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https://www.aish.com/j/as/Three-Jewish-Artists.htmlThree Jewish ArtistsDec 19, 2015by Marnie Winston-Macauleyhree eJw i s h t t a r is sopen u p a b o u t h o w the r eiJw i s h n essh lp d he esape the r ipoint of view, professionally and personally.We Jews have survived a mountain of oys. Yet through it all, we’ve had our joys. Wherever we’ve been forced in or out of, we’ve left our mark in virtually every medium. Aside from our huge presence among Nobel Prize Laureates, We Jews just may be the first “trend setters.” -For example, where would the Broadway musical be without us? As Sir Robin cheekily sings to King Arthur in Monty Python’s Spamalot, “In any great adventure, if you don’t want to lose … you won’t succeed on Broadway if you don’t have any Jews.” In culture, science, technology, medicine, and the humanities, Jews have changed the world.”God acts in history, through history, making history, molding the Jewish people to be more human.”Today we look at a three successful Jews who have not only set new cultural trends, but talk about how their Jewishness helped shape their point of view, professionally and personally.DAVID BLACK, CUTTING EDGE AUTHOR AND SCREENWRITERA versatile, multi-media writer who has distinguished himself in both fiction and non-fiction, David Black is an award-winning journalist, novelist, screenwriter, producer and adventurer –whose “dark” side would make J.B. Fletcher envious. For example, his novel, An Impossible Life, a series of “bubbe meises” takes readers on a journey through Jewish history and myth. It has been praised by, among others, Nobel Prize winning author the late Czeslaw Milosz (who was

also a recipient of the medal of the Righteous Among the Nations in Yad Vashem). Said the late writer Lawrence Block, “It’s the very sort of novel Isaac Bashevis Singer might have written if he’d known the Godfather. Or been the Godfather. Or if he'd been David Black.\"Black has risked his life a number of times to research pieces, including being put under house arrest by Baby Doc's secret police in Haiti, infiltrating totalitarian therapy cults, being abandoned on a desert island, and exposing a white slave organization in the East Village. Mr. Black, the recipient of many awards, has been able to cross more media oceans than I.B. Singer. In addition to a Pulitzer Prize nomination for The Plague Years, he is a prolific mystery writer, nominated three times for the Edgar Allan Poe Award. He has won the National Magazine Award in Reporting and the National Science Writers Award. His novel Like Father was named a notable book of the year by The New York Times and listed as one of the seven best novels of the year by the Washington Post. The King of Fifth Avenue was named a notable book of the year by the New York Times, New York Magazine, and the A.P.His television credits read like a “Who’s Who?” of the small screen. He received an American Bar Association Certificate of Merit for \"Nullification,\" a controversial episode of Law & Order about Militia groups, which the Los Angeles Times called an example of \"the new Golden Age of television.\" Other credits include Monk, Hill Street Blues, and Miami Vice, to name just a few.Jewish Influence: “It’s all about tradition,” he says, crediting his Jewishness with his ability to tell powerful anecdotes. “Judaism, possibly more than any other religion, always shows God in action. God is acting in history, through history, always making history, ultimately transforming the Jewish culture, and molding the Jewish people to be more human. This is a God who is more concerned with ethical issues instead of only moral issues. The Jewish God is a very human God. As a child, my father told me why Jews always worship while standing –to look at God face-to-face because then it is much easier to argue with him! Being Jewish is also about knowing one’s audience. I remember once when I was giving a reading to a large audience from my book, The Impossible Life. The main character Leo Polishook wends his way through some unfortunate experiences that are bittersweet and surprisingly funny. I read from passage-to-passage, and so forth. Usually, by this time people were rolling on the floor with laughter. No one even cracked a smile. Then I noticed my audience. Ninety percent were wearing kilts! No one was Jewish. How could they understand? So much for my Jewish humor! I had been reading my stories to the wrong audience. For a long time, Jews haven’t always had the right audience.”BARBI LEIFERT, DANCING ON CANVASS

The soul of a dancer on canvass? We’ve all seen painters of dancers, but New York born Barbi Leifert, a dancer since age three, and later a choreographer, has melded the two in her unusual artwork that captures more than mere movement. Her paintings express the emotions, fluidity, and soul of the dance and dancers through her own personal experience.The result is bringing to life the energy, vibrancy and artistic brilliance inherent in contemporary dance. Ms. Leifert, shows her paintings in Malibu, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, New York, Florida and Seattle. In addition to her training and career as a dancer, she is the author of the Manhattan Dance School Directory.Jewish Influence: “Being Jewish to me is about family, and giving back to the world. My first priority is taking care of my family and ensuring that we all take care of each other so everybody is healthy, safe, secure, thriving, successful, and happy. I will do whatever I can to support that. My husband is a neurologist and I make his lunch every day. I take care of him so he can focus on his patients who have complicated needs. I’m also creative in the kitchen and cook for all of the holidays. It’s a tradition passed on to me from my grandmother, from generation-to-generation. I make meals for the Seder and when the weather turns cold, out comes the big soup pot. Whether it’s though dance or art, I’ve always felt the need to create and to give. My success has allowed me to donate my art to non-profits and foundations that help people, especially children.”ILYA MOSHENSKIY, LUXURY PHOTOGRAPHER HITS THE LIGHTS AND THE HEIGHTSPhotography, particularly architectural photography has been a defining factor in the Russian-born artist’s life. He considers the camera to be a permanent extension of his arm and his eyes. His passion is looking at his subject through a viewfinder to capture and freeze a perfect moment in time. His inspiration is in the details to spotlight the beauty and individuality of any subject. To do so, light is critical to his process. Mr. Moshenskiy is one of the few, and perhaps the only photographer using lighting techniques involving fiber optics to create that perfect effect with split second accuracy.Born and raised in Kiev, Moshenskiy purchased his first camera Pentacon 35mm and built a dark room in his parent’s bathroom at age 17. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1993 and has since photographed some of the most magnificent homes and buildings in the world including, among others, luxury estates in France, Spain, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Miami, and Chicago. As an innovator in photographic technique his methods are constantly evolving to stay at the forefront of cutting edge technology and bring his unique perspective to every photo shoot.

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.Jewish Influence: “The Jewish community thrives on unconditional support to one another. It is a proud society for it is all about family that inspires respect; your parents mean the world to you. They are looked at as your icons and heroes you are taught to trust with intuitive common sense. It is part of the Jewish heritage to strive for ideal perfection and love with your heart. Judaism generates a gift of a sixth sense if you will. You are taught to be a thinker. Pride and the highest esteem defines our culture and the outcome is the pursuit of creating great success for the Jewish people in their lives and careers.”

https://www.aish.com/j/fs/Top-9-Jewish-Jokes-about-Fathers.htmlTop 9 Jewish Jokes about FathersJun 9, 2018by Marnie Winston-MacauleyIn ho or onfF a ther’sD a y , e on jy so e o em jksa b o u t o r eublov deJ ew i s h tfahers !Jewish mothers? Where is the Jewish father in all this?THE ROLEA Jewish boy comes home from school and tells his mother he has a part in the play. She asks, \"What part is it?\"The boy says, \"I play the part of the Jewish father.\"The mother scowls and says, \"Go back and tell the teacher you want a speaking part.\"THE WILL: WHO’S IN CHARGE?Morris Schwartz is dying and is on his deathbed. He is with, his wife, his daughter and two sons, and knows the end is near.He says to them:\"Bernie, I want you to take the Beverly Hills house.\"His wife objects: “Bernie? He needs Beverly Hills with his arrogance? Better leave it to Rachel. Morris says: “And to my daughter Rachel, I leave half my stocks and bonds.”His wife pipes up: “Rachel?! She knows from business? The girl can’t add two and two. Better to leave them to Bernie.”Morris continues. And to my youngest son, Jeremy, I leave my fleet of vintage cars.” “What?” yells his wife. “Three tickets he got just last month!”

Finally Morris turns to his wife. “Sylvia … who’s dying here … me or you?”THE WILL: SO THERE!Bleckstein is seriously ill and decides to make a will. He calls his brother Isadore, a lawyer. When Isadore arrives, Bleckstein directs him to write.“I give to my sons Alan and Nathan, $150,000 apiece. To my daughter Deborah, I also give$150,000. And to you, I give $75,000.”“Wait a minute,” says Isadore. “Just last week, you told me your entire estate is maybe$50,000.”“Nu?” replies Bleckstein, “So let them work for it like I did.”BUSINESS AS USUALLevine is dying, and his family is gathered around his bed. Eyes closed, he murmurs weakly, \"Are you there, Becky?\"\"I'm here, Jake,\" says Mrs. Levine, weeping. \"And Sammy, you're there?\"\"I'm here, Papa,\" says the oldest son. “And mine Tobila?\"\"I'm here, Papa,\" says his daughter.One by one, Levine went through the list of his children down to the youngest, and each assures him or his or her presence. Levine's eyes open wide, he raises himself to his elbows and cries, and “So who's minding the store?\"THE WARNINGKornblum is lying on the operating table, about to be operated on by his son, David, the surgeon. He turns to David and says, \"Son, think of it this way ... If anything happens to me, your mother is coming to live with you.\"ABBREVIATED Q@ADear DadUniver$ity life i$ really great and I’m beginning to enjoy it. Even though I’m making lot$ of new friend$, I $till find time to $tudy very hard. I already have $ome $tuff and I $imply can't think of anything el$e I need, $o if you like, you can ju$t $end me a $imple card a$ I would love to hear from you.Love,

Your $on Moi$heHis father replies:Dear MoisheI kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are probably NOt eNOugh to keep even an hoNOurs student busy. But do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task and one can never study eNOugh.Love your father, ArNOldA CLASSIC ...Morty made a killing in the stock market, so he thought it befitting to buy a yacht. Naturally, he needed a fancy “captain’s” uniform – with white jacket, hat and epaulettes. One Sunday, he invited papa from the Bronx for a trip.“Some yacht, huh? So, what do you think of your son now?” “Eh. very nice,” murmurs Papa.“See, Papa?” Morty said, pointing to his uniform. “I’m a regular Captain now!” Papa shrugs .“Well,” says Morty, “You don’t seem very impressed.”“Morty, by your wife you’re a captain, by me you’re a captain – but believe me sonny, by a captain, you’re no captain!”AND FROM THIS SEEDFrankfort, 1788. Mayer Rothschild’s shop. A pogrom is outside. Mayer, to his 12-year-old son Nathan . . .MAYER: Quick! . . . Downstairs! Hurry! Nathan . . . I told you to go downstairs. NATHAN: Papa! I hate them.MAYER: Don’t ever say that. NATHAN: But they hate us.MAYER: What’s that got to do with us? They’re a mob. We’re a family. Hatred comes cheap to a mob. A family buys it dear. -- Excerpt from The Rothschilds, the musical playTHE ULTIMATE FATHER

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. He told them: “Don't eat the forbidden fruit.”“We got forbidden fruit? Hey, Eve...we got forbidden fruit!” “No way!”“Don't eat that fruit!” said God. “Why?”“Because I am your Father and I said so!\" said God. A few minutes later God saw his kids having an apple break.“Didn't I tell you not to eat the fruit!?” “Uh huh,” Adam replied.“Then why did you?”“I dunno,” Eve answered. “She started it!” Adam said. “DID NOT!!”Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own.

https://www.aish.com/j/fs/Top-10-Jokes-about-Seniors.htmlTop 10 Jokes about SeniorsSep 24, 2019by Marnie Winston-MacauleyA re e swt illfunny ?F unni e r !h e na a gi intc o u ld b ea “sen io rm moe nt ”.I just had another “fire extinguisher” Birthday. -You know you’re getting on a bit when Emergency Services are called to put your candles out or you out from blowing out a lung. –The interesting thing is I have now reached “half life.” I’ll explain. As we age, we start -counting our age in fractions. “Darling, would you believe I’ll be 87 and a quarter in 13 days!” The only people who count age in fractions are either toddlers (“I ‘fwee’ and one half”) or those proudly marking off the time when the smiling weatherman announces: “ … and in local news, Ira Shmelowitz turned 100 today! Happy Birthday, Mr. Shemlowitz, who made hats for The Roosevelts both FDR and –Teddy!” Are we still funny? Funnier! Then again it could be a “senior moment.”ONLY ONE THINGA widowed Mama was talking about her recent break-up with the businessman she was seeing, telling all to her married daughter, Sheila.“So, Mama,” said Sheila, “Why did you stop seeing that nice senior businessman? You told me how much alike you are. You both love art and hate opera; you both love cats and hate dogs; you both love tea and hate coffee–“And,” added Mama, “we both love our Social Security checks and hate each other.”FUTURE WORRIESA scientist was giving a lecture at a Jewish senior center, explaining that in four billion years the sun will exhaust itself of fuel, burn out and all life as we know it in the solar system will end.

Upset, Hymie Handelman yelled out, \"Oy! Is there anything we can do? Form a congressional committee or donate money for research?!\"The scientist replied: \"Sir, why are you so upset? This won't happen for four billion years.\" \"Oyyy, denks God,\" said Hymie, relieved. \"I thought you said four and a half million years.\"THE LADY KILLAHUncle Sol decided to party, even though he just passed his 90th birthday. The super senior put on his best blue pin-striped suit, Pierre Cardin tie shoes and looked in the mirror.“Eh, Solly you old dog, still a lady killer,” he said to himself, putting a carnation in his lapel, as he made his way to the lounge in the Fontainebleau Hotel.Seeing a lovely lady in her late eighties. Sol strolled over, took the stool beside her and ordered a Dr. Pepper. When it arrived, he sipped it slowly, turned slyly to the lady and asked:“So darling, do I come here very often?”WHERE’S THERE’S A WILL ... THERE’S A WIFEIsaac, through hard work, became wealthy. As he lay dying, he talked to his wife, Sophie. “Sophie ... here are my last wishes.”“Whatever you want, I’ll do.”“First, the business I leave to Morty, our eldest.”“Morty!” Sophie protested. “Morty’s always with the girls. Better to leave it to Jeffrey.” “OK, Jeffrey,” he sighed. “Now, the bonds I leave to Thelma.”“Better me,” argued Sophie. “In two days, she’ll spend at Bloomingdale’s.” “Alright. The summer house I leave to our Ava.”“She’s not spoiled enough? Leave it to Morty.”Finally, summoning his last ounce of strength, Isaac sighed, “Sophie ... who’s dying here – me or you?”SO, HOW ARE YOU? DON’T ASK . . .Maria, an Italian; Athena, a Greek; and Esther, a Jew, all senior citizens, were seated on a park bench discussing what they would do if their doctor gave them only three months to live.Maria quickly answered: “Hmm. I’d eat my way through Rome. Every cannelloni would be in my mouth.”

Athena said: “I’d cruise the islands and break dishes with as many 25-year-old fishermen I could find! And you, Esther?”“Me, darlings? I’d call my son-in-law the doctor and get a second opinion.”SO IF NOT NOW, WHEN?Rivka Baumgarten tottered into a lawyer's office. “I vant a divorce.”“A divorce?” asked the shocked lawyer. “You hoid me, sonny! A divorce.”“Mrs. Baumgarten ... how old are you?” “Ninety – just.”“And your husband?”“Irving? Ninety-two – next month.”“Well ... how long have you been married?” he asked in disbelief. “Tomorrow, 70 years.\"“Seventy years?! Why a divorce now?” “Sonny,” said Rivka ... “enough is enough!”THE X HAS IT!Fleigelman, who knew no English, opened a bank account and signed with two X’s as was the custom. A few years later, having done very well for himself, he came once again to the bank with a big deposit.“Mr. Fleigelman,” asked the teller, “Why do you now use three Xs?”Fleigelman got red in the face. “Not me, it’s my wife. You know women, always with the fancy- shmancy” he said. “Now that we got a few kopeks, she wants I should take on a middle name.”NEVER SATISFIEDEighty-year-old Fishman went with a tour group to Israel. On his second day, he got separated and the bus left. So, he set out to find it.After schlepping a mile in the boiling heat he started murmuring, “Vater ... vater ...” The sun baked his skin; the sand caused him to stumble. Just as he was sure he was a goner, a small house appeared on the horizon. Fishman crawled over and scratched at the door. A woman

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.opened it, and Fishman, on his knees, whispered, \" ... vater ... vater!\" \"Of course!\" said the woman, who ran, returning with a glass. “Here!” Brightening, Fishman stared, “Did you let it run a little?\"NEIMAN-MARCUS IT’S NOTEli, age 92 and Shirley, age 89, were talking wedding plans when they passed a drugstore. They walked in and pulled over the pharmacist.“Tell me,” asked Eli, “you sell heart medication here?” “Of course,” said the pharmacist.”“And medicine for circulation?” The pharmacist nodded. “Rheumatism, scoliosis, arthritis?”“Definitely.”“What about adult diapers?” asked Shirley. “Of course.\"“And for memory problems?” The pharmacist again nodded. “You sell wheelchairs and walkers?”“All types.”“Perfect!” said Eli. “So where do we register for wedding gifts?”A BUBBE’S YIDDISHE KOPA Miami officer pulled over 86-year-old Mrs. Posner because her signals were confusing.“First you put your hand up, like you’re turning left, then you wave your hand up and down, then you turn right --” said the officer.“Sonny, I decided not to turn left,” she explained. “Then why the up and down?” the officer asked. “Mistah Officer,” she sniffed, “I vas erasing!”

https://www.aish.com/j/as/Top-Neil-Simon-Quotes-and-Excerpts.htmlTop Neil Simon Quotes and ExcerptsSep 2, 2018by Marnie Winston-MacauleyA look at some memorable quotes from the most successful and prolific playwright of the 20th century.\"I am neither an agnostic nor an atheist. I am, as a matter of fact, a Jew and although Jews are devoted in their belief in God, they are not above asking pesky questions sometimes.\"— Neil SimonNeil Simon, the most successful and prolific playwright of the 20 century died on August 26, th 2018 at the age of 91.Many of his plays and films were based upon his own life which was quintessentially Jewish––as he unabashedly used the cadence and culture of Yiddishkeit to provide the story lines, humor, and pathos. Simon was manifestly swayed by the sounds of Yiddish-accented English. For example, his first stage success, “Come Blow Your Horn” (1961) which centered on two brothers, not unlike his older brother Danny and himself, trying to figure out what to do with their lives. It featured the character actor Lou Jacobi (born Louis Jacobovitch) who reveled in Yiddish patois.“May you and your brother live and be well. God bless you, all the luck in the world, you should know nothing but happiness. If I ever speak to either one of you again, my tongue should fall out!”Perhaps his most lauded semi-autobiographical work was the “Brighton Beach” trilogy in which he takes his alter ego, Eugene Morris Jerome, from childhood during the Great Depression in “Brighton Beach Memoirs” (1983) to basic training in the Deep South (“Biloxi

Blues”) during WW ll (1985), and finally to his burgeoning career as a young writer in “Broadway Bound (1986).”In honor of Neil Simon we look at some of his memorable quotes:Neil Simon’s Characters On God1937: The height of the Depression. The overburdened Jerome family already has three extra mouths to feed.BROTHER: You really think there’ll be a war, Pop? ...POP: We’re already in it. ... If you’re Jewish, you’ve got a cousin suffering somewhere in the world.BROTHER: How many relatives do we have in Europe?MA: Enough. Uncles, cousins. I have a great-aunt. Your father has nephews.BROTHER: What if they got to America? Where would they live? Where would we put them?POP: What God gives us to deal with, we deal with. –MA: You’ll go to temple this weekend. You’ll pray all day Saturday.POP: There are men in that temple who’ve been praying for 40 years. You know how many prayers have to get answered before my turn comes up?MA: Your turn’ll come up. God has time for everybody. —“Brighton Beach Memoirs”Neil Simon’s on LogicEUGENE: I bought a quarter pound of butter this morning? Why don’t you buy a half pound at a time?MA: And suppose the house burned down his afternoon? Why do I need an extra quarter pound of butter?EUGENE: If my mother taught logic in high school, this would be some weird country. –“Brighton Beach Memoirs “On Being A Jewish Kid During the DepressionEUGENE: How am I ever going to play for the Yankees with a name like Eugene Morris Jerome? You have to be a Joe or a Tony. All the best Yankees are Italian. My mother makes spaghetti with ketchup, what chance do I have? –“Brighton Beach Memoirs “On Introspection

AUNT BLANCHE: [to her daughter] If you feel cheated that [your disabled sister] gets more than you, then I feel cheated that I had a husband who died at 36. There is no leg more crippling than a human being who thrives on his own misfortunes. After a while it becomes your life's work. If it's taken your pain to get me to start living again, then God will give me the strength to make it up to you, but I will not go back to being that frightened, helpless woman that I created! I've already buried someone I love. Now it's time to bury someone I hate. –“Brighton Beach Memoirs “On Jews, Gentiles, and Anti-SemitismEUGENE (to audience): If the Germans only knew what was coming over, they would be looking forward to this invasion. I’m Eugene Morris Jerome of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn and you can tell I’ve never been away from home before. In my duffel bag are twelve pot roast sandwiches my mother gave me. – “Biloxi Blues”Another recruit, Epstein, a scrawny Jewish “philosopher” who despite provocation from his sergeant, time and again stood tall.EPSTEIN (to the Sergeant): I just don’t think it’s necessary to dehumanize a man in order to get him to perform. You can get better results raising our spirits than lowering our dignity. –“Biloxi Blues”On WisdomPOP: When I was a boy in temple, I looked at the old men and thought, ‘They're so wise. They must know all the secrets of the world.' I'm a middle‑aged man and I don't know a damn thing. Wisdom doesn't come with age. It comes with wisdom. – “Broadway Bound”On Family1949: The TableKATE (THE MOTHER): My grandfather made this table. With his own hands. For my grandmother. Over 52 years she had this table. When I was a little girl, I’d go to her house and she’d let me help her polish it. When she died, she left a will. But she knew what I wanted. The table you eat on means everything. It’s the one time in the day the whole family is together.This is where you share things. People who eat out all the time don’t get to be a family.EUGENE: Mom didn't do anything very exciting with the rest of her life except wax her grandmother's table and bask in the joy of her sons' success. But I never got the feeling that Mom felt she sacrificed herself for us. I guess she was never comfortable with words like I love you. A hard life can sometimes knock the sentiment out of you. – “Broadway Bound”

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.Among all of Simon’s works, his last major hit, “Lost in Yonkers,” (1991) stands alone as a serious, unsentimental and painful look at a family in crisis. At the center is an uncompromising Jewish mother and the effect she had on her grown children and two young grandchildren placed temporarily in her care. The humor wafts above the undercurrent of rancor, despair, and pathos.“Truth Has Many Faces” (Yiddish proverb)1942GRANDSON: I just want to say thank you for taking us in, Grandma. I know it wasn’t easy for you.GRANDMA: Dot’s right. It vasn’t.GRANDSON: It wasn’t easy for us either. But I think I learned a lot since I’m here. Some good and some bad. Do you know what I mean, Grandma?GRANDMA: You’re not afraid to say the truth. Dot’s good ... You want to hear what my truth is?... Everything hurts. Whatever it is you get good in life, you also lose something.GRANDSON: I guess I’m too young to understand that.GRANDMA: And I’m too old to forget it.GRANDMA: It’s not so important data you hate me ... It’s only important data you live.

https://www.aish.com/j/f/Two-Odd-Failed-Attempts-to-Establish-a-Jewish-Homeland.htmlTwo Odd Failed Attempts to Establish a Jewish HomelandApr 6, 2019by Marnie Winston-MacauleyJ ew i sh hi s tory lam o st for ogt the e sfa s c in a t in g ta les.U nt l in o w .Since 1948, Israel has been the official homeland of the Jewish People. Our desert country (despite being perhaps the only spot in the Middle East with no oil), was of course no accident. Israel or Eretz Yisrael, also referred to as the Promised or Holy Land has deep biblical, religious and historical roots. Our claim to this area is based on at least three premises: 1.) The Promised Land, according to the Torah, was given by God to Abraham and his descendants. In modern times, this promise relates as well to our salvation and liberation; 2.) The U.N. granted sovereignty in Palestine to the Jewish people; 3.) We Jews settled and developed the land, making Israel, not only civilized and habitable but world leaders in science, technology, and innovation.However, did you know that there were at least two other attempts to establish an autonomous Jewish State?Birobidzhan is the administrative center of the Jewish Autonomous OblastA FROZEN WASTELAND? Russia’s Jewish Autonomous OblastImagine making a Sukkah in -18 degrees Fahrenheit. Or how about getting a gezunta tongue sandwich with a pickle near the end of the world?

Yet such a place sort of exists in the Russian Far East. Birobidzhan is the administrative center of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, located on the Trans-Siberian Railway near the China- Russia border. The whole region of about 14,000 square miles is largely a frozen wasteland, which for good reason is largely short on freezing people.Would We Jews choose a “homeland” whose major attraction might be Kung Pow Kugel? Of course not!Who would? Stalin. (Who else?) The dictator created this first Jewish autonomous region, also called Red Zion, in the early 1930s as a Soviet alternative to British Mandatory Palestine.Stalin “put” us in this remote uninhabitable, rocky swampland, with no shelter, roads or even land to grow a potato, to strengthen the southern border with China following the Sino- Soviet conflict of 1929. Why Jews? Gelt. He wanted to cozy up to overseas Jews and attract investment. In addition to Jews from the Soviet Union, early settlers, eager for a “safe” Jewish homeland, also came from such disparate places as Argentina and even Palestine itself. It did manage to attract a few prominent Jews in its heyday including Yiddish poet Peretz Markish.–With a max Jewish population of about 75,000, this strange place never really caught on with us: a people who: 1) “Button Up” at less than 71 degrees; and 2) weren’t fond of Stalin’s purges. In the late 1930s and despite another influx of Jews following World War, it was again hit by Stalin’s growing anti Semitism in the late ’40s. Soviet leaders decided that Yiddish and -Jewish autonomy wasn’t a good fit with a united Soviet front, and many of the region's leaders were murdered. Birobidzhan was virtually over before it started.However, did you know that its unique cultural history still fascinates? Birobidzhan attracts foreign researchers and artists interested in Yiddish and Ashkenazi culture.The official language was and is Yiddish including an early Yiddish newspaper, the “Birobidzhaner Shtern” as well as a Yiddish theater. By 1939, almost 18,000 Jews lived in the region.Today, upon disembarking the Trans-Siberian Railway in Birobidzhan, you’ll see a large Yiddish sign atop the train station. Get off the train and you’ll be greeted with monuments to early Jewish inhabitants. You can also do a walk-about on “main street” named for Sholem Aleichem. All the street signs are in Yiddish, and Jewish symbols, for example, a menorah, pepper the town.Even today, there are ardent revivalists that include individuals, local government and various Jewish agencies that are trying to “make Birobidzhan Jewish again.”Will it last? There is serious talk about a merger of the Oblast with the large neighboring region of Khabarovsk Krai. Will a Yiddishe area win the day?

Stay tuned.A NOBLE IDEA BY A MULTI-TALENTED MESHUGGENER THAT FAILEDThe dream? A Jewish Colony almost 100 years before Theodor Herzl. The place? Ararat.The Location? Buffalo, New York, 1825. It was a bit warmer than Birobidzhan, but also not densely populated. (However, if bored, one could always barrel over Niagara Falls.)The multi-faceted “meshuggener” who thought of this “utopia” for Jews? Mordecai Manuel Noah.To understand this quirky plan, you have to understand the man.Noah, who was born in Philadelphia in 1785 and raised by his Ashkenazi paternal grandparents preferred to promote his Portuguese origin (via one maternal zayde) to be a bigger hit with the “more elite” Jews of his time. Throughout his life, Noah was, among other things, a patriot, sheriff, lawyer, journalist, military man, playwright and utopian.About a few of his skewed hats:Patriot: Presenting himself as both a proud American and a self-respecting Jew, at age 28, working at the Department of State, President James Monroe appointed him the American consul in Tunis. His assignment was to secure the release of hostages captured by pirates protected by the Tunisian government. Apparently, he offered an over-blown ransom. When questioned by his State Department superiors, he simply explained that it was his Jewish ideal of “Redemption of Captives” that moved him. When they weren’t “moved,” he boldly explained that president Monroe might be a bit of an anti-Semite. His diplomatic career ended a little soon.Okay, So Neil Simon He Wasn’t: A prolific, if not terrific playwright, his plays, like She Would Be a Soldier (1819), reflected his patriotic zeal. However, unlike some of his other ventures, his scribbles met with bad luck and generally not-such-great reviews. The night his The Siege of Tripoli was supposed to premiere, the theater burned down (Noah donated the box office to the actors) and in the Grecian Captive, the elephant upon which the actors entered got spooked, nearly bringing down the house, and them with it.In 1820, Noah’s fervor to provide a safe home for the Jews of the world on American territory was a revolutionary idea. He negotiated purchasing a place near Niagara Falls; the ironically named Grand Island (all of 30 square miles and room for fewer than 20,000 people) where he

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.planned to build skyscrapers to house the millions of MOTs who couldn’t pass up this op. He also he invited American Indians to join in his “City of Refuge” (thinking them members of the Lost Tribes).Five years later in a majestic ceremony with Noah in similarly majestic attire, he named his “City” – the “State of Ararat.” Noah not only promised his new state would be a sanctuary for Jews worldwide, he appointed rabbis and other machers in Europe to collect taxes from their fellow Jews to maintain the place.Media hype he got, but it wasn’t pretty. Poor Noah was mocked and ridiculed. Alas, the “State of Ararat” didn’t make it above the ground. True, his idea for a Jewish “utopia” wasn’t entirely baked but to his credit, he did bring world attention to the concept of a Jewish homeland, and in later years became something of a pre-Zionist, promoting the establishment of such a place in the Land of Israel – a dream he didn’t live to see in his lifetime.

https://www.aish.com/j/fs/Under-the-Knife.htmlUnder the KnifeJan 24, 2015by Marnie Winston-MacauleyI’m deaf and going for surgery for a cochlear implant. Send kosher Chinese in – please!I’m going in for surgery on Friday morning. I’m having a cochlear implant, which I suppose isn’t exactly brain surgery, but they do drill something in my hard head. (By all means send Kosher Chinese – for “after.”) For those of you who don’t know, I’m deaf. I was born with a congenital condition called otosclerosis. It was diagnosed when I was a kid on a day of infamy: the morning of November 22, 1963.On Friday I’m going in for surgery. And I’m dying my hair for the occasion.On that day, the doctor told my mother and me he would operate, but … after age 40 it would go into the nerves, and I’d get deafer. Did I hear that? OK, true, I couldn’t hear a lot, but when you’re a kid “40”is somewhere between death and colonizing Pluto.It’s especially hard to hear when the doctor lookedlike a movie star and you’re gaping.Moving on, of course he was right. In increments, it finally happened. I was having a talk with a producer on “Geraldo” and he looked at me strangely when I said “I don’t eat pork” to his question, “When can you start work?”Through the years I’ve gone through enough hearing aids to rival Comsat. It finally happened. I hear virtually nothing.

Of course I’d heard that a cochlear implant, which involves sticking a Bluetooth thingy in your head, that eventually stimulates the auditory nerve, could be done.On Friday I’m doing it.I’m also dying my hair for the occasion.In prep, “they” also found a small brain tumor. The doctor sort of said we’d “watch it.” This means it’s no big deal, right? So said my postman, my neighbor, and the two cowboys who rescued my beater that conked out on the highway. My doctor said he couldn’t promise it wasn’t cancerous, but logic dictates that if it were, he’d be sawing away at my brain already, but God forbid, it is ... the worst case scenario is my insurance company would shred his degrees and take his Bentley.Am I hysterical with fear, scared out of my mind, dripping with sweat? Frankly, I’d rather have a pastrami on rye. I’m not too thrilled being “out” for a few hours. What if something happens that needs my urgent attention, even though not much has needed my urgent attention during the last 30 years? But, say, for example, while I’m “out” there’s a terrorist strike on the Surgical Center? Or my son runs out of gas in the desert and God forbid gets bitten by a brown recluse? Or my wonderful editor calls me and says he needs an emergency humor piece on “New Uses for Hummus?” See what can happen?Of course the good news is … in a month when they turn the implant on, I’ll hear out of one side. True, it will sound like Mentalo, but mechanical is better than Closed Captioning, which I have no doubt is translated by a person who only knows the Croatian alphabet. Watch: I see: “M Buck. Kenya inseign wool?” The person said: “I’m Mark. Can you sign your will?” All of which has made my family very nervous.Then there’s the secret. Yes. The good news about being deaf. I’ll miss it a little. Trust me, so would you. Being deaf definitely has its advantages …A boring person approaches me and reading his lips I’m ready to chalosh. It isn’t easy being boring-by- lip, they’re out there. All I had to say was: “Excuse me, but I’m deaf.” Night night.When my darling husband was alive, he was a snorer. Did I hear it? Of course not. Did I care? Why should I if I couldn’t hear it?Pity Perks. True, not many people are empathetic to the deaf. After all, you can’t see canes, walkers, and other medical devices. Ah, but on the phone? Aside from saying “Wha? Wha?” I was also obliged to say: “Listen darling. I know the electric bill is due, but I’m deaf, so can you not charge me the fee for paying by phone?” What deaf has to do

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.with electric bills, who knows, but I’ve yet to pay for this convenience. (I never said I was perfect.)Apologies: Oy, we all say things that would not go well on our permanent record card. When such a thing happens with me … “Omigod! I said that? I must’ve heard you wrong, as … I’m deaf.” (OK, more imperfection, but mostly it’s true. I misheard. Or interrupted before not hearing.)So yes … deaf has its advantages.But of course I’m eager to hear my family and friends again; birds chirping, music – even if they all sound like they’re talking from a tin can.Meanwhile, life has been an adventure; a journey of such magnitude that I am deeply grateful for those I love, those I’ve had the pleasure of working with, and those who may have enjoyed my work now and then.I just wanted to say so.Before this gets too maudlin, I plan on starting a new article Sunday! Let’s only hope it’s not about “The Case Against Anesthesia.”Much love, Marnie

https://www.aish.com/j/as/Uri-Geller-CIA-Masterspy.htmlUri Geller, CIA Masterspy?Oct 27, 2013by Marnie Winston-MacauleyTinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy: An interview with Israeli mentalist Uri Geller.On the eve of the publication of his new book, The Secret Life of Uri Geller: CIA Masterspy? I “sat down” by phone with Uri Geller, one of the most successful mystifyers of all time. I found him to be unflinchingly honest about his motives, “business” and beliefs, which he blends with a devastating sense of humor. In searching for “the truth” about the man known for bending spoons, far more critical issues emerged; issues Jews have been dealing with for over 3,000 years our relationship to our Creator, ourselves and the universe. Fasten your –seatbelts my friends … you will be surprised.I believe in God and the extraordinary energy he endowed us with.MM: Uri, you’ve called and been called many things over the years; a psychic, mentalist, paranormalist.How do you refer to yourself today?URI: When I started in Israel I did call myself a psychic. But I always knew it was important to gowith the flow and the belief system of those around me to insure longevity in my career. I then called myself a paranormalist then mystifiyer, which I love the most as I indeed have mystified tens of millions of people. It is a neutral name but I have never ever in my career said that I’m not real. What I do is genuine but you cannot stop the skeptics. They can write whatever they wish about someone when you’re successful and very controversial. For fame, you will be attacked.

MM: Talk to me about your skeptics, for example James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; a former magician).URI: Since I was born (In Tel Aviv) I was attacked. I now know to take the negative material thrown at me to boost my own career. I should make Randi my unpaid publicist! I should send him flowers! If anyone has contributed to the mystery of Uri Geller, it’s Randi. Years ago, on Johnny Carson I was humiliated. The spoon was a set up by Randi. I went back to the hotel devastated. I thought Carson just destroyed me. Finally, I fell on the bed, asleep. The phone operator wakes me up, saying “Merv Griffin is on the line.” The Merv Griffin?! I get on the phone and he says “I saw you on Carson and I want you on my show this week!” It was a success, and that’s when it dawned on me. There’s no such thing as bad PR.MM: About Carson … are these abilities black or white, are there degrees, and are they always accessible?URI: No, they are not consistent. The environment, the atmosphere has a lot to do with focusing our mind, our intuitive powers. Carson’s negativity was in high gear.MM: Let’s talk about your view of the mind, and these powers.URI: All humans have some kind of an intuitive power. Intuitive energy is in our genes. Some know how to ignite these forces better than others. Women are more intuitive. Women are already “mystifyers” as they give birth which is the biggest miracle on this planet. I believe in God and the extraordinary energy he endowed us with. The Jewish scientist Albert Einstein proved to the world that everyone in the universe is made of energy that can’t be destroyed. It is within us. I am a huge believer that our minds are the most powerful computers in the universe, capable of using energy in extraordinary ways. Science has mostly positioned themselves away from exploring this, but I believe there is a God-given biological connection. This I find ironic, as science will look at other phenomenon, idiot savants for example … and still not have an answer, yet resist looking at other equally amazing possibilities.MM: Uri, then do you know the truth about YOU?URI: That is an amazing question. I know the truth about me to a point. Nobody really knows the truth about themselves because we are too complex. It is impossible to truly know oneself completely beyond the superficial. I know I am not a guru, a miracle worker, or a healer. If one is ill, I tell them “go to a doctor.” I don’t predict the future, talk to the dead, do tarot cards or readings. I am just an individual who has what some consider rather “bizarre” abilities that have made me famous. I believe strongly in energy, focus, and positive thinking not–

mumbo jumbo at 3.99 an hour. It’s this gift of focusing energy … that’s where I’m stuck. I do not want to make myself out as a religious figure. I am not a prophet. If they exist, they may live on mountaintops, and not charging 3.99 a minute.I believe that through God, anything and everything is possible.MM: Let’s talk about religion, Judaism.URI: Going into the Jewish Bible there are many amazing miracles. I believe in miracles. I believe that through God, anything and everything is possible.We Jews are an open-minded people, which, in myopinion, gives believers more access to accepting the powers of the mind, including what is now termed the supernatural. I hope every Jewish person reads my book. There are certain elements that show the very powerful messaging systems that emanate from our small Israel.MM: About your book, The Secret Life of Uri Geller: CIA Masterspy? In it you reveal your work as a spy for many government agencies, including the Mossad and the CIA. Prior, there was the highly researched documentary about you [The Secret Life of Uri Geller: Psychic Spy?] done by award-winning filmmaker Vikram Jayanti. He also worked on the book, primarily written by technology journalist and former Time correspondent Jonathan Margolis. How did you get into intelligence work?URI: I always wanted to be a spy. My stepfather ran a safe house for the Mossad in Cyprus so the buzz was there. But more, I wanted to help Israel. I was deeply affected by the Bible; when Moses sent 12 spies to the Holy Land. Years later the Mossad saw my show and some –individuals used me.MM: You talk in the book about the CIA testing you.URI: Among many things, I reveal certain experiments that were conducted on me that will shock people. When I was being studied, the CIA was very concerned that I might be a double agent. After each session, the lab was torn apart as they looked for hidden cameras. I was asked to kill a pig with the power of my mind. I’m a vegetarian, so I don’t like eating animals nor –killing them. When I was asked to do this, I was so horrified, I catapulted out of this part of the research.MM: And the successes you talk about in the book …URI: I got Israel and the Palestinians into the International Red Cross using … charisma! Also the spoon. Initially, the Palestinians wouldn’t sign the contract. When I handed the bent spoon to their negotiator, he started shouting, freaking out and immediately signed the agreement!

I talk in the book about intelligence gathering and using my energy and abilities to influence people, for instance, Senator Claiborne Pell asked me to convince the Russians to sign the nuclear reduction treaty for which I was secretly briefed. For this sort of influence I have to get really close physically. As I stood next to Al Gore and Yuli M. Vorontsov, First Deputy Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union, I bombarded his mind to sign the nuclear treaty by focusing on him to sign. He signed! You must understand, since the 1950s, the United States, believing the Soviets were experimenting with the paranormal, was determined to keep pace. I know from all the work I’ve done with intelligence agencies, they will do everything … anything to obtain information.MM: So then … is Uri the performer covering for Uri the spy or did the spy come from performing?URI: They are equal and parallel. The former is a necessity to cover the espionage. It was my intuitive safety device, protection. But I am also a showman; one who has been equally devoted to spy at the Soviet Embassy as to perform in say, Mexico City.MM: You used the term “has been equally” as in the past. I’ve heard that you were called up again after 9-11. Are you still in espionage?URI: This I cannot talk about, Marnie, but it can be deduced … I will say this: We are living in a very dangerous world, a radical deadly world in which we are being killed, murdered, and blown up by terrorists. We must find them, even if it means shoving what some would call “ethics” aside. It is a matter of survival – for Israel and for the world.MM: Uri … finally, what is your ultimate philosophy about what you and we must do?URI: I live in two worlds -- as a performer and in espionage over matters that affect our very existence. Yet, it’s ironic. I’ve become a cultural icon -- for spoon-bending! To me, this is a rather trivial demonstration of the God-given power of the mind. The danger as I see it, is a closed minded world and science that hinders our great gift of imagination. I see the universe as being in the brief summer of its life one made glorious by the potential God has given –us. I believe we must be humble in these gifts we don’t yet understand. God is eternal. I believe that once we have grown beyond our youth, perhaps in a few fleeting billions of years, we will without question accept the miracles that are part of our past and our human endowment. If belief, science and our imaginations are unlocked, I cannot even envision such a miraculous world, but my feeling is … our descendants may envy us for basking so near to the bright glow of Creation … and for the opportunity to explore all possibilities when we were young.MM: Thank you Uri, for your time and your insights.

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.URI: It was my pleasure.

https://www.aish.com/j/fs/93662119.htmlWe Jews 6May 15, 2010by Marnie Winston-MacauleyYou may know some of the headlines, but now you can get the rest of the story…Is there an MOT who doesn’t know that \"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddl'd masses yearning to breathe free,\" inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, from “The New Colossus,” was written by Emma Lazarus?But more: Poor Liberty, donated by France, was a little too liberated. It sat in pieces! In 1883, a poetry auction was held to raise funds for its assembly. Walt Whitman and Mark Twain entered, but the highest bid, $1,500, went to \"The New Colossus!\" by Lazarus, the young poet, activist and Zionist. Five years later, in 1888, Lady Liberty took her place in New York harbor, a year after Lazarus died at 38. But her inspiring words were inscribed in the Statue in 1903; a timeless expression of hope for the immigrant.Enjoy these fascinating, poignant, hysterical, and unbelievable Jewish “stories behind the story”Over the years, I’ve come across thousands of fascinating, poignant, hysterical, often unbelievable “stories behind the story” just like that one above.Below, are some of my faves:Jewish “Genes”Jewish “genes” begat American jeans, thanks to Levi(Loeb) Strauss. The Jewish peddler, who arrived from Germany in 1851, was called “the egg eater” by the Cherokees as kosher peddlers subsisted on eggs (and veggies).But more: During WW II, Levi's were limited to people in defense work. In 1935, jeans were featured in Vogue. By the 70s they were virtually underground “currency” in Communist countries. In 2001, Levi Strauss, Inc. (Canada) unveiled the world’s largest pair, weighing 543 lbs! In 1997, the company paid a dealer $25,000 for Levi 501's, circa 1890-1901.Don’t Play It, Jack!Jack Benny, (Benjamin Kubelsky, 1894), was given a violin at six.

But more: When he was invited to the White House, security inquired as to what was in his case. Benny quipped it was a machine gun. The marine smiling, said, “You can pass, then. For a minute I thought it was your violin.”Dr. SniperThe diminutive Jewish mama of relationship advice, known as Dr. Ruth (Westheimer), was born Karola Ruth Siegal in Frankfort, in 1928. Sent to a Swiss school during the Holocaust, she never saw her family again, assuming they perished in Auschwitz.But more: In 1948, she joined the Haganah and was trained as a sniper!–I. Berlin1888: Siberia, Leah and Moses Baline had a son, Irving who grew up to be one of the world’s foremost composers, Irving Berlin. The family, running from the Cossacks, came to New York. After Moses died of overwork, Irving (Izzy) quit school at eight to peddle newspapers, hoping to get mama a rocking chair. Izzy also sang in saloons, accompanying himself on the black keys.But more: A printing error on sheet music anointed him, “I. Berlin.” The ragtime creator who composed “White Christmas” got mom a new rocker and a mansion — but continued to compose in only one key— F sharp.12aSholom Aleichem, the Yiddish Mark Twain died at 57, on May 13, 1916 in a Bronx apartment.But more: As he always numbered page 13, “12a,”every anniversary of his death is “observed” as “May 12a.” His will also stipulated: “Preserve your Yiddishkeit. I don't want any monuments. If people read my books, that will be my best monument.”He Was No Pigeon!The Reuter’s News Agency was the brainchild of Paul Julius Reuter (Israel Beer Josaphat).But more: He launched his illustrious career dispatching news — with homing pigeons! In 1849, his pigeon post service bridged a gap between Germany and Belgium. In 1851, he moved to England, “upgraded” his service and his rep when his news agency relayed a speech in 1858 by Napoleon 111. For his noble contribution, he was eventually made a baron!But for BrodBorn in 1883, the spiritual genius Franz Kafka was unsung in life.

But more: Before his death at 40 from tuberculosis, he asked friend Max Brod to burn his work. Brod didn’t -- and Kafka never knew his name would be so universally known it became an adjective -- “Kafkaesque.”Mr. TelevisionMilton Berle’s (Mendel Berlinger, 1908) shtick on The Texaco Star Theater from 1948-1953 sold more TV sets than Montgomery Ward!But more: In the pioneering days of TV, he wore his Yiddishkeit openly, using words on TV such as “kishkas.” He even referred to “Sukkot” in front of 1950s America.A Political Hot DogIn 1916, when Ida and Nathan Handwerker founded Nathan's Famous, a Coney Island hot- dog stand.But more: Little did they know it would become an institution. By 1939, Eleanor Roosevelt served them to King George VI. Said Nelson Rockefeller: \"No one can be elected in N.Y. without having his picture taken eating a hot dog at Nathan's.\"Eerie, Eerie ... and More Eerie.The greatest magician and escape artist of all time, Harry Houdini (Ehrich Weisz, Budapest, 1874), the third child of a rabbi, died on Halloween, 1926, at age 52, apparently of peritonitis. But his legend continues.But more: For 10 years after his death, wife Bess attempted to contact him through a code- word --but never heard from him. In 2006, magician William Kalush and writer Larry Sloman in The Secret Life of Houdini suggested Houdini was a spy, noting he was mentioned in the diary of British spy, William Melville. They claim that Houdini, his career as cover, gained information for Scotland Yard and the U.S. Secret Service. And, he may have been murdered –which would explain his “code of silence” in the afterlife!Eddie & KittyEddie Cantor (Isidore Itzkowitz), born in 1892, raised millions of dollars for many Jewish causes. His tireless work on behalf of Israel earned him the affectionate nickname, the “shnorrer.”But more: The banjo-eyed comic, at the behest of FDR, organized a drive to raise funds to fight polio by asking each donor for ten cents -- and coined the term, the March of Dimes! –A P.S. At age 15, the impoverished orphan on the Lower East Side was friends with one Kitty

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.Brookman, age 14. And what of Kitty ... ? She later married someone else and gave birth to -- Mel Brooks!Groucho & HarpoThe Marx Brothers were film ground-breakers ...But more: Groucho Marx corresponded with literary giants T.S. Eliot, James Thurber, E.B. White. Once, when a fire broke out in a vaudeville house, Harpo calmed the crowd by reciting his Bar Mitzvah speech.Kibbutznik & Urban CowboyMary Debra Winger, born in Cleveland in 1955, is the youngest of Robert and Ruth Winger’s three children. She dropped “Mary” and went on to star in Urban Cowboy and Terms of Endearment. Prior, she was Wonder Girl on T.V., and hers was one of the two voices mixed to create E.T.!But more: In 1971, she worked on an Israeli kibbutz and spent three months training with the Israeli Army!Baba MamaThe first Jew to run for VP of a major party was Senator Joseph Lieberman (2000)But more: Marcia “Baba” Lieberman, his Yiddishe mama, played matchmaker for “machers” –and sent food. “Baba” invited Al Gore over for a little cake and coffee, and sent reporters care packages with bagel chips, postcards (to write their mothers ), with the following handwritten note: \"Please be kind to my son! Enjoy. Marcia Lieberman (Joe's mom!). \"

https://www.aish.com/j/f/WE_JEWS_13.htmlWe Jews 13May 14, 2011by Marnie Winston-MacauleyF a s c in a t in gJ ew i s hre orcd ho erlds.Irving Berlin knew it: Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better! True, he may have meant Annie Oakley, but why be picky? No doubt Berlin, himself a record-holder (for White Christmas, yet), would agree that We Jews love a challenge. Whether we’re talking music, sports, debate, or “finding the cure,” you’ll find us striving to be the best among the best -- or at least “better.” Einstein, Freud, Salk, Spitz, Phelps, Streisand, to name a few, have earned a place in the world record books, and on the world stage. But not every title-holding MOT is a household name.Some are surprising, some unsung. And some, aren’t even people, but rather the “stuff” of records, from the serious to the humorous. Today, more and more Jewish organizations are using world records, no matter how strange, to promote community, culture, and tzedakah. So grab a few landsleit and next year, you too, instead of merely enjoying a sampling, may join the ranks of inspired MOTs at the top of the heap!We Jews strive to be the best of the best.Nes Gadol Haya Sham! “A Great Miracle Happened There.”On November 30, 2010, two Yeshiva Universitystudents brought together 616 other Y.U. students, alumni, faculty, staff, neighbors and friends, and broke the Guinness World Record for most dreidels spun simultaneously. The previous record was 541, set in 2005. The event, termed “DreidelPalooza,” was organized to raise scholarship gelt.Checkmate!In Tel Aviv, after almost 19 hours, Alik Gershon, 30, set a Guinness World record on October 22, 2010, by taking on 523 simultaneous chess opponents, and winning 86% of the games played! His victory trumped the Iranian record, set in 2009. The event was sponsored to mark the 20th anniversary of the mass aliyah from the former Soviet Union. Gershon himself is a native of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, who immigrated to Israel in 1990.

You Call This a Matzah Ball?November, 2010 saw a record-breaking mega-matzah ball, the brainchild of Chef Jon Wirtis of Shlomo and Vito’s restaurant in Tucson. The feat required 125 pounds of matzah meal, 25 pounds of schmaltz, over 1,000 eggs, and a six-foot high, six-foot wide pot, to create the mega matzah ball, which at 488 pounds, is a new World Record, solidly beating the old one of 267 pounds set a year earlier by Noah’s Ark Deli in New York City.It’s the Pravda!Dateline: Moscow, December 13 2009. Jews from Russia and around the world gathered in a Moscow club, Zona, to celebrate Hanukkah by setting a new world record: lighting the most number of candles simultaneously. With each of the over 400 participants lighting four candles, they handily beat the previous record of 250 participants. The fiery feat, organized by Hillel Russia, also delivered the message of safety. During the event not only were fire laws scrupulously followed, tzedakah was collected for children whose parents perished in a club fire in Perm.Hold the Pickle!On February 11, 2009 in New York City, deli mavin David Sax, performed what no other Jew before him had managed to accomplish: He named 30 delis in just one minute, a new universal record.During the nail-biting event, held by the World Record Appreciation Society, Sax maintained his concentration despite a heckler who kept yelling, \"Carnegie! Carnegie!\" His list of world- class Jewish eateries also included Katz's, Second Avenue Deli, Ben's, and Zabar’s. But then, is Zabar’s, with its sterling grocery “element” a “kosher” contender? Then again, they have chairs. (Or do they? And if you sit and don’t nosh – ) Oy ... and you thought deciding between corned beef and brisket was a problem.A Banner Year!It was a “banner” year for Israel in 2007! On November 25, the giant flag of the State of Israel, the size of two football stadiums, was hoisted and recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest in the world. But there’s more. On December 23, the 15 ton 777 Yahveh’s Banner, -made up of the gi-normous Isreali flag, plus those of The Philippines, and North and South Korea, was unfurled at Masada Airfield, thus becoming the largest banner ever created! It took the nimble (and persistent) fingers of a 400 person Filipino sewing team in Masada to stitch the behemothic banner, the brainchild of Filipino visionary, Grace Galindez-Gupana, who wished to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Israel’s victory in the Six Day War, and

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the Philippines and Israel (1957 2007). The –organizers plan to hoist the Yahveh’s Banner every December 25 to commemorate the Halleluyah Feast Global Celebration, and spread its “hugantic” message: peace in Jerusalem! Long and wide may she wave! (And don’t ask about the flagpole!)Shofar “Blows” Old World RecordIn 2006, the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation (Swampscott, MA.) “blew” the old world record for simultaneous shofar blowing by the greatest number of people! The old record, established in 2005 by the Jewish community of Philadelphia with a mere 400 shofar-blowers, was handily beaten by the 789 participants at Phillips Beach. The sound, described as elephants stampeding, continued for seven minutes and 56 seconds. Not all were blown by Jews. Many from Latin American churches also participated. Turning toward Israel, Jews and Gentiles blasted their way into the new World Record on September 17, 2006!West to East:-The Flying Kosher PizzaOur story started at the famed Broadway’s Jerusalem 2 in 1998. Then-owners, Eddie Fishbaum and his brother Ari, received a fax from one Eiji Bando, with the plea, “I’m hungry! Please deliver No.1 pizza ...!” To Japan! True to their vow to “deliver anywhere,” valiant Eddie, yarmulke in place, delivered and earned a place in Guinness World Records 2001, traveling 6914 miles to hand over the kosher pizza to Bando, a sports and media star, in 1998, a feat that cost $7,000 and was shown on Japanese TV.Galloping Ida MintzIda had always liked a brisk walk. Unusual? No. Then, she decided to run in Marathons in her home town of Chicago (and elsewhere). Unusual? No. Oh, but did I mentioned, she ran her first at age 73?! (And her last at 85?) When most of us are looking to “lie down,” Ida got up and sprinted in 10 races, making her not only the record-holder for the oldest marathoner, but anointing her the “Galloping Great Grandmother!”-Said her daughter-in-law, Yocheved Mintz of Las Vegas, “She exercised in the closet, a habit no doubt started because as a child, hidden in the attic in Poland, she wasn’t allowed to run.” Ida, born on October 15, 1905, ran her last marathon in 1990. She died in 1991, leaving a vast legacy to her family, and her fellow Jews!

https://www.aish.com/j/f/We_Jews_14_Celebrity_Holocaust_Heroes.htmlWe Jews 14: Celebrity Holocaust HeroesAug 4, 2011by Marnie Winston-Macauleyhree e e r lcb it y Ho olc a u st heroesa n d su rv v iors.Names such as Elie Wiesel and Simon Wiesenthal are synonymous with Holocaust survival, and heroism. Yet there have been celebrities in other venues whose early “war” stories and contribution to the State of Israel are often unsung or have surfaced much later. Each has been influenced by these experiences, and has used them to influence, contributing mightily to the Jewish people and to humanity.Today we reveal the often unsung achievements of three and honor them.Marcel Marceau: Walking Against the Wind“Do not the most moving moments of our lives find us without words?\" –Marcel MarceauYet part of the mission for the man who wanted to spread “art of silence\" (L'art du silence”) was born from unspeakable tragedy, and heroism.Marcel Marceau was born on MarchHe was a mime without peer, beloved and admired worldwide as a performer (which included his alter ego Bip the clown), a director, educator, andironically, interpreter and multilingual public speaker. His silent exercises and satires such as “Walking Against the Wind” and “Ages of Man” were considered genius, and communicated the human condition in a time frame that couldn’t be duplicated by most novelists.22, 1923 in Strasbourg, France, to Ann Werzberg Mangel and Charles Mangel, a kosher butcher. In 1944, his father was sent to Auschwitz, and murdered by the Nazis. His mother survived. That same year, Marceau and his brother joined the French Jewish resistance under the command of his cousin, George Loinger. Their task was to evacuate Jewish children hidden in an orphanage, to Switzerland. Said Loinger: \"He had begun doing performances in the orphanage, where he had met a mime instructor earlier.” Marcel kept the children as quiet as possible by teaching them the art, and saved hundreds of lives.

After the liberation of Paris, Marceau joined the French army where he arranged the surrender of 30 German soldiers when they ran into Marceau's unit in a German field. Marcel, who spoke perfect English, was also liaison officer to General Patton's army.He went on to extraordinary success yet, says Loinger, his genius was honed by his past: \"You see the pain and the sadness in his mime skits. The origin of that pain was his father's deportation.\"Among his many honors, in April 2001, Marceau was awarded the Wallenberg Medal by the University of Michigan for humanitarianism and acts of courage in aiding Jews and other refugees during World War II.Marcel Marceau died on Yom Kippur (September 22), 2007.Revolutionary? Dr. Ruth WestheimerThe only child of Orthodox Jews, Julius Siegel and Irma (Hanauer), the little 4-foot-7 dynamo has made a big future Dr. Ruth was born Karola Ruth Siegel in Germany in 1928. In 1939, after her father was taken by the Nazis, her mother and grandmother sent her to anKnown affectionately as “Dr. Ruth,” the impact on the world with her outspoken views on relationships. Who would guessthat this diminutive bubbe was trained as a sniper for the forerunner of the IDF?orphanage in Switzerland to keep her safe from the scourge. Their letters stopped in 1941. In 1945, Westheimer learned that her family had been murdered, possibly at Auschwitz.Now orphaned, she moved to Israel and joined the Haganah. She had received training as a sniper. Said Westheimer: “I was incredibly accurate throwing hand grenades, too. Even today I can load a Sten automatic rifle in a single minute, blindfolded.\" However, she was seriously injured during the Israeli War of Independence when a cannonball from Jordan smashed the barracks where she was living, and it was months before she could walk again.In 1950, Westheimer moved to Paris and studied psychology at the Sorbonne. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1956, she earned a Ph.D. from Columbia University.Despite her fame, she still lives in the cluttered apartment in Washington Heights where she raised her children in order to remain close to the synagogues she belongs to, the YMHA she was president of for three years, and the still sizable community of German Jewish World War II refugees in the area.

Dr. Ruth has spoken out against injustice in her work, in her commemoration of Yom HaShaoh, in her life story. Among her many achievements, in 2002, she received the Leo Baeck Medal for her humanitarianism.Beloved by all, Dr. Ruth credits her ability to walk into any situation and discuss intimate topics, in part, to her background.“I am what you call bold, because the one thing that I've learned coming out of Nazi Germany is that I have to stand up and be counted for what I believe.” – Dr. RuthVidal Sassoon: Fashion Icon and Fascist FighterIn the 1960s, the fashion world was dominated by a few stellar talents; one of whom was Vidal Sassoon, with his trademark architectural bob worn by all from A-listers to housewives. Yet, the man known as “a rock star, artist, and craftsman who changed the world with a pair of scissors” was born into a very different world on January 17, 1928.The son of Jewish parents in Hammersmith, London, Sassoon’s father, Jack, left the family when Vidal was three. His mother Betty, struggled to raise him and his younger brother, but was forced to put Vidal in a Jewish Orphanage when he was five. His brother followed. Vidal spent seven years in what he later called, “the first house I lived in that had a bathroom with hot water. If you live that kind of life, you never forget it. Or you shouldn't even try to forget it.”At 14, when Betty had a \"premonition\" that Vidal would become a hairdresser, an apprenticeship was arranged, and the boy who dreamed of becoming an architect starting shampooing. Within a few years, he was leading a double life. At 17, with the horrors of the Holocaust still fresh, he joined the underground 43 Group, whose mission was to prevent Oswald Mosley's far-Right movement from spreading hatred and anti-Semitism. The group was active in breaking up their meetings in East London.But more, Sassoon became an ardent Zionist who went to Israel in 1948, joined the Palmach and fought in the War for Independence. He described training with the Israelis as \"the best year of my life. When you think of 2,000 years of being put down and suddenly you are a nation rising, it was a wonderful feeling. There were only 600,000 people defending the country against five armies...”Sassoon might have remained in Israel, had he not received word from mom Betty that his financial support was needed at home. He reluctantly returned to hairdressing, taking on a confidence he’d learned in Israel. He’d give it his all – and by blending his love of architecture with his hairdressing skills, he revolutionized the fashion industry.

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.In 1982, Sassoon started the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Anti- Semitism (SICSA), devoted to the interdisciplinary gathering of information about Anti- Semitism. Among his many awards, in 2009, Sassoon was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).“I just have a certain pride in the tribe... I feel very humble, in a way, that we produced so many incredible people, and there's only 13 million of us in the world, and we still keep producing.” –Vidal Sassoon

https://www.aish.com/j/f/We_Jews_15_British_Edition.htmlWe Jews 15: British EditionJan 7, 2012by Marnie Winston-MacauleyFascinating facts about London’s Jews.Daniel Radcliffe, Rachel Weisz, and Sacha Baron Cohen. All are British MOTs (members of the tribe) who exhibit their talent freely in Great Britain and worldwide.In fact, today in Britain, Jews can be found in every trade, from fish mongers in East London to speechifying in the House of Lords. Jewish publications, and kosher food, particularly bagels, latkes, and brisket (ask for “salt beef”) are sold in supermarkets. The contributions of -British Jews to the arts, sciences, finance, and politics are now recognized, if at times, underplayed.We Jews came to Britain in the 1100s from Rouen, France.settled and still remain.A Brief HistoryHowever, British-Jewish relations haven’t always been so free. Our discussion centers on Greater London, as throughout Jewish-British history, this is where the vast majority (now estimated at 250,000)A Shaky Start! We Jews came to Britain in the 1100s from Rouen, France in the wake of William the Conqueror. During the 12 and 13 centuries, we were highly restricted, heavily th th taxed, and penalized. Employment was limited to medicine or money-lending (as Christians weren’t allowed to practice “usury”). Our reputation as “The sharp Goniff” still haunts us.However, as Jewish gelt gilded the Exchequers coffers, we remained until …Expulsion! On July 18, 1290, Edward I, ordered Jews out of England, which led to a 350 year exile. Some stayed, living as Conversos.Re-entry! During the 1600s, We Jews gelted our re-entry, negotiated by Oliver Cromwell and Amsterdam Rabbi, Menasseh ben Israel. After all, the Sephardi Jews living in Holland, were wealthy, with vast oversees connections. The Conversos “came out of the closet” and, in 1710,

established the Bevis Mark Synagogue (still in use today.) George I encouraged German Jewish immigration. They were generally poor artisans or in the “rag trade.” Cries of “Clothes, clothes, old clothes” abounded in East London.Over 600 years after the first Jewish settlers arrived, the city finally allowed Jews to attend university and expand our business and political interests. Between 1880 and 1914, Jews, fleeing pogroms swelled our numbers from 65,000 to 300,000. The established Jewish community, now more “British” than the “British,” had moved from the East End. The affluent, such as the Rothschilds and Montefiores lived in posh areas such as Mayfair and Park Lane while the middle classes opted for North and South London.The predominately Orthodox newcomers, however, lived in overcrowded East End ghettos such as Whitechapel. Seen as a threat to emancipation, the established Jews, nevertheless attempted to “gentrify” them. Realizing that escaping the ghetto meant building successful businesses, these émigrés established new industries, including tailoring, cabinet and shoe making. Between 1918 and 1939 many moved to the north-western burbs, including Golders Green, still a “Jewish” area today.Fascinating Jewish-London FactsA Patient and Silent MP:Lionel de Rothschild was unable to take his seat in the Commons, as he refused to take the Oath which included: “on the true faith of a Christian.” Eleven years after his election, in 1858, he was finally able to do so, leaving out the phrase, however, he didn’t speak once during his 15 year tenure! His primary interest was to further Jewish opportunities.Dis-raeliWe’ve all heard (or seen) a few “disagreements” between congregants. And so, PM Benjamin Disraeli was aptly named. His papa, after quarrelling with the Bevis Marks shul, baptized him at 13! Clearly his son was a better (and wiser) negotiator.Napoleon & The Macher ManDuring the Napoleonic Wars, Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777-1836) who moved to London in 1805, gave the government access to his overseas connections, and gelt to the coffers.Tea “Totalers”An important part of British culture relates to its tea shops, and Joe Lyons, which was among the largest chain, was created by the five sons of Samuel Glickstein in 1894. By 1981, there were over 300 tea shops, known for their working-class chic.

The MarketTesco supermarkets were founded by Sir John (Jack) Cohen (1898-1979). After serving in the Royal Flying Corps, Jack started as a barrow-boy, then opened his store in 1931. By 1950, they numbered in the hundreds. In 1976, he created his first 50,000 square foot hypermarket.Oil!Shell Oil was created by English Jew, Marcus Bearsted, 1 Viscount (1883-1927). He was also st Lord Mayor of London in 1902.Jewish-De Beers Diamond Connection!When we think De Beers, carots come to mind and not the kind we put on gefilte fish. Cecil –Rhodes got the big cred, but his partner was Jew, Isaacs Barnato (1852-97). The magician by trade conjured a “pot of diamonds” from a mine.The “Creatives”The list of British-Jewish actors, comics, musicians, writers, producers, and artists is long and includes such names as Claire Bloom, Alfie Bass, Laurence Harvey, Leslie Howard (also a War hero), Ron Moody, Bud Flanagan, Hermione Gingold Ian Broudie, Justine Frischmann, Jon Moss, Brian Epstein, Harvey Goldsmith, Lionel Bart, Jule Styne, Sir Alexander Korda, David Bomberg, Sir Jacob Epstein, and of course, Israel Zangwill.A Celebrity Jew Who Stands Tall: The Marvelous MaureenIf Jewish Brits tend to “conform,” and are now suffering, as are we all, from a rise in anti-Semitism, one Jewish celebrity, actor, writer, and comic is staunchly front and center of the storm: Maureen Lipman whose late husband, Jack Rosenthal, wrote “The Bar Mitzvah Boy” among other plays. “In England, I’m the Jewish bagel,” she quipped to the author. The wildly and eclectically talented Maureen has played hundreds of roles, but reached true bagel status with the memorablecharacter Beatrice Bellman (Beatie/BT), a Jewish bubbe in TV ads for British Telecom.Her devotion to Judaism and Israel in interviews and columns is also out there and out loud, along with her disgust with fellow Jewish celebrity critics. Herremarks in the Jewish Chronicle addressing them say it all: “To English, assimilated, sometimes self-despising Jews … where are you going to go when it hits the fan?It doesn’t matter if you stand in Parliament or marry into the aristocracy, there

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.will be no Israel to receive you … . Why didn’t they put their ad in an Israeli newspaper? Because it is more important to impress their fellow Englishmen than to effect change in the situation.”Timeline: A Sampling of Famous London-Jewish Firsts1: Antonio Carvajal (1590-1659): Leader of the England Jewish community post Resettlement. 2: Aaron Hart: (1670-1756): Chief Rabbi of the Ashkenazi community.3. Sir David Salomons (1797-1873): Jewish sheriff, alderman, and Lord Mayor of London (1855).5.Sir Francis Goldsmid (1808-78): Jewish barrister, and first Queens Counsel (1858).6.Baron Lionel de Rothschild (1808-79): Member of the House of Commons (1858) His son,Nathaniel, 1 Lord Rothschild st was the first Jewish member of the House of Lords (1885).7.Benjamin Disraeli Earl of Beaconsfield , (1804-81): Jewish-born MP to become Prime Minister (1868). [See above]8.Samuel Montagu, Lord Swaythling (1832-1911): Founder of the private bank, Samuel Montagu and Co, and the Federation of Synagogues in London (1887).9.Sir Ernest Cassell (1852-1921): A close friend of Edward VII, the financier and philanthropist created the Underground Railway (1900).10: Rufus Isaacs, 1 Marquess of Reading st (1860-1935): This son of a fruit merchant became Viceroy of India (1921-26).11. Leslie (Isaac) Loes Hore-Belisha (1893-1957): Minister of Transport, and from 1934-7,Minister of War. Introduced the Belusha Beacon.12: Sir Herbert Samuel (1870-1963): Member of the British Cabinet (1909), his 1914 memorandum influenced the Balfour Declaration.

https://www.aish.com/j/f/We-Jews-and-Sukkot.htmlWe Jews and SukkotSep 24, 2015by Marnie Winston-MacauleyDo the Yuchi Indians of Oklahoma celebrate Sukkot?As We Jews end our High Holidays, we turn to one of our most joyous celebrations: Sukkot! Sukkot, one of the three festivals, commemorates the miracle of the shelter the Jewish people received over the 40 years in the desert. While in your sukkah, here are some fascinating “Sukkot” facts to share.Fun fact: Archaeologists unearthed a 5,000-year-old etrog seed in IraqPIZZA IN THE HUTFrom California to the New York Island, for young Jews on college campuses, as well as a number of congregations, celebrating Sukkot is a piece of cake ... make that pie. Pizza pie. To satisfy the mitzvah of eating in the Sukkah, some interesting names are being used advertise sukkah events. So, what are they calling kosher pizza night in the sukkah? “Pizza in the Hut” ... of course. There’s also “Hookah in the Sukkah,” with kosher BBQ and Mideastern music. If fish is your fare, some Hillels and synagogues are going with “Sushi in the Sukkah.” Apparently attendance was poor on campuses at last year’s “Herring in the Sukkah.”COLORFUL TRADITIONS!

In the days of the American colonies, Jews used colorful yellow, green, purple and red ribbons to hang from their Sukkot as streamers. Another old custom came from Iraq! Iraqi Jews fashioned birds out of hollow eggs and hung them in memory of departed family members.YUCHIS CELEBRATE “SUKKIS”?According to author Ronald H. Isaacs, each year, the Yuchi Indians of Oklahoma hold an eight-day festival that’s remarkably similar to the Jewish Sukkot. They start the festival during the Holy Harvest month on the day of the full moon, dwell in foliage-covered booths, and carry and shake a leafy branch in their processional around the fire in the holy cultic area.NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN …Deborah H. Kaplan, an Orthodox woman from Brooklyn, was a top-flight engineer, one of three females in her graduating class at Cooper Union. When the Kaplan family moved to Paramus, N.J., she learned that the local yeshiva didn’t have what they needed to celebrate Sukkot traditionally. This extraordinary woman hunkered down and solved the problem. She found a wholesale distributor of religious articles required for the holiday: lulavim and etrogim. In fact, she was able to supply not only the yeshiva, but five local shuls.Based at The World Trade Center, the 45-year-old civil engineer and mother of four always caught the three o’clock train home to be there for them. On 9-11, tragically, she did not.THE SUKKOT-T-DAY CONNECTIONAccording to some experts Thanksgiving, first celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1623, was copied directly from Sukkot. Both holidays are a festival of thanksgiving to God, the giver of the Fall harvest. However as the seasons differ between Israel and New England, Sukkot, of course, precedes Thanksgiving by several months. While there are no specified foods for Sukkot, we stuff ourselves with our traditional fare … chicken soup, kugels, stuffed cabbage and challah, which for me, beats dry turkey any day.THE WANDERING SUKKAHSNot only did We Jews wander, but some Jewish communities have created sukkahs that wander!Called “sukkahmobiles” these roving sukkahs on wheels bring the holiday to the people. Each year, the Lubavitcher Hassidim tour New York City where Jews may enter their Sukkah and recite the blessings over the lulav and etrog. Among the more fascinating “sukkahmobiles” have been driven in and around Tokyo! In 2010, Rabbi Edery, Chabad Tokyo drove his to Shibuya, Shinjuku, Okachimachi, Hiroo, Ueno, Chiba, Saitama, Yokohama and many more cities as guests bless the lulav etrog. Now that’s what I call “The Happy Wanderers!” – for a change.FUN FACTS

In 2012 Behrman House released these fascinating Sukkot facts:The Oldest Etrog Seeds? -Archaeologists have unearthed 5,000-year-old etrog seeds in ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). The etrog of course, is one of the four species Torah commands us to use in the Sukkot celebration. (Vayikra 23:40).Dreamtime! According to The Talmud, dreaming about an etrog means that God considers us precious.One Huge Sukkah: In 2011, The Jerusalem Municipality and Israel Electric Company built the world's largest sukkah that included 2.5 miles of electrical wiring to light 144,000 miniature light bulbs.SENSATIONAL SUKKAHSThe beauty and architectural challenge of sukkahs have in recent years, fascinated mavens. Contests are often the norm, worldwide to showcase the most innovative. Some of the more adventurous include.1. The Totally Detroit Shipping Crate Sukkah2. The Sukkah Boat in Venice (how appropriate that Venice should have a sukkah boat!)3. The Portlandian Sukkah Bike. Although the origin of the PediSukkah is Brooklyn, the Portland Bike works well in the rugged State of flannel and bikes.4.“The Scrunchiest Sukkah”: Israel has been the home of the teeniest sukkah which is 22 inches square and 32 inches high. Perfect if you suffer from Social Anxiety.5.“Sukkah Hits the Peak”: That’s Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs. Each year a Sukkah shows up at The Peak, half the height of Mt. Everest. This one certainly celebrates the loftiness of the holiday.6. The Flatbed Truck Sukkah in Times Square: This big-rig Sukkah matches the majesty of the Big White Way.7. The World Peace Sukkah in the Jewish Monkland Centre in Montreal, made of recycled cardboard was created to honor peace.8. Camel Sukkahs: Yes, one can even sit atop a camel!In March of 2013, one of the offerings at the Washington Jewish Film Festival was a documentary by Jason Hutt, called “Sukkah City.” The film was about an architectural Sukkah competition. Said Hutt … “\"There's so much competing for our time and our energy in the

Copyright © 1995 - 2020 Aish.com, https://www.aish.com.Aish.com is a non-profit and needs your support. Please donate at: aish.com/donate,or mail a check to: Aish.com c/o The Jerusalem Aish HaTorah Fund PO Box 1259 Lakewood, NJ 08701.digital world that unless we come up with ways to make these ancient rituals speak to our current generation, then people are just going to discard them and they're going to be lost.\" But more,\"It's about ritual. It's about creativity, and it's also about the things we do either as Jews or as anyone else in this world, to give our lives meaning.\"So my friends … let’s meet in the hut! You bring the pizza!

https://www.aish.com/j/f/103033789.htmlWe Jews IXSep 19, 2010by Marnie Winston-Macauleyh in k t he orwld ’s th inne st book is Gre eat t sJ ew i s h tA h let e s ?h in ka agin !Move over Andre Agassi! My tennis hero is ... Manny Hershkowitz – the oldest ball boy in a major tennis tournament. In September, 1999, Manny worked the court at the U.S. Open -- at age 82!Okay, true. In my research, I generally found that while Jewish parents may be machers in Little League a future career choice, these games aren’t. Listen to Melanie Strug, mother of Olympic hero and gold medalist Kerry Strug: “To me school was most important. I thought you can’t make a career out of athletics.” (Kerry has a Masters Degree from Stanford.)My tennis hero is Manny Hershkowitz – the oldest ball boy in tennis at age 82!Ah, but when we did choose sports, we tended to make a splash (in Olympic water, home runs, touchdowns, knock outs .... whatever). Think Sandy Koufax, Hank Greenberg, Mark Spitz, Howard Cosell,and of course, Kerri Strug. Ah, but have you heard ofthese lesser known athletes!BaseballFrom This, We Can Make a Living? Lipman “Lip” PikeThe very fist pro baseball player, was an MOT! Lipman “Lip” Pike accepted $20 a week to play third base for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1866. Not only was Pike the first paid player, but for his $20, he became baseball’s first home run champion! When at his “peak,” Pike made management pay, Gentile colleagues followed suit. Within three years, Cincinnati became the first all pro baseball team. Meanwhile, “Lip,” a southpaw, shlepped from position to position, and managed many teams during his 20-year career, including the original New York Mets.The Clown Prince of Baseball Al Schacht!

The title goes to Al Schacht, born in 1892. By 1914, as a pitcher for the Newark Bears, he spent so much time joking rather than throwing, that he was tossed out of games — then teams. So, he quit with the stick and stuck to the shtick. (He brought down the house at the 1922 World Series with a take-off on Valentino.) Shacht, the Clown Prince of Baseball, performed in virtually every ball park until 1968.Are We the Best in World? Yes! Barney Dreyfuss,In 1903, a lover of competition, Barney Dreyfuss, Jewish owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates (1900-1932) challenged the AL champions, the Boston Pilgrims (later the Red Sox), to a post- season tournament. Ok, true, Pittsburgh lost in a 5-3 upset, but on October 1, this Jewish creation called “The World Series” was born! Never one to give up, Dreyfuss led his team to victory in 1902 and 1925 during his 32-year reign as Prez and GM. To showcase his team, Dreyfuss also built the first steel-frame triple-tier stadium, Forbes Field, in 1909.Major League Baseball’s first unanimous selection as Most Valuable Player (1953) was a Jew,Al “Flip” Rosen, third baseman for the Cleveland Indians.BasketballThe Greatest Hoop Skirt? Senda BerensonHer name? Senda Berenson. Her game? Basketball! Not to be outdone, only month after basketball had been invented by James Naismith in 1891, Senda, a 23-year-old, Lithuanian- born, Jewish PE instructor, got the gals involved. She organized the first women's collegiate basketball game at Smith College, edited A. G. Spalding's first Women's Basketball Guide, and, in 1899, adapted and published new women’s rules. The legendary Berenson, who, long before “women’s lib” got women “their day in ‘court,’” was one of the first two women (with Margaret Wade) elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.In 1918, Eddie Gottlieb started the first All-Jewish basketball team: The South Philadelphia Hebrew Association (American Basketball League). “SPHAS” was written in Hebrew on their uniforms. But alas, the team bit the dust in 1949.The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters were founded in Chicago by London-born Jew, Abe Saperstein, in 1927.Football?A Reverent Game?We Jews don’t eat ... or usually throw pro pigskin. Alan Veingrad is a notable exception as not only a player, but a Jewish player! One became even more committed to Judaism with the years. During his NFL days (Green Bay Packers from 1986 to 1990, the Dallas Cowboys

from1991 to 1992 where he won a Super Bowl ring), Veingrad, was a “lite” Jew. But, after a fateful meeting with a rabbi at his cousin’s Torah class, he studied and became observant. He’s said that his years with the NFL provided a great forum to encourage others, especially children, to learn their Torah and Judaism.OlympicsIce Breakers! Louis Rubenstein &Alain CalmatWhere would a Scott Hamilton be if it weren’t for Canadian Jew Louis Rubenstein who introduced figure skating to North America in the late 1870s? Among his titles, he won the world championship in Russia (1890). Since, there have been many pro Jewish skaters, such as France’s Alain Calmat, who was awarded the Legion d'Honneur by Charles de Gaulle in 1965!She Left Her Stamp!By day, Russian-born Canadian Fanny \"Bobbie\" Rosenfeld worked in an Ontario chocolate factory. By night (and weekends), she was the world’s finest female athlete, breaking track records or leading an ice hockey or basketball team to victory. At the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, Rosenfeld scored more points than any other athlete, leading the team to gold and silver. Inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1950, Rosenfeld was voted Canada’s Female Athlete of the Half-Century. But more -- during rain, sleet or snow, she speeds up the mail, as a Canadian postage stamp bears her likeness.Bar None: Agnes KeletiWhile there have been a number of Jewish gymnasts (like Kerri Strug), perhaps the greatest was Hungarian-born Agnes Keleti. Despite an early lung problem, she won 11 Olympic medals, including five Gold during the 1940s and 1950s. Her father, murdered at Auschwitz, never got to see his daughter’s victories, but her mother and sister survived thanks to Raoul Wallenberg. In 1957, Keleti emigrated to Israel, and, like her husband, became a P.E. teacher, and coach. She’s been inducted into both the Hungarian and Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.A cantor-weigh-lifter? You bet!Even His Voice Was Uplifting! Isaac \"Ike\" BergerA cantor-weigh-lifter? You bet! The firstfeatherweight to lift over 800 pounds and press double his body weight was a cantor, and rabbi’s son! Jerusalem-born (1936) Isaac \"Ike\" Berger, came to America in 1955, and took Olympic Gold in 1956, the silver in 1960 and 1964. In 1964, he set a nine-year record of 336 pounds in the jerk at a body weight of 130 making him the strongest man in the world!Heroic Mother and Daughter! Eva Szekely and Andrea Gyarmati