a racist micro-aggression and that then the pressure fell on her as she was hit with a bevy of attacks online.
Although he rejected their lifestyle, Pissarro never rejected his family, with whom he remained close and, notwithstanding their ordeal, Pissarro’s parents remained fundamentally Jewish and maintained at least some degree of Jewish fidelity and practice.
One article implores married men in the armed forces to write up a divorce in advance of their deployment in the event that they are missing in action.
Intriguingly, the first six notes of God Bless America are identical to a six-note melodic passage from When Mose with His Nose Leads the Band, a 1906 novelty song written by three Irish songwriters about a Jewish musician known as the Jewish Sousa.
In his introduction he writes of the many troubles that befell him, starting with his having narrowly escaped his home in Alt-Ofen during wartime, leaving behind his books, belongings and worldly possessions.
There is little evidence of communal Jewish life or rabbinical leadership until the middle of the nineteenth century, when German Jews began a large American emigration to escape Germany’s tyrannical antisemitic laws.
A previous owner of the book apparently found several passages of the book not to his liking, and these passages were neatly burned out.
The Jews of Europe, who had their own dreams of a land that they heard of – i.e., Eretz Yisrael, about which their mothers had sung to them in two thousand years of lullabies – were unable to fly “over the rainbow” or go anywhere else.
While the student body at many of the major American yeshivas was slowly growing in the post-war period, the Selective Service draft resulted in a great portion of the students continuing their studies indefinitely to avoid the draft.
With the loss of the Alma oil fields – which Egypt has renamed the Shuab Ali fields – Israel’s energy costs in the first year after the agreement increased by about one-third to about $2 billion, even though Israel had adopted policies to reduce oil consumption.
A cache of documents I acquired this week tells of the efforts of a group that during World War II founded the organization Sabbath Observers in Civil Service to defend and support those in the U.S. Military who were Sabbath observant.
The great visionary of the Jewish State did not bother to provide his children with even the rudiments of Jewish education or a Jewish identity; in fact, he taught them that assimilation, liberalism, and an enlightened education would finally bring an end to antisemitism and Jewish isolation.
Schwartz spent the coming years traversing the country, studying the history of its villages and towns and attempting to determine the locations of biblical sites.
The catacombs also include beautiful illustrations of animals, which include birds, peacocks, ducks, and eagles; bulls, sheep and rams; and hens and roosters; as well as flowers and fruit trees, many of which may symbolize paradise.
These books constituted a complete collection of texts necessary for everyday Jewish life, something that had existed among the Western Sephardim and Ashkenazim for over 200 years.
Notably – and not surprising in Nazi Germany – the reviewer praised Mitchell’s description of the patriarchal character and racial and social hierarchy in the antebellum South.
Shem-Tov ibn Falaquera was a great Jewish Spanish philosopher and author, best known for his strong defense of the Rambam in a period when Maimonides was still under continuous attack by the opponents of the study of philosophy.
I present here the official cards of the first seven Congresses accompanied by a brief description of the Congress highlights.
Although well-made, with little red paste stones and a carnelian in the center, all in a tightly spun silver filigree setting, the way the Hebrew letters of “Bezalel” are formed and that the mark is rather lightly struck is not how a proper Bezalel hallmark appears.
The haskamot note that this is the first work in Ladino geared to women, despite the era being the height of the Ladino printing period, with numerous rabbinic as well as fictional works being published.
Harding’s Zionism may be rooted in his Baptist faith and his knowledge of the Bible and, over and above his support for a Jewish homeland in Eretz Yisrael, he often expressed positive sentiments about the Jewish faith.
An Italian Jewish physician and a great scholar, dei Rossi used critical methods to analyze the Aggadah of the Talmud, not understanding the literal meaning of the text.
The Rebbe always emphasized that the Land of Israel is the heart of the world and the channel through which all Divine blessings flow.
Written from a Muslim perspective, it was published by the Supreme Moslem Council (with the notorious Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin Al-Husseini, at its helm), and it acknowledges and emphasizes the Jewish history of the Temple Mount.
A century of Jewish children have grown up picturing Abraham as depicted by this beloved and monumental work without ever knowing the identity of the artist.
While little of it remains today, Maine's larger cities as well as many nearby towns had thriving Orthodox Jewish Communities in the early 20th century.
Rabbi Blau's decades-long campaign for the modesty of Jewish woman evokes comparisons to the Taliban and the Mullahs in Iran, as he established dress codes and “modesty patrols” to brutally enforce them, beginning in charedi communities and later expanding into other neighborhoods.
In 1617, French nobleman Concino Concini, Marquis d'Ancre, and his wife Leonora Galigai (who were not Jewish) were brought to trial for political reasons and accused of witchcraft and "Judaizing," and were subsequently killed.
his is not the standard look for someone who attends our shul even if just passing through, especially since there are other shuls on the block that may be considered a better fit. I'll be honest that if someone comes in looking like this, it's usually to collect tzedakah.
The Potter books, which have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide and have become the best-selling book series in history, have been translated into at least 80 languages, including Hebrew.
During the initial year-and-a-half of its existence, the Vaad concentrated its efforts on assisting the over 2,600 Polish rabbis and yeshivah students who had escaped to Lithuania, and trying to arrange their emigration overseas.
Ben Gurion used the broad public demand in Israel for a retaliatory action against Egypt to launch a February 28, 1955, attack on Gaza in which 39 Egyptians were killed and Israel suffered no casualties.
This manuscript of approximately 450 pages is dated 1891. It contains 32 chapters, written under the pseudonym Yeshay Ben Amotz, perhaps a play on his last name Schaikewitz.
Dear Tsadik, I have two candlesticks given to us by an aunt years ago that she claimed belonged to her parents, pre-Holocaust. Can you tell me anything about them? Thank you. Harold Furst Boca Raton, FL Dear Harold, I normally do not appraise objects that are secular in nature that have been adapted for […]
Although Haffkine personally donated funds to purchase land in Eretz Yisrael, he was not a political Zionist who considered a Jewish state as necessary for Jewish survival...
The masses who had visited Rav Chaim seeking his beracha and advice during his lifetime would not let anything keep them from coming to mourn and showing their respects and appreciation for him after his death.
Deinard's antiquarian activities, which involved constant travel throughout Europe, the Orient and America, gave him a unique acquaintance with scholars, private collectors, fellow booksellers and libraries.
The success of the Chidon Ha-Tanach launched other Bible contests, including a competition sponsored by the IDF (Israel Defense Force), and numerous local and regional quizzes, usually also held on Yom Haatzmaut, reflecting the broad popularity of learning Torah even among secular Israelis.
The manuscript, written in the late 19th century, contains a varied collection of songs in Arabic but written in the Hebrew alphabet, using the cursive Solitreo script.
Violators of the law could receive a six-month jail term. According to Superintendent Kennedy, the “masquerade or fancy dress ball or entertainment” exception apparently did not apply to Jews dressing up for Purim.
Jews were among the first Europeans to settle in Bulawayo; the first white child born there, in April, 1984, was Jewish.
When his grandfather passed away, Dov Yehuda Daina replaced him as judge and religious authority. He was raised in Slutsk during the first eleven years of his life and in fact began studying at the Slutsk yeshiva.
It was on one of Carroll’s many boating trips with Alice and her sisters on July 4, 1862, that he originated the framework of the stories and, at Alice’s enthusiastic urging, decided to write the stories...
After conducting a years-long investigation, the team concluded that Arnold van den Bergh (1886-1950), a prominent Jewish businessman, a founder of the Jewish Council in Holland, and a notary for a German art dealer selling stolen Jewish art to Hermann Goering, was the most likely quisling.
The story evolves during several sessions when an adult Artie comes to visit his cantankerous and eccentric elderly father, who is ill, in a bad second marriage, and still mourning the loss of Anja a decade earlier.
On November 23 in Jerusalem, Kedem held a sale composed of more than 100 lots of Hebrew books and manuscripts and two objects: a Chanukah menorah and a spice tower.
Per legend, the night following their refusing to give approbations for this work, the rabbis of Jerusalem were visited by R. Yaakov Abuhatzeira in a dream in which they were reprimanded for their refusal.
When Stein showed Fiddler to Mostel, he was starring in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and he initially turned it down, but when he later heard a more complete version of the show, he enthusiastically signed on.
Much has been written about Rev. Mrs Citron and her devotion to publishing her father's writings.
I am fighting antisemitism because it defiles our Christianity.
When the book was first published, the author's contemporaries in Egypt upon reading the book found that the author used harsh language in many places against other rabbis and their opinions.
As it turns out, this was a particularly fortuitous time for the Jews who, because they were dancing with their Torah scrolls when the fire reached their synagogues, were able to save most of them.
This volume, Land Israel, by a Jewish author, Ludwig Strauss, was published in Berlin in 1935, during the Nazi period.
Whoever hid the scrolls did an incredible job, as they were not discovered for 2,000 years and, in fact, they could well have remained hidden but for a fortuitous accident in 1947 when a goat wandered into a hollow.
Being accountable to the Department of Health is important for the confidence of our patients and demonstrates governmental verification of Bergen Hatzalah’s commitment to the highest quality of patient care,” said Bergen Hatzalah Chief Joshua Hartman.
For a time, cultural life at Theresienstadt was allowed to develop. Authors, scholars, musicians and Yiddish theatre actors gave performances.
Less known is that Andersen had deep affection for the Jewish people; that he was very familiar with Jewish tradition and culture... and that he maintained very close relationships with Jews and with the Jewish community.
The author printed this story that happened to him on the title page of every book he published after this event.
The Feldman Letter was similarly not intended as a true historical account but rather as a call to rouse the American Jewish community from its lethargy in the form of an updated version of the kinah.
Over the generations, German Jewry had accumulated numerous different Selichot prayers, and the custom developed to rotate the selections for each year...
Your Mizrach is indeed beautiful, with depictions of Moshe and Aharon, symbols of The Twelve Tribes, and more.
The children were initially welcomed by the Iranian public, but it grew hostile to the Jewish refugees, particularly after rising bread costs led to mass demonstrations in Iran.
The mis-attribution is the result of a book titled Shnei Hame’orot published in Kishinev in 1896.
The question under review is whether the bank knowingly transferred substantial funds that aided and abetted terrorist acts and is therefore subject to civil liability under Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).
Though not prohibited, circumcision became highly regulated, and circumcision laws were passed with the stated purpose of promoting health and sanitation to conform with “German sensibilities,” but which were actually calculated to make performing a bris more difficult.
Da Bologna was not the most brilliant of censors, and the Jewish Encyclopedia mentions several instances of his ignorance...
After the massacre had run its course, the police commenced gathering the injured Jews, who were brought to the police station but left on the basement floor to fend for themselves.
It seems that a significant portion of European Jewry of the 19th and early 20th centuries desired Judaica resembling what their grandparents and great-grandparents used.
In New York, he became the “go to” chazzan for the Jewish community’s philanthropic events, but his most legendary performance may have been his May 1917 appearance at the Hippodrome Theater to raise funds for Jews suffering in Europe during World War I.
By Baruch Lytle
There are so many souls out there screaming for spirituality to fill their void, and they just aren’t sure, physically, how to get it.
Notwithstanding Barker’s claim that he is not “anti-Jew,” his misrepresentations, including particularly his falsifications of Jewish history, underscore his flagrant anti-Semitism.
The New York Times reported that the run was based on a false rumor spread by a small local merchant, a holder of stock in the bank, who claimed that the bank had refused to sell his stock.
As Deputy Prime Minister Yigal Alon announced, We are back at Gush Etzion not as conquerors, but because this is part of our forefathers’ land.
July 3, 2026 
