11+ hour, 11+ min ago   (183+ words) By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin in Pikesville, Maryland Maggid Tanakh Companions: The Noam Series is a collection of scholarly yet highly readable volumes that examine the books and major figures of the Hebrew Bible through close literary analysis. Published by…...

16+ hour, 42+ min ago   (357+ words) By Alex Gordon in Haifa, Israel The emperor’s decree was a significant setback in establishing equality for Jews during the French Revolution. Bonaparte wanted to dissuade Jews from Judaism. He believed that they needed to be saved from their erroneous…...

1+ day, 12+ min ago   (124+ words) Otto Warburg (July 20, 1859 – January 10, 1938) was a German-Jewish botanist. He was also a notable industrial agriculture expert and president of the Zionist Organization from 1911 to 1921. [Wikipedia] He was also a notable industrial agriculture expert and president of the Zionist Organization from…...

2+ day, 5+ hour ago   (92+ words) Benjamin Franklin Jonas (July 19, 1834 – December 21, 1911) was an American politician who was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Louisiana and an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. [Wikipedia] Benjamin Franklin Jonas (July 19, 1834 – December 21, 1911) was an American politician…...

4+ day, 23+ hour ago   (499+ words) By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. in El Cajon, California Oh, if we all only abided by this example, what a wonderful world it would be. But alas, we are all simply human. In this parsha, we are given exhortation and warnings....

6+ day, 12+ hour ago   (248+ words) By Donald H. Harrison in San Diego This story, intended to be read to kindergarteners and first graders, mixes Jewish culture with Texas tale-telling notable for exaggerating dimensions. Thus, grandma Schwaid read to the children that her father, the baker, made…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago   (283+ words) By Alex Gordon in Haifa, Israel Marc Leopold Benjamin Bloch was a French historian, one of the founders of the Annales School of French social history. Bloch specialized in the history of medieval France. He worked at the University of…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago   (103+ words) Naomi Shemer (July 13, 1930 – June 26, 2004) was an Israeli songwriter, composer, and performer, widely described as the "first lady of Israeli song".She became one of the most influential figures in modern Hebrew music, writing numerous songs that became cultural touchstones, most…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago   (411+ words) By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel in Chula Vista, California In Charles Schulz’s Peanuts, Lucy Van Pelt strides in and demands the television remote. Linus protests. She raises her hand: “These five fingers—individually they’re nothing. But when I curl…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (932+ words) By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. in El Cajon, California We live in a world that talks constantly about progress. We measure it by advances in technology, medicine, efficiency, and innovation. In many ways, that’s entirely appropriate. We accomplish today what previous…...