Jewish History
Is Mah-Jongg a Jewish Game?
This Chinese parlor game found Jewish enthusiasts in the Catskills.
Women in Ethiopian Society
Beta Israel women in Ethiopian villages were inactive in public and were in charge of the domestic sphere.
Who Is Dr. Ruth?
How a Jewish grandmother forever changed America's ideas of sexual education and literacy.
How Long Have Jews Been Celebrating Hanukkah?
Hanukkah does not appear in the Hebrew Bible. Where does it come from then?
Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass
The widespread violence of Nov. 9-10, 1938 signaled an escalation in the Nazi reign of terror.
Sephardic, Ashkenazic, Mizrahi and Ethiopian Jews
The Jewish world is more ethnically and racially diverse than many people realize.
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and the Making of Modern Hebrew
The Lithuania-born visionary turned an ancient language into a spoken one.
Who Was Rabbi Akiva?
The second-century sage was the inspiration for many legends and may have died as a martyr.
The Nazi Olympics
In August 1936, the Nazi regime tried to camouflage its violent racist policies while it hosted the Summer Olympics.
Who Was Shabbetai Zevi?
The kabbalistic false messiah gained a mass following in the 17th century — until he converted to Islam.
The Soviet Jewry Movement in America
The fight to liberate the USSR's Jews strengthened and united the American Jewish community.
What Were Shtetls?
Clearing up myths about these Eastern European villages where Jews lived.