Jewish History

[Sixties Fan]

Ukraine has had a significant and vibrant Jewish community going all the way back to the Middle Ages, but the history of Ukrainian Jewry has been difficult, and often marked by periods of intense antisemitism. In addition, it was not always easy to live in a region that was frequently unstable.

Borders shifted following the collapse of the Russian Empire — and later, the Soviet Union — and near-constant persecution and surveillance led many Jews to emigrate elsewhere. But an astonishing number of Ukrainian Jews, whether they spent their entire lives in the country or traveled elsewhere, have made remarkable contributions to the world in art, culture, science, politics, sports and more. Ukraine was also the birthplace of important Jewish developments, most notably Hasidism.

Baal Shem Tov​

The Baal Shem Tov was the founder of Hasidic Judaism, an Orthodox spiritual revivalist movement that has hundreds of thousands of adherents today. Born Israel ben Eliezer in 1698 in Okopy, Ukraine, Baal Shem Tov literally means “Master of the Good Name” and is often abbreviated as Besht.

Golda Meir​

While Golda Meir ascended to international prominence when she was elected prime minister of Israel in 1969, she was born in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, in 1898. Meir was the fourth woman in the world to serve as a head of state. Other Israeli leaders who were born in Ukraine include Israel’s second prime minister Moshe Sharett, as well as his successor, Levi Eshkol.

Sholem Aleichem​

Born Sholem Rabinovitz in 1859 in Pereyaslav, Ukraine, Sholem Aleichem is considered one of the most beloved Yiddish writers of all time. His short stories about Tevye the Dairyman inspired the hit musical and film Fiddler on the Roof.

Mila Kunis​

Born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine in 1983, Mila Kunis and her family fled the Soviet Union when she was seven years old. Her family was resettled in Los Angeles with the help of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. Kunis ascended to fame by starring in That 70’s Show and has had major roles in dozens of shows and films since then.

Menachem Mendel Schneerson​

Known to many as just “the Rebbe,” Menachem Mendel Schneerson was the last rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch movement and is considered one of the most influential 20th century Jewish leaders. While Schneerson famously led the Chabad movement from its Brooklyn headquarters, he was actually born in Mykolaiv, Ukraine in 1902.

Oksana Baiul​

Figure skater Oskana Baiul made history in 1994 when she became the first athlete representing post-Soviet Ukraine to win a gold medal at the Olympics. While Baiul was raised Orthodox Christian, she discovered and embraced her maternal Jewish ancestry when she was 25 years old. Since retiring from ice skating, she has served as a trustee for the Tikva Children’s Home, a Jewish orphanage in Odessa. While swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg represented Team USA at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, the gold medalist was born and raised in Odessa, until his family fled and resettled in Los Angeles when he was 14. World-renowned tennis player Elina Svitolina won a bronze medal for Ukraine at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Svitolina was also a semi-finalist at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Selman Waksman ​

Selman Waksman was born in 1888 in a small village outside of Vinnytsia, Ukraine. As a researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey, Waksman discovered a number of antibiotics, which led to the first successful treatment of tuberculosis. Waksman was awarded the 1952 Nobel Prize in medicine for his contributions to microbiology. Many other Ukrainian Jewish scientists have made sterling contributions, including Waldemar Haffkine, the microbiologist credited with developing the first vaccines for cholera and bubonic plague, who was born in Odessa in 1860.

Natan Sharansky ​

Born in Donetsk, Ukraine in 1948, Natan Sharansky is one of the most famous refuseniks who advocated for Soviet Jewry’s right to emigrate during the 1970s and 1980s. Between the years of 1977 and 1986, Sharansky was imprisoned for his activism. After being released, Sharansky immigrated to Israel and entered the world of politics. Sharansky was awarded the Israel Prize in 2018.

Vladimir Horowitz​

Hailed as one of the greatest pianists of all time, Vladimir Horowitz was born in Kyiv in 1903. He left the Soviet Union at 22 years old and went on to reside in Berlin and New York City. After winning dozens of Grammy Awards from the late 1960s to the early 1990s, Horowitz earned the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. There have been many other remarkable Ukrainian Jewish musicians including internationally renowned violinist and six-time Grammy winner Isaac Stern.


(full article online)

16 Jews from Ukraine Who Changed the World | My Jewish Learning

Ukraine has had a significant and vibrant Jewish community going all the way back to the Middle Ages, but the ...

www.myjewishlearning.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

There’s a Grammy for Christian music. These musicians want one for Jewish music, too

Friends Joanie Leeds and Mikey Pauker say US Jewish music is experiencing a renaissance -- and as it falls between categories like global and religious, now's the time to add it

www.timesofisrael.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

The founder of Peru’s only Jewish bakery looks to educate non-Jews through food — and Instagram stories - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

After founding Oh-jalá, Deborah Trapunsky felt more comfortable in Lima’s tight-knit Jewish community — and with her own Jewish identity.

www.jta.org

 

[Sixties Fan]

Today in Jewish History​

• Oath on Torah Permitted (1674)
In the 1660's the Jewish community of Barbados gained considerable importance. However, they had a decided disadvantage in that their testimony was not admissible in court due to their refusal to take an oath on a Christian Bible. In October 1669, the Jewish community presented a petition requesting permission to take oaths on the Five Books of Moses, the Jewish Bible.

Several years later, on Wednesday, February 14, 1674, Barbados passed a law granting the Jewish community the permission they requested.

• Jews Enabled to Serve in Public Office in Maryland (1825)
In 1715, the Crown Colony of Maryland enacted a law requiring any citizen who wished to hold public office to take an oath of abjuration, which contained the words, "upon the true faith of a Christian." In 1776, the new constitution of the State of Maryland reaffirmed this law, requiring any oath of office to contain a declaration of belief in the Christian religion.

In the decades that followed, the struggle to repeal this law attracted national attention.

On February 26, 1825 an act "for the relief of the Jews in Maryland," was passed by Maryland's House of Delegates. The bill allowed every Jewish citizen to take an oath which professes his belief in a "future State of Rewards and Punishments, in the stead of the declaration now required by the Constitution and form of Government of this State."

 

[Sixties Fan]

Today, Iran is the world’s largest Shiite Muslim state, with a theocratic regime that espouses religious fanaticism. But religious diversity and tolerance were some of the cornerstones of ancient Persian history.

Before Islam, Zoroastrianism was the official state religion of several major Persian dynasties. Judaism predates Islam in modern-day Iran by over 1,000 years, and Jews are one of the oldest religious minority communities in the country, known until 1935 as Persia (Jews have had a continuous presence there for 2,700 years). The first Jews arrived as Babylonian captives after the fall of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E., when the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Jerusalem.


(full article online)

The Jews of Iran: 10 Amazing Facts - Aish.com

Just in time for Purim!

aish.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

Was a Jewish soldier the only man to get out of the Alamo alive?

Read the tall Texas tale of Louis Moses Rose, said to be the only man to get out of the Alamo alive. He was Jewish. Or was he?

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[Sixties Fan]

Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires Bombed (1992)

On the afternoon of 12 Adar II 5752 (March 17, 1992), a pickup truck loaded with explosives smashed into the front of the Israeli Embassy and detonated. The embassy, a church, and a school were destroyed. The blast killed 29 and wounded 242.

 

[Ria_Longhorn]

Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires Bombed (1992)

On the afternoon of 12 Adar II 5752 (March 17, 1992), a pickup truck loaded with explosives smashed into the front of the Israeli Embassy and detonated. The embassy, a church, and a school were destroyed. The blast killed 29 and wounded 242.

Two year later in 1994, a car-bomb was set off at the Jewish Community Center, Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA), killing 85 people and injuring scores of others.

In 2015, Argentine prosecutor, Alberto Nisman, filed a document accusing former Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of covering up Iran's role in the bombing. Nisman was murdered hours before he was to testify against Kirchner.

 

[Sixties Fan]

In 1998, Pope John Paul II opened the archives of the Spanish Inquisition to the public, which finally allowed scholars to learn more about the individuals who were persecuted by the Catholic Church for being Jews.

In the archives was a file dating back to 1688 on the “process of faith of Ana Cortés,” which describes the confession of a crypto-Jewish woman from the island of Mallorca.

The crypto-Jews were a group who, under duress, outwardly converted to Christianity while secretly maintaining their ancestral beliefs. On Mallorca, they were derogatorily referred to as Xuetes (meaning “pigs”).


(full article online)

Inspired by Purim heroine Esther, Inquisition-era crypto-Jews feasted in her honor

Church records tell of a Jewish woman's 1688 confession to admiring Queen Esther, who also hid her Jewish identity. Her community prepared special foods for 'St. Esther's Feast'

www.timesofisrael.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

In Mel Brooks’ ‘History of the World Part II,’ Jewish jokes reign

Out March 6, the eve of Purim, the long-awaited sequel to the classic 1981 film co-produced by comedian Nick Kroll revolves around Jewish history — and skewers it

www.timesofisrael.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

Born centuries apart, these artists embody the heroic spirit of Purim

Judy Chicago and Artemisia Gentileschi do not share a religion, but they are united in their quest for women's empowerment.

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[Sixties Fan]

The Purim Ball at New York's Academy of Music in 1865 was one of the most extravagant events of the year - and the reviewer in the New York Herald found it extraordinary.

You can expand the illustration above from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper to get an idea of the revelry.

It had jokes and merriment, political spoofs and newspaper parodies, costumes and music, so much so that the poor writer couldn't cover everything.







Perhaps the other Academy of Music Purim balls were comparable, although I haven't found any descriptions quite like this. It did seem that the Purim balls nationwide would typically go all night. Those Jews knew how to party!

The best Purim party of the 19th century

Blogging about Israel and the Arab world since, oh, forever.

elderofziyon.blogspot.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

The boys in these photos are putting on a Purim shpiel (Purim play) in Apt (Opatow), Poland.

Courtesy of Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett

Two photos of young performers of a Purim shpiel (Purim play) in the shtetl of Apt (Opatow) appeared on Facebook this week. The actors look to be between 10 and 15 years old.

The images were posted by Yiddish folklore scholar Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett. Her own father, Mayer Kirshenblatt, was born and raised in Apt. She found them in her private collection but has no information about it.

The Purim shpiel is a skit or monologue about the Book of Esther that’s performed at the festive Purim family meal. As described in this entry from YIVO’s website, the custom began in the fifteenth century or earlier and was usually performed in Yiddish. The skit was often based on the biblical Scroll (Megillah) of Esther. According to the story, two Jews, Mordechai and Esther, prevented the massacre of the Jews ordered by Haman, minister of Ahasuerus, king of Persia.

The fact that this custom has been around for at least 500 years is testimony to its central role in Jewish culture.

Courtesy of Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett

What did Purim costumes look like in a pre-war Polish shtetl?

Two photos of young performers of a Purim shpiel (Purim play) in the shtetl of Apt (Opatow) appeared on Facebook this week. The actors look to be between 10 and 15 years old. The images were posted by Yiddish folklore scholar Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett. Her own father, Mayer Kirshenblatt, was...

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[Sixties Fan]

Today in Jewish History​

• Rebuilding of Jerusalem Wall Begun (c. 41 CE)

Agrippa I, appointed by the Roman Emperor to rule over Judea, was pious and kind to his subjects. During his reign, the Jews began to prosper and live comfortably. The Sages of the time accorded him great respect.

Agrippa I started construction to repair, broaden and heighten the walls around Jerusalem. The Romans, wary of the Jews' rising prosperity, placed many obstacles in his way. Nonetheless, the wall was completed, though the finished product was not as magnificent as originally planned.

The 16th of Adar, the day when the construction commenced, was instituted to be a joyous day.

 

[Sixties Fan]

Today is Friday, Adar 17, 5783 · March 10, 2023​ Today in Jewish History​ • Torah Sages Escape (c. 75 BCE) In the year 91 BCE, Alexander Yannai of the Hasmonean family succeeded his brother Yehuda Aristoblus to the throne of Judea. Alexander Yannai was a Sadducee who virulently persecuted the Pharisees. At one point during his bloody reign, following a victory he scored on a battlefield, he invited all the Torah scholars for a celebratory feast. During this feast he was slighted by one of the guests, which led him to execute all the Torah scholars in attendance. A few of the sages managed to escape to the town of Sulukus in Syria. There, too, they encountered anti-Semitic enemies who murdered many of the exiled sages. The handful of surviving Torah scholars went in to hiding, finding refuge in the home of an individual named Zevadai. On the night of the 17th of Adar they escaped the hostile city of Sulukus. Eventually these surviving scholars revived Torah Judaism. The date they escaped the clutches of death was established as a day of celebration.​

 

[Sixties Fan]

Today's Muslim antisemitism sounds a lot like Christian antisemitism in England in the 1750s​

In the mid 18th century, British lawmakers were debating whether to allow Jews to become full citizens of the country. Jews had been returning to Britain starting in the mid-1600s after being expelled in 1290, but they were not allowed to be citizens.

As Parliament debated the short-lived Jewish Naturalisation Act of 1753 (repealed in 1754), a Christian Jew-hater with the nom de plume "Christianus" wrote to the Newcastle Weekly Courant about all the reasons that Jews should not become citizens of England.

His arguments mirror the antisemitic arguments of Muslims, today.

Muslims claim that Jews break their agreements. Christians in England claimed that Jewish law allows Jews to break all oaths.
Muslims claim that the Talmud is a bigoted work that ensures Jewish supremacism. Christians in England claimed the same.
Muslims claim that Jews are descendants of apes and pigs. The Christians called the Jew "wolves" who would destroy the Christian flock from within.
Muslims claim that Jews kill prophets. Of course Christians in the 18th century believed that Jews killed Jesus.(The letter writer is aghast that "the Murderers of Christ are to be incorporated into the Body of Christians!")

Here is only an excerpt of the letter:

Today's Muslim antisemitism sounds a lot like Christian antisemitism in England in the 1750s

Blogging about Israel and the Arab world since, oh, forever.

elderofziyon.blogspot.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

Today in Jewish History​

• First Jewish Governor Sworn In (1801)
When Governor of Georgia James Jackson resigned his post to serve as a US senator, the president of the Georgia Senate, David Emanuel, was sworn in as governor. March 3, 1801, was the first time that a Jewish person served as governor of a US state.

Emanuel served the remaining eight months of Jackson's term, but did not seek re-election, opting instead to retire from politics. In 1812, Georgia named a new county in his honor: "Emanuel County."

• First Jewish Periodical in US (1823)
The inaugural edition of "The Jew," the first Jewish periodical in the United States, was published in March of 1823. It was published in New York City and edited by Solomon H. Jackson.

The subtitle of the paper was “Being a defence of Judaism against all adversaries, and particularly against the insidious attacks of Israel's Advocate.” Its major aim was to combat missionaries, and specifically "Israel's Advocate," a Christian conversionist periodical published at the same time.

The periodical was issued until March 1825.

• Salvation of Yemenite Jewry (1722)
The Jews of Sana’a, Yemen, were saved from a decree plotted against them by the king’s anti-Semitic ministers, in which they were accused of killing the grand prince. Yemenite Jewry celebrated this day each year with feasting and rejoicing.

 

[Sixties Fan]

Your guide to all the Jewish baseball players in the MLB

In 2022, there were 17 Jewish baseball players on major league rosters — the most in history: pitchers, sluggers, and World Series champions.

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[Sixties Fan]

For nearly 1,000 years, the Tower of London has loomed over the north bank of the River Thames as a royal palace, fortress, and onetime infamous site of torture and death.

But, for the Jews of Medieval London, it has played a paradoxical role as a place of both imprisonment and sanctuary, execution and employment.

That role is highlighted and explored in new research that provides the most comprehensive and detailed overview of Jewish prisoners, refugees, and staff to date, including the biographies of nearly 250 individuals or groups of Jews known to have been at the Tower from the community’s arrival in England until their expulsion in 1290.


(full article online)

Why the Tower of London holds a paradoxical place in Medieval England’s Jewish story

New research by Dr. Rory MacLellan, who led a 2-year project at Historic Royal Palaces, paints iconic fortress as a place of imprisonment, and sanctuary, for 13th-century Jews

www.timesofisrael.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

Israeli photographer Ardon Bar-Hama has worked with the Dead Sea Scrolls, and now he can add Spartacus to his repertoire. Bar-Hama has made a career out of digitizing rare historical documents — from ancient Israel to the Golden Age of Hollywood — and has recently digitized 10,000 items relating to the late Jewish-American cinematic icon Kirk Douglas.

He conducted the work for the Douglas Foundation, a philanthropic foundation established by the star and his late wife Anne Douglas, who had archived her husband’s personal material across the decades.

Now, it’s all online for anyone to access free of charge. It was released early last month, around the third anniversary of Kirk Douglas’s death at age 103 in 2020. Anne Douglas died 15 months later, at age 102, in 2021. The photos have received over 1 million views since they were made available to the public.

“It’s a beautiful archive,” Bar-Hama told The Times of Israel. “It’s 60 years of his legacy. What could be more beautiful in the history of movies than Kirk Douglas?”

The photos are arranged in multiple categories that reflect the multidimensionality of Douglas’s long life. There are stills from his more than 80 films, including what is arguably his best-known one, “Spartacus,” directed by Stanley Kubrick and released in 1960, with a cast that included Tony Curtis, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons and Peter Ustinov. Some of Douglas’s films pertain to Jewish and Israeli history, including “The Juggler,” the first full-length US feature to be shot in the fledgling country of Israel, in 1953; and “Cast a Giant Shadow,” which brought fellow cinematic legends to Israel, such as Yul Brynner, Frank Sinatra and John Wayne.

(full article online)

Photographer who digitized Dead Sea Scrolls completes new Kirk Douglas archive

Ardon Bar-Hama regularly works with rare documents such as the Aleppo Codex, so when the Douglas Foundation tapped him for a 10,000-item collection, he was ready. Now it is, too

www.timesofisrael.com