MarnieTOCArticlesAishPublished

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.Sixteen years before Mark Spitz, who not only put Jews out front in the Olympics, but challenged the Jewish male stereotype, a heroic Jewish female made a huge splash at great –personal sacrifice. Hungarian swimmer Eva Szekely arriving at the Melbourne Games in 1956, the start of the Hungarian revolt against Communism, said: “We had no word of our two-year old daughter. I didn't get any real sleep and lost over 12 pounds.” The gold and silver medalist passed on the swim-gene. Twelve years later, her daughter, Andrea Gyarmati, became an Olympic swimmer at age 14 (at the 1968 Mexico City games), and took the silver and bronze in the 1972 Munich games.Proud to Be a Jewish Mama: Irena Kirszenstein-SzewinskaWith seven Olympic medals, three of them gold, Irena Kirszenstein-Szewinska, born in 1945 in Russia, then moved to Poland, was the first woman to hold world records in the 100, 200 and 400-meter at the same time. At 19, she was Poland's Athlete of the Year. Ten years later, at almost 30, she was the first woman to break 50 seconds in the 400-meter and was named Woman Athlete of the Year by “Track and Field News.” But ... despite her gold, her most treasured moment was the birth of her son, saying, “No medals gave me as much pleasure!”In 1984, Doug Beal and Israel's Arie Selinger coached the U.S. Olympic men's and women's volleyball teams – and “netted” gold and silver medals. They were the first medals ever won by American teams in Olympic competition.1,000 And Still Counting - Larry Brown-It was a fairy tale for the coach of the underdog Detroit Pistons --Larry Brown –when his team won the championship in 2004. Brown, whose father died young, leaving his widow to support her sons, went on to be an All-American basketball player, an Olympic Gold medal winner, the coach of the 1988 University of Kansas NCAA championship team, and coach of the U.S. team in the Maccabiah games. He was also head coach for the US men's basketball team, when, at the 2004 Summer Olympics, they took home the bronze. On January 13, 2006, The New York Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks to give Brown his 1,000th NBA win! He went on to be head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats. Larry’s older brother, Herb Brown also made his career in basketball – proving that We Jews needn’t “jump through hoops.”

https://www.aish.com/j/f/104231309.htmlWe Jews XOct 3, 2010by Marnie Winston-MacauleyJewish athletes from sports that are just a bissel “exotic.”Lady Levin Smith must’ve shepped major nachas when back in 1858, her son, Sir Archibald Levin Smith helped the Cambridge crew team defeat Oxford in the Henley Royal Regatta (1858).Weirdly surprising? Wait, I’m just beginning. We Jews have had our share of unusual victories. True, most sports especially slightly odd ones ––aren’t #1 on our children’s “to do” list. We Jews prefer Yiddishe kops to protective cups! But one, Bethel Solomons (1885-1965), did both. Solomons played rugby for Ireland ten times from 1908 to 1910 — then became a leading gynecologist! Or, our child could choose to be a professional eater? (Okay, that one’s a mixed blessing.) Here are some more of my favorite MOT (member of the tribe) athletes from sports that are just a bissel “exotic.”Bethel Solomons played rugby for Ireland ten times then became a leading gynecologist!Giddy Up! Jacob Pincus vs. Walter MillerAmerica's leading jockey before the Civil War was Jacob Pincus (1838-1918) who started to giddy up in 1852. Pincus became a trainer and in 1881, saddled the first American-bred horse to winEngland's Epsom Derby. During the early 1900s, the best Jewish jockey was probably Walter Miller who rode over 1,000 winners during one four-year period.Philo Jacobi, the publisher of The Hebrew, an early Jewish San Francisco newspaper, represented the American Sharpshooters Association of New York, and won the Berlin shooting championship in 1868.SuperJew? The Mighty AtomSuperman? Feh. Joseph Greenstein, a.k.a. the Mighty Atom, performed feats of strength from the 1920s to the 1970s. A sickly child from Russia, he became fascinated with circus strongmen, when he came to America. So at 17, he turned himself into one! A born showman,

in 1926, he astounded his audience when, at Newark Airport he stopped a small plane from moving, by tying his hair to its tail! He continued doing stunts for Zionist causes into old age, and died in his eighties in the late 1970s.He was born Shuki Rosenzweig, in Jerusalem. After Thai boxing magnate Puyay Now took Shuki under his wing, he became a champion Thai boxer! He fights under the name \"Shuki Sit.Puyaynow,\" which means protégé of Chief Now.The Matador! Sidney Franklin & Randy SassonSidney Franklin, born Frumkin, did what probably no other Jew had done before. He was the first non-Latin successful bullfighter! During the 1920's and thirties, the Brooklynite was hailed as one of Mexico’s most celebrated matadors! Why? Maybe to hang out with bull- fighting fan, Ernest Hemingway. Another Jew, Randy Sasson, followed in Franklin’s footsteps, fighting bulls in Colombia.(And you thought only Superman was into red capes!)Pinned Down? Louis B. Stein & John M. BrunswickWhen you think of bowling enthusiasts, We Jews don’t jump to mind. But creating it, then owning the equipment? That’s another story. The father of modern bowling was MOT, LouisB. Stein, born in 1858. Stein instituted the 300 score and 16 pound ball as standard. He was elected to the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame, Pioneers, in 1997. The next time you bowl a strike, think of John M. Brunswick -- his name is all over his bowling and billiard equipment. Of course. When you think Brunswick, you think bowling balls, and alleys –supplied by the Corporation founded by the Jewish entrepreneur.Table tennis, organized as a sport in the 1920s, proved very popular with Jews. Lady Swaythling (1879-1965), president of the English Table Tennis Federation, donated the men's world team cup (1926) which bears her name. Her son, Ivor Montagu, was the first chairman of the Table Tennis International Federation. Marcus Schussheim was the first American champion (1931).Tennis Anyone? Clear a Table: Angelica RozeanuOne of the greatest “ping pong” players was Romanian table tennis great, Angelica Rozeanu. She paddled and served her way to 17 world titles, taking her first international competition in 1938 at the Hungarian Open. During the 1950s she captured win after win. In 1960, Rozeanu moved to Israel, where she became a coach. She’s honored in both the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the Table Tennis Hall of fame. In 1998, she was cited in the “Guinness Book of World Records” for holding the most women’s singles World Champion wins (six).

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,For you skeet fans, in 1975, Larissa Gurvich (U.S.S.R.) won the European and World skeet championships.Hammer Heads!OK, so maybe many Jews can’t actually hold a hammer, but several can throw them. Israeli- born Boris (Dov) Djerassi won the U.S. national hammer throw in 1975 and 1978. Ron Wayne won the U.S. national marathon championship in 1974. American Ken Flax won medals in the World University Games in 1989 and 1991, and was ninth-ranked hammer thrower in the world in 1991.Yo Dude! Shaun Tomson & Dr. Dorian PaskowitzSurf’s up for Shaun Tomson, born in 1955 in South Africa. Tomson captured more international tour victories (including Pro-Surfing's World Champion, 1977) than any other competitor from 1976 to 1985. Voted South African Sportsman of the Year in 1978, he was also featured on the cover by Surfer Magazine! Tomson’s not the only Jew “making waves.” In 1972, Dr. Dorian Paskowitz founded pro surf training camps stretching from California to Fiji.The first singles roller skater to win the world free championship four times (1985, 1986, 1989, 1990) was Scott Cohen!JEWISH HALL OF FAMERS QUIZThe Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1978 at the Wingate Institute for Physical Education, near Natanya, Israel, with a branch in Los Angeles. The following were among the inaugural inductees. See if you can match the player to his or her respective sport. Come on, no peaking:A. Baseball; B. Basketball; C. Football; D. Boxing; E. Wrestling; F. Swimming;G. Tennis; H. Auto Racing; I. Horse Racing; J. Handball1) Red Auerbach 2) Jackie Fields 3) Benny Friedman 4) Hank Greenberg5) Nat Holman 6) Hirsch Jacobs 7) Jimmy Jacobs 8) Benny Leonard9) Sid Luckman 10) Mauri Rose 11) Barney Ross 12) Abe Saperstein13) Dick Savitt 14) Dolph Schayes 15) Mark Spitz 16. Henry WittenbergANSWERS: 1.B; 2.D; 3.C; 4.A; 5.B; 6.H; 7.E; 8.D; 9.C; 10.H; 11.D; 12.B; 13.G; 14.B; 15.F; 16.E

https://www.aish.com/j/f/we_jews_xi.htmlWe Jews XIOct 17, 2010by Marnie Winston-MacauleyWhere owul dwe e tbw ih o u t o r euJw i s hmo erths ?“The Jewish Mother.” Never has one tiny adjective evoked such a firestorm. Make a speech in front of any Sisterhood meeting and play a little word association: “Loves her kids – to death!” “Always with the food!” “She won’t take a ‘no.’” “Oy, the guilt!”Then, as the titters subside, other associations emerge: “Kids come first.” “Smart.” “Funny.” “Determined.” “Cares.” “You can count on her.” And ... “I miss her.”There you have it. The core. The essence of a peculiar conundrum that Jewish mothers and their children have been facing for the better part of the last 100 or so years, as many of these mamas and “bubbies” left their small European towns (shtetls) to come to the Golden Lands.Much has been said about them, written about them (including my own “Yiddishe Mamas: The Truth About the Jewish Mother”), and images in film and TV abound. The “truth?” We’re a complex melange born of religion, ethnicity, culture, values imprinted upon our own mighty individuality. So let’s take a look at what some of their children had to say about them.When Einstein won the Nobel Prize he sent a telegram to his mother which read “We won the Nobel Prize.”My Yiddishe Mama: Albert EinsteinAccording to Bruno Halious, in his book, Meres Juives des Hommes Celebres Jewish Mothers of (Famous Men), when Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize in 1921, he sent a telegram to his motherwhich read:“Mother - WE won the Nobel Prize.”My Yiddishe Mama: Richard Dreyfuss

According to author Tim Boxer, when Richard Dreyfuss was presented an award on behalf of Tel Aviv’s Museum of the Jewish Diaspora [Beit Hatefutsot] by Consul General Uri Savir, Dreyfuss said the award was more important to him than the Oscar. “The Oscar you get for playing someone else. This award you get for being yourself. For the Oscar, you have a long list of people to thank. For this, you thank only your mother.”My Yiddishe Mama: Eddie Fisher“Only once in my childhood did my mother hit me. When I was ten years old my teacher sent a note home asking her to come to the school the next day, a Friday. During this meeting my teacher complained I was completely out of control. I did whatever I wanted to do. My mother slapped me. ‘What's that for?’ I asked.‘To bring you back to earth. Just because you sing nice don't mean you're better than anyone else 'cause you're not, and you never will be. And the rest of it is because you pulled me away from the house when I needed to prepare for Sabbath!’\"My mother loved children - she would have given anything if I had been one. – Groucho MarxMy Yiddishe Mama: Alan KingThe late Alan King told hysterical stories about his Yiddishe Mama, Minnie.Once she borrowed a commutation pass to ride the bus from her neighbor, one Mary McCarthy. Whenshe presented the pass book to a very Prussian looking man in uniform, he took one look at the name then Mama and insisted she sign her name on the ticket.––Mama huffed: ‘I’m sorry, General, but on Saturdays I never write!’”King took mama to see Fiddler on the Roof, thinking it remind her of her childhood village. Afterward, he asked: “Ma, Did it bring back memories?”“It was wonderful,” she said. “Only I don't remember so much singing.”My Yiddishe Mama: Mel BrooksTo Melvin Kaminsky (Mel Brooks), born in Brooklyn in 1926, his Mama was a heroine. Widowed when Mel was two, she worked days in the garment district and nights making bathing suit sashes. Yet, she adored him. “I was always in the air ... kissed and thrown in the air again. Until I was six, my feet didn’t touch the ground.” Brooks, who took his surname from her maiden name (Brookman) stated, she “was the best cook in the world, ‘I make a matzoh ball,’ she used to say, ‘that will sweep you off your feet.’”My Yiddishe Mama: Abbie Hoffman

According to Fred A. Bernstein’s “The Jewish Mothers’ Hall of Fame,” the controversial advocate still had a Jewish mother. While he was a fugitive, mama, Florence Hoffman, managed to send him dental floss and toothbrushes through underground connections, along with notes reminding him of the importance of dental hygiene. No matter where he was going, or what he was doing, Florence always had the same advice: “Dress warmly.” Abbie once said: “When I think of her, I think of the Merle Haggard song. You know, ‘Mama Tried.’”My Yiddishe Mama: Rabbi Bob AlperWhen the author interviewed Rabbi and comedian Bob Alper about his mother, he said:“My mother was a New Englander, not your typical Yiddishe Mama. My becoming a rabbi was a dream come true for her, as her brother was a Rabbi who died young. She was skeptical but supportive when I turned to comedy. Yet, at 85, her first question to me was, ‘any new gig?’” She loved being the center of attention. In deference to her, I took the mother stuff out of the act. She was insulted: ‘Why didn’t you use that bit about me?’”Although mom didn’t always get his wacky humor. “I put a message on my answering machine: ‘You reached 291-3664. As of next month our number will be re-hyphenated to 2913-664. The first call? “Hellooo. It’s your mother ... I don’t get it.”“She attended my performances and kept scrap books. The day before she died, I got an agent. She knew it — which was nice. She died last year ... now, there’s no one to send articles to.”My mother's love for me was so great I have worked hard to justify it. – Marc Chagallmother. I had phoned her ... [and] said:My Yiddishe Mama: Norman LearA few years ago, I was pleased and honored-and amused-to address the National Press Club on faith, vision, and values in American life... The amusement was occasioned by a vivid memory of my late Jewish“Mom, the TV academy has just established a Hall of Fame and guess who the first inductees will be? Milton Berle, William Paley, David Sarnoff, Lucille Ball, Edward R. Murrow, and me.’“After a short beat, my mother said: ‘Look, if that's what they want to do, who am I to say?’”My Yiddishe Mama: Tovah FeldshuhFrom “Yentl\" to “Golda’s Balcony,” Tovah Feldshuh is the quintessential performer who can do it all in theater, film, TV and cabaret. Winner of numerous awards during her illustrious –career, she is also a recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitas Award, the Israel Peace

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.Medal, and the National Foundation for Jewish Culture's Jewish Image Award. She is married and has two children, Garson Brandon and Amanda Claire.“My mother, Lily, is a phenomenal parent. She was the connoisseur of tough love. She would say:*‘Selfish people are the loneliest people in the world.’*‘Never beg a man for a hat ... you buy your own.’*‘When you walk into a room, see what’s wanted and needed in that space.’*‘Be ruthlessly honest.’”Tovah’s philosophy? Simple. “To be a good mother, Jewish or otherwise, you need to do two things: love your children unconditionally – and show up.”

https://www.aish.com/j/fs/83525957.htmlWe Jews, Part 3Feb 6, 2010by Marnie Winston-MacauleyUnsung, unusual and odd members of the tribe.Into every magnificent culture, a few meshuggeners must fall. But “We Jews” love our shlemiels, shlimazels, shmeggeges, shmendriks, shnooks – and a few other “esses,”not to mention our “whys” – as in “yutz.” Without them, would the rest of us be quite so wise? Benevolent? Hysterical? Busy? Oh ... and a few even made a big splash when they fell ... into or on top of ... something or someone. Here’s a sampling of my choices for We Odd Jews.Enjoy!Leone da ModenaThe luftmensch king, jack-of-all-trades and successful at none, had to be Leone da Modena. Born poor, in a Jewish Italian ghetto, this 16th century dreamer wanted to be a hit. All he needed was talent in something and major mazel. Leone claimed 26 professions, including ––rabbi, playwright, shadchan, cardshark and starved from them all. He even tried alchemy, –feverishly attempting to turn metal to gold. Alas, the Midas touch, he didn’t have. But, his persistence paid off. He probably holds the record for “Most Misses in a Single Lifetime.” And he’s remembered! – In this column.Chapman AbramA trader in the American Great Lakes area, Chapman was one crafty meshuggener. It seems that while working “his territory” in 1763, he – and his merchandise were captured during –Chief Pontiac's siege of Detroit. Poor “Chap” was condemned to death, which made him thirsty (no doubt from shvitzing). When tied to the stake, he begged for a drink, but was given scalding broth. With nothing to lose, he threw it into his captor’s face! (When We Jews want to eat or drink, don’t fool around.) Well, awestruck, the tribe saw this as a sign of major “mishegossery” – which marked “Chap” as a special favorite of their Great Spirit. They not only released him, they returned his merchandise! The moral? Such is the power of a little chutzpah!

Joshua Abraham NortonFor a brief, shining 20 years, we had an Emperor. A Jewish one. Norton the First. The Londoner arrived in San Francisco in 1849. After failing to corner the rice market, undaunted, he “re invented” himself, turning from rice to royalty. One day, he appeared at the San -Francisco Bulletin, in a shmatte with navy regalia proclaiming himself “Emperor of these United States” which the paper published on September 17, 1859, thus beginning Norton’s reign. Eccentric but beloved, Norton 1 shmoozed with VIPs at 5 star restaurants, and the city picked up the tab for his lodging and uniforms, while San Franciscans bowed when he passed. On a slow news day, the paper could count on the Emperor to liven things up. A few of his more interesting edicts during 1860: “Norton 1 barred Congress from meeting in Washington.” He may have gone too far, when, on October 1, “Norton 1 dissolved the United States” altogether. When he died in 1880, the headline read: “Norton the First, by the grace of God Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, departed this life.”Two-Gun CohenWe Jews have been known for many things, but gun-slinging isn’t one of them. Unless we’re talking about the strange alliance between a Jewish Londoner and SunYat-sen! Born to poor Polish Jewish emigres in 1887, Morris Cohen, managed to connect to revolutionary China –not through diplomacy (in the usual sense). While in a gambling den in Saskatoon, Canada he defended the Chinese owner during a robbery. This was his entre to China and Sun Yat-sen. In 1922, he became his bodyguard and a “General” in the Army-- all without knowing Chinese.Whether his exploits as tycoon, arms dealer, and adventurer made him a visionary, a hustler (or both), Two-Gun Cohen, who packed two pistols was one!Julius MeyerAttired in Native American clothing, standing next to Red Cloud and above the seated Sitting Bull (the less famous one) in a photo called “Sioux Group in Omaha,” ca. 1870 is a Jew. The entrepreneur on the Western Frontier, liked the “spirit” of Native Americans and vice verse.He not only did business with them (he traded artifacts in Nebraska), but, fluent in their languages, acted as an interpreter. Meyer so loved his kinship, he paid Native Americans to pose with him. They returned his love by “adopting” him. The Pawnee named him “Box-ka-re- sha-hash- ta-ka,” or “Curly headed white chief who speaks with one tongue.”-Julius PopperIt wasn’t enough for Romanian Jew, Julius Popper (1857-1893), to manage an Argentine mining company. He wanted a kingdom. He found one in 1887, after getting gold mining rights in Tierra del Fuego -- and named himself king. During his reign, he printed money,

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.even stamps. When “King Julius” returned to Argentina, he died under mysterious circumstances. (A coup, maybe?)Don Lerman & Leon FeingoldTrue, We Jews prefer eating matzah balls to throwing basketballs. Ah, but turn “essing” into a sport, and you get a Don Lerman, a top-ranked competitive eater. In fact, Jews comprise a quarter of the top-ranked. (Are we surprised?) Lerman, who often uses the name “Moses,” has downed 12 matzah balls in two minutes and 50 seconds! Eating ... a sport? Experts say more raw guts are needed to win (and hold onto it) than in most other matches. According to another “Ess”star, Leon Feingold, “Jews are very competitive... [they] approach technique intelligently. And they have Jewish mothers, which means they can’t leave the table until they’re done eating, which gives them speed and capacity.” As ESPN has covered Nathan’s hot dog-eating contest and the [chicken] Wing Bowl, can the Maccabiah games be far behind?Alan Abel & Jeanne Abel.In a glowing obituary, The New York Times reported him dead on January 2, 1980. He was alive, well, and busy pranking. In 1959, he created SINA, Society for Indecency for Naked Animals, appearing on the Today show among others, spouting his cause: to provide attire for animals. (A $40,000 donation was refused.) In 1964 and 1968, he ran Yetta Bronstein from the Bronx for President. There was no Yetta, but she did garner write-in votes! Who was this hoaxster? Alan Abel. Wife, Jeanne Abel, his partner in “con,” played the Presidential “candidate.” Her campaign slogan, “Vote for Yetta and things will get Betta,” made headlines. In 2005, their daughter, Jenny Abel, co-produced a documentary, Abel Raises Cain, about her parents’ career as professional “characters.”

https://www.aish.com/j/fs/84684937.htmlWe Jews, Part 4Feb 20, 2010by Marnie Winston-MacauleyTales of Jews who are both fascinating and unsung.We came, we saw, we “mixed in.” Face it. In our wanderings, We Jews have been known to get involved with other MOTs and the world. And sometimes our helpful interference has –changed the course of history – or a day. And sometimes, we “mixed in” with hysterical results. Here are some of my faves.This is what happens when Jews “mix in.”The Shlep of the Unknown JewUntil recent history, career choices for Jews were limited, generally to peddling, money lending, the rag trade and junk. The biggest hauler, hands–down, had to be a Jewish merchant from Emessa. According to chronicler Paulus Diaconis, after one of the seven wonders of the world, the Colossus of Rhodes fell, a Jewish merchant, in around 650 CE, shlepped it as junk on 900 camels! Is this the \"emmes\" [truth]? There are other legends, but many point to the man from Emessa somewhere in the “messa.”Isaac and “The Gift”The concept of the wandering Jew before the State of Israel, has marked Jewish history. However, being “everywhere” also meant Jews were present (often behind the scenes) at some world-class events. Charlemagne appointed a Jew (Isaac) as interpreter and guide for an embassy to be established in Baghdad. Isaac returned in 802, and caused quite a mishegoss when he brought back a gift from the Caliph to the Emperor, never before seen in the West — an elephant!Joseph MalinEh mate? “Gefilte” across the pond? What’s England without its fish ’n chips? A country doomed to only toad in the hole? A fate they don’t have to suffer thanks to Jewish fishmonger Joseph Malin, who teamed fried fish, a Jewish staple, with “Irish” fried potatoes for “a perfect match!” And so the first fish and chips shop was born in 1860 on Cleveland

Street in Cockney country. Despite claims to the contrary, in 1968 the National Federation of Fish Fryers presented a plaque to Malin's of Bow, in honor of his founding role in the chippie business. Today there are 8,600 fish and chips shops in Britain, thanks to a Jew with culinary flair.Eliza Davis,The Jewish character, Fagin, in Oliver Twist left some Jews believing Charles Dickens was anti- Semitic. Then came Mrs. Eliza Davis, who, through letters to Dickens starting in 1863, taught him about Jews! The relationship flowered. Not only did Dickens donate to a Jewish cause, but heeded Mrs. Davis’s criticisms and included her suggestions in subsequent works. Mrs.Davis, gratified by his response, sent him Scriptures in Hebrew, reading: “Presented to Charles Dickens, Esq., in grateful recognition of having the noblest quality, that of atoning for an injury as soon as conscious of having inflicted it, by a Jewess.”Michael (Michel) Goldwater (and Barry)Sure, we all know that Joe Lieberman was the first observant Jew who was a candidate for U.S.V. P. But ...... Barry Morris Goldwater, Senator and Presidential candidate, had a Polish pop, zayde, and bubbe. The Goldwassers of Polish descent, were religious and influential Jews! Barry’s zayde, Michel, who married Sarah Nathan in the Great Synagogue of London, became a major macher in Jewish affairs on the western frontier. In California he was a VIP in three Jewish congregations. He also headed the committee that founded Hills of Eternity Cemetery at Colma, California (where lies Wyatt Earp and Jewish wife, Josephine Sarah Marcus), the first Hebrew Benevolent Society and first Zionist meeting in San Francisco in 1898. Barry’s papa, Baron, was Bar Mitzvahed. Barry, though raised as an Episcopalian, sometimes referred to himself as Jewish although according to Jewish law he wasn’t.LaGuardiaNew York City’s most famous mayor (1934 45), called “Little Flower,” feisty Fiorello LaGuardia, -was born in 1882 to a Jewish mother (Irene Luzzato Coen). He won the love of Jewish New Yorkers for his fierce protection of immigrant garment workers. Ironically, while a Congressman, flyers “flew” calling him a Jew-hater during his re-election bid in 1922. “Fio” challenged his opponent to a debate in Yiddish! As Mayor, he was such an ardent foe of the –Nazi regime, German ambassador protested LaGuardia’s remarks to Secretary of State Hull, who shared them with FDR. The Holocaust was deeply personal for La Guardia. Gemma La Guardia Gluck, his sister, spent eight months in Ravensbr?ck, as did her daughter and grandson. Her husband died in Mauthausen. Despite her brother’s fame, it took a year, before

the Gluck family got to New York in 1947, shortly before Fiorello died of cancer. Until her own death in 1962, she lived in a Queens housing project-- constructed by the LaGuardia Administration.Hedy LamarrJewish screen siren Hedy Lamarr, (born Hedwig Kiesler in Vienna, 1913), was known as “The Most Beautiful Woman In Films” such as White Cargo (1942),Tortilla Flat (1942), and Samson and Delilah (1949). But she was also a brilliant inventor. With George Antheil, she invented spread spectrum radio technology, which had military and civilian applications. Hedy, who died in 2000, had beauty and brains, but mazel was another story. Her patent ran out before her system made millions in cellular phone technology.Benny GoodmanMany know that Swing King, Benjamin David Goodman (1909-1986) who received music lessons at a local Chicago synagogue, was equally at home playing Mozart. Less known is that the Benny Goodman Quartet broke the color barrier with Gene Krupa on drums, Teddy Wilson on piano, and vibraphonist Lionel Hampton! When \"The King of Swing\" toured theU.S.S.R (1962), one reporter quipped, \"Khrushev would trade three Sputniks for a Russian Benny Goodman!\"Ed Koch & Mother Theresa“\"I knew you were ill, Ed,\"” she said. “\"You are in my prayers, and I came to see how you are doing.\"\"“\"Mother, you do so much for all of us, is there anything I can do for you?\"” “\"Yes,\"\" she responded, without hesitation. \"\"I need two parking permits.\"\"“I was able to arrange for the two permits she needed, to park in front of the AIDS hospice ... where she cared for 14 terminal patients. Even a saint has to park.”--Mayor Edward I. Koch, reflecting on Mother Teresa’s visit with him, after his stroke in 1987.Colin Powell & Yitzhak Shamir\"Men kent reden Yiddish” (“We can speak Yiddish”) was how the Secretary ofState Colin Powell greeted Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir in Jerusalem (1993). As a stunned Shamir pulled himself together, Powell continued chatting in Yiddish his “second” language, acquired while growing up in the South Bronx in the fifties, and working at Sickser’s

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.baby equipment store from age 13 until his sophomore year at college. To this day, Colin Powell remembers the stability of Sicksers and the meaning of “oy vey ist mir!”Kareem Abdul Jabbar & Rabbi Israel Meir LauOn July 10, 1997, basketball star Kareem Abdul Jabbar met with former Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau in Israel. The connection was deep, as Jabbar’s father was with the U.S. army unit that liberated Buchenwald when Lau was a child imprisoned there! Two African-American soldiers carried him to a nearby village, exclaiming, \"Look at the child who you were fighting against! This is the enemy of the Nazis!\" Lau gave Jabbar a watch with the Hebrew inscription, \"One can earn the world at one time.\"

Savehttps://www.aish.com/j/f/We-Jews-A-Hanukkah-Round-Up.htmlWe Jews: A Hanukkah Round-UpDec 5, 2015by Marnie Winston-MacauleyWho set the world record with a one and a half hour dreidel spin?Jewish Holidays are either later or early. We are never on time.\" Comedian Freddie from –“Catskills on Broadway.”Here is some fascinating Hanukkah material to share while spinning the dreidel.HANUKKAH GELTAh! What child (OK, parent) doesn’t delight in those gilded wrapped chocolate coins, shining through netted little bags? The custom of giving coins on Hanukkah developed in Eastern Europe, probably in the seventeenth century. But real coins were given by children to teachers at Cheder and the poor. The eight presents, one for each night of the holiday, is a recent tradition created by parents in the Diaspora, to prevent Jewish children from feeling left out during the Christmas holiday.U.S. PRESIDENTIAL HANUKKAHS: A TIMELINE1951: As a “thanks” for U.S. support for the State of Israel, first Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion presented President Harry Truman with a bronze Menorah.1979: President Jimmy Carter was part of the first public lighting of the National Menorah which was held across the White House lawn.1989: A menorah was displayed in the White House by President George H.W. Bush.1993: School children were invited into the Oval Office by President Bill Clinton for a Hanukkah ceremony.

2001: President George W. Bush held an official Hanukkah reception in the White House. The candle-lighting ceremony has since become an annual tradition attended by Jewish leaders from around the country.2008: President Bush used the bronze menorah for the ceremony, with a grandson of Ben- Gurion and a grandson of Truman lighting the candles.2014: The White House commissioned a menorah created by students at the Max Rayne School in Israel that had been attacked by extremists. Two students were invited to join President Barack Obama along with 500 other guests at the celebration. In his speech the President said these \"students teach us an important lesson for this time in our history. The light of hope must outlast the fires of hate. That’s what the Hanukkah story teaches us. It’s what our young people can teach us— that one act of faith can make a miracle, that love is stronger than hate, that peace can triumph over conflict.”HANUKKAH STAMPED: THE U.S. AND ISRAELIn 1996 the United States Postal Service (USPS) issued a 32 cent Hanukkah “Menorah”stamp jointly with Israel. The stamp was reissued for eight years. In 2004, the stamp took on a dreidel design for the next four years. In 2009 a Hanukkah stamp was issued with a design featuring a photograph of a lit menorah.Miriam is on vacation in Israel and decided to go to the local post office to buy stamps for her Hanukkah cards.“I’d like please, 100 Hanukkah stamps,” she told the clerk.“Not a problem. So, what denominations?” he asked.“Oy vey!” she exclaimed, it’s come to this already? Okay,” she said, after giving the matter due consideration. “I’ll take 40 Reformed, 40 Conservative and 20 Orthodox.”HANUKKAH OUT OF THIS WORLDAstronaut David Wolf who not only made shuttle flights but spent four months at the Russian space station, Mir, has said that his first walk in space was a “religious experience.” He meant it. Later on, in 1997, while orbiting during Hanukkah, he brought a menorah and dreidel aboard. Given the fact that he couldn’t actually light his menorah without blowing up the craft, he did, however, set a record for dreidel spinning in zero gravity: an hour and a half. The dreidel went missing, but was later recovered after in an air filter after having traveled, estimated Wolf, “about 25,000 miles!”MIRICLES OF MIRICLES WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM A YIDDISHE KUP–

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.Hanukkah was approaching. Fortunately, we had among us a man who was a wizard at handicraft [Valery Krijzak]. For Hanukkah, Krijzak made a wonderful dreidel out of bread but it was the day before Hanukkah and we still didn’t have any candles. Then the miracle of Hanukkah took place in our cell. Krijzak moaned, “Doctor, I am having a terrible hemorrhoid attack. Please give me some suppositories.” Now we had the material from which to make candles enclosed behind thick steel doors. But we were still with our people.-- Refusenik Yosef Begun, “Hanukkah in a Soviet Prison”

https://www.aish.com/j/f/We_Jews_Israel_Edition.htmlWe Jews: Israel EditionMay 7, 2011by Marnie Winston-MacauleyIn ho or onfI sr e al ’sbir thda y , fu n fa ct sa b o ut t he e Jw i sh ho elamnd h tat ll w im a k e you “kvell.”We, members of the People's council, representatives of the Jewish community of Eretz-Israel and of the Zionist movement, are here assembled on the day of the termination of the British mandate over Eretz-Israel and, by virtue of our natural and historic right and on the strength of the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, hereby declare the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel, to be known as the state of Israel.Placing our trust in the almighty, we affix our signatures to this proclamation at this session of the provisional council of state, on the soil of the homeland, in the city of Tel-Aviv, on this Sabbath Eve, the 5th day of Iyar, 5708 [14th may,1948].”In Israel, in order to be a realist, one must believe in miracles” — David Ben GurionThere was dancing in the streets of Israel when, at 4 P.M., David Ben-Gurion read: “We hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish state in Palestine to be called Israel.” He wrote in his diary: \"The fate ofthe country lies in the hands of the armed forces.\"That night states of the Arab League invaded the tiny country. Ben Gurion knew that many who danced would never return home.In honor of Israeli Independence Day, I give you facts, anecdotes, and achievements of this tiny land.TimelinesResolution 181As the roll call began on November 29, 1947, thousands upon thousands of Jews kept count in front of radios . . .

Afghanistan, no; Argentina, abstain, Australia, yes . . . Then Belgium, Belorussia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada yes. On it continued . . . Syria, no; Turkey, no; Ukraine, yes, Union of South Africa, yes; –USSR, United Kingdom, abstain; United States, yes . . .When it was over, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181, calling for the partition of the British-ruled Palestine Mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state was approved.The vote was 33 in favor, 13 against, 10 abstentions, and 1 absent.American Jewry RespondsWe American Jews have been divided on many issues. But when it came to supporting the creation of the modern Jewish State, aid was there and wallets were open. The Haunted Smile reports a meeting with Golda Meyerson (later, Meir) at Eddie Cantor’s house in 1948 to raise funds for Israel. Jack Benny sent a signed blank check with instructions to “fill in whatever you need.” Cantor did, for $25, 000, the least he knew Benny would have contributed.Fascinating FactsThe Israeli FlagThe Israeli flag adopted on Oct. 28, 1948, is based on the flag of Zionist movement. In the middle is the Star of David, which, according to tradition, appeared on Kind David’s shield. The blue stripes on the top and the bottom are based upon the on the blue fringes of Jewish prayer shawls.Hatikva: The HopeOn the eve of Simchat Torah, during the first year of Nazi occupation in 1940, the bells of the Catholic Cathedral in Antwerp rang out the melody of Hatikvah, meaning, “The Hope.” Hatikva became the national anthem of Israel. Its lyrics were written in 1886 by Naphtali Herz Imber, a poet originally from Galicia. The melody was written by Samuel Cohen, who based the melody on a musical theme from Bedrich Smetana’s \"Moldau.\" The mournful piece, written in minor key, is actually uplifting. In rough translation, the lyrics are:So long as within our breasts The Jewish heart beats trueSo long as still toward the east To Zion looks the JewOur hopes are not yet lostTwo thousand years we cherished them To live as a free people in our land Land of Zion and Jerusalem

Hebrew: A Re-BirthHebrew, the language of study, religion, formal and literary works, ceased being a spoken language around 250 B.C.E. It took an early Zionist, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (1858-1922), to realize that a common language would be required for those returning to their homeland. Upon landing in Jaffa in 1881 (from Lithuania), he established the first only Hebrew-speaking household, worked tirelessly on modernizing Hebrew and began work on the first modern dictionary, completed by his wife and a son after his death. All 16 volumes were finally published in 1959.\"Dear God ...\"Hundreds of people a year write prayers and difficulties and mail them to, you guessed it -- God. The address? \"God, Jerusalem, Israel.\" So where does the mail go? Does God get them? Let us hope. But it's a trip. First they go to the Israeli Post Office's Dead Letters Department, then each letter, collected in a velvet bag, is posted into a crack in the Western Wall. Perhaps more importantly, does God answer all the letters? Of course. (But a self-addressed stamped envelope wouldn’t hurt!)Israeli Diet?According to author Tim Boxer, when Shimon Peres visited Vice President George Bush, Bush told Peres about the benefits of his tennis game, inquiring how the Prime Minister stayed so fit. It wasn’t a terrific secret. “I run the Israeli cabinet,” replied Peres.United States Presidents on IsraelLincoln: Shortly after delivering the Emancipation Proclamation, President Abraham Lincoln met a Canadian Christian Zionist, Henry Wentworth Monk, who expressed hope that Jews who were being oppressed in Russia and Turkey be emancipated \"by restoring them to their national home in Palestine.\" Lincoln replied that this was \"a noble dream and one shared by many Americans.\"Truman: “I had faith in Israel before it was established, so I have faith in it now.”President Harry Truman to Chaim Weizmann, granting de facto recognition of the new Jewish State eleven minutes after Israel's proclamation of independence.—Eisenhower: “I believe[Israel] has a glorious future before it—not just another sovereign nation, but as an embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization.” -- Dwight D. Eisenhower with David Ben-Gurion, May 26, 1952

Lyndon Johnson: When Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin asked Lyndon Johnson why the United States supports Israel when there are 80 million Arabs and only three million Israelis, the President replied simply: \"Because it is right.\"Nixon: “I may not worry as much as Prime Minister Eshkol does about Israel, but I worry as deeply.” – President Richard M. Nixon in a Memorandum of Conversation with Israeli Ambassador Harman, February 7, 1968).Reagan: “The survival of Israel is not just a political issue, it is a moral imperative. That is my deeply held belief and it is the belief shared by the vast majority of the American people. A strong secure Israel is not just in Israel's interest. It's in the interest of the United States and in the interest of the entire free world.”Clinton: “The United States admires Israel for all that it has overcome and for all that it has accomplished. We are proud of the strong bond we have forged with Israel, based on our shared values and ideals. That unique relationship will endure just as Israel has endured.”AchievementsIsrael accounts for less than 1/1000th of the world's population, and is the 100 smallest th country, yet is a world leader in many areas.Humanism, Politics, and Culture. Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East where Muslims, Christians, and Jews may vote in free and fair representative parliamentary elections. It also has the highest average living standards in the Middle East. Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.Related Video: Israel: Defying the Odds*Relative to its population, Israel accepts more immigrants per capita than any other nation.*When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister in 1969, she became only second elected female world leader in modern times.*Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship - and the highest rate among women and those over 55 - in the world.*Israel has the highest percentage of home computers per capita.*Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.*Israel is the only country to enter the twenty-first century with a net gain in number of trees.*In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted 22,000 Ethiopian Jews to safety.

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.*When an earthquake struck Western India in January 2001, Israel sent an entire field hospital, including medical staff and equipment, to help treat injured civilians.Technology: Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 per 10,000 in the U.S. More, it has the highest ratio of university degrees to its population, the highest per capita ratio of scientific publications and patents filed, and proportionally, it has the largest number of startup companies in the world.*Israelis designed the most impenetrable flight security, and advises the U.S. re: airborne security threats.*Israeli scientists developed the first fully developed no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer treatment.*The cell phone was developed in Haifa by Motorola-Israel.*Windows NT software was developed by Microsoft-Israel.*The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel.*Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.*AOL's instant message program was designed by an Israeli software company.*Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the U.S. in Israel.

https://www.aish.com/j/f/We-Jews-Latino-Jews-E-JEWS-LATINO-JEWS.htmlWe Jews: Latino JewsDec 30, 2017by Marnie Winston-MacauleyJewbans, Mexi-Jews. Jewminicans, Jewtinas or Kosher-Ricans.Geography! In my day, it wasn’t one of the hipper courses. How many of us were fascinated by the difference between an isthmus vs. a peninsula? I apologize to Ira Kazinsky in seventh grade who was heavily into the Isthmus of Panama, and is now making breakthroughs in Panamanian tombs.Which brings me to Latin America and in particular, Latino and Latina Jews.This fascinating population has long been overlooked, misunderstood, and little-known. More, I’ve found that despite being an “America,” many of us in North America view South and Central America as being “down there – somewhere.”There are approximately 500,000 Latin American Jews, but to avoid persecution they often kept a low profile. More, a minority within a minority, whether Jews are still in Latin America or have ventured North, many have experienced difficulty “fitting in” among non-Latino Jews and U.S. Jews.Yet, whether they put guacamole on matzo on Passover or drink kosher tequila on Cinco de Mayo, they are ardent Jews. As Jewish Latinos get little attention from Jews or Latinos in theU.S. let’s look at some little-known, but fascinating facts about our Latino MOTS.WHO ARE LATINO JEWS?Jewbans, Mexi-Jews, Jewminicans or Kosher-Ricans. Who are they? Many Jewish Latinos distinguish themselves from “Hispanics” – a term used interchangeably in the United States. In the interest of clarity, if possible, let’s dig deeper.

The origin of the word “Hispanic” is from the Latin word for \"Spain.\"The origin of “Latino” is from the Spanish word for Latin. In English, it may be a shortening of the Spanish word latinoamericano, which in English means \"Latin American.\"Got it? Not yet? We start with …The Difference between “Hispanic” and “Latino.”“Hispanic” refers to the people and culture from countries formerly ruled by the Spanish Empire, for example, Mexico, most of Central, South America and the Greater Antilles. TheU.S. government adopted the term during the Nixon administration and “Hispanic” became part of the census wording in 1980.“Latino” refers specifically to those in the U.S. who are of Latin American nationality along with their offspring. Latin America includes countries in South America and North America (including Central America the islands of the Caribbean, French-speaking areas of Haiti, French Guiana, the French West Indies, and even French-speaking Canada) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance or even Native American languages.Some find it offensive to be called Hispanic or Latino preferring to be called by their country origin, such as Mexican, Colombian, Cuban, Salvadoran, Bolivian, etc. In a survey released by the Pew Hispanic Center, about half said they identified themselves most frequently by their family's national origin. In the U.S., Jews who are both Latino and Jewish number about 200,000 forming a small but thriving community. This minority within a minority are generally proud of their dual identities, yet feel they are distinct group among the larger Jewish and –non-Jewish Latino U.S. population.SEPHARDIC OR ASHKENAZI?While most of us might assume Latino Jews are from a Sephardic background, many are cut from the same Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi cloth as the majority of U.S. Jews who ran from Eastern Europe in the early 20 century, but settled in Latin American countries and cities, th rather than land at Ellis Island. Outside of the U.S., hundreds of thousands of Ashkenazi Jews live in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. The Sephardim from Latin America are also an influential group and include for example, Jews who left Turkey and other countries in the Levant following WW1.FASCINATING DEMOGRAPHIC FACTSIn general, the few studies done have found that Latin American Jews are both highly educated and earn more than $100,000 yearly, which is higher by 70% than U.S. Jewish households.

The majority feel strongly connected to Israel and their families’ Latin American homelands, even if they weren’t born there. Latino Jews while relating to the general Latin American community via the Spanish language, close family relationships, a love of parties, and an entrepreneurial mindset, nevertheless feel differences in class, income and education between themselves and non-Jewish Latinos.LOOKING FOR A SPACE OF THEIR OWN“[Latino Jews] are looking for a space of their own to articulate their multiple identities,” said Dina Siegel Vann, who is originally from Mexico City and directs an institute for Latino affairs at the American Jewish Committee.The AJC commissioned a study, which was conducted by Latino Decisions, a public opinion firm that looked at 10 focus groups of Latin American Jews in five cities with significant Latino-Latina Jewish populations: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.According to the survey, Latino American Jews while relating to the U.S. Jewish community’s customs and culture, focus group participants, overall, felt that U.S. Jews were more formal in their religious and social practices, “making it difficult to relate at a personal level” as many doubted that most U.S. Jews even knew of their presence.When the focus groups were given seven “identity” choices, their preferences in order were: Jewish, 95%; Latin-American country of origin, 69 %; Latin American, 51%; Latino/a, 44%;immigrant, 41% percent; Hispanic, 34%; and American, 31%.While more than 80 percent are U.S. citizens, and others, permanent residents, less than 1 in 3 identifies as American. “In previous generations … it was a moment of pride to say you were American, but now that’s changed,” said Siegel Vann. The reasons include:“In L.A. or Miami, which have large concentrations of Latino Jews, there’s less pressure to integrate into American life. More significant is that even though Latino Jews felt they had good reasons to leave Latin America, they often did so with regrets, in contrast to previous generations of immigrants to the U.S. Some Latino Jews still own property in Latin America, and almost all have family and friends there. As a result, most still identify with the Latin American country they came from (69 %) rather than as American (31 %).”But the group is stepping into the spotlight. For example, NYU Livewire reports that Los Angeles-based Ariana Lopez started the first clothing line aimed at Latino Jews with her label Jewtina splashing that name on shirts in sparkly silver letters to encourage pride and a sense of community.

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.Then there’s Simon Guindi Cohen, a third generation Mexican Jew who moved to the U.S. 10 years ago. Cohen revived a group for young Latino Jews in New York primarily through Facebook. With over 1300 members the focus is on socializing monthly and fund-raising.THE FUTURE: A WIDER PRESENCE WITHIN THE JEWISH COMMUNITYActivist Latino Jews are still looking for ways to leverage their identities to build local and world bridges and integrate into mainstream Jewish life. A higher profile would be of benefit to all Jews, given their education, wealth and passion for Israel which would add a strong voice to Jewish organizations and efforts.More, the influence of Latinos in the U.S. is increasing. Siegel Vann says: “[Although we] don’t generally inhabit the same spaces, we have to come together and become aware of the commonalities, the linguistic, cultural and historical ties the two communities have. Latino Jews could play an important role in being the link between Jews and Latinos, so what we’re trying to do is create more and more spaces for this interaction and cooperation to happen.”Bienvenido!

https://www.aish.com/j/f/WE-JEWS-Little-Known-Jewish-Inventions.htmlWE JEWS: Little Known Jewish InventionsNov 25, 2017by Marnie Winston-MacauleyFrom t h efla s h l i g ht t t ohe e flx i s t r a w , the e esJw i s h in nv et ion msa k elif e ttalile better.Most MOTS know We Jews are an inventive, innovative group that can lay claim to life-saving, world-changing achievements in the arts, technology, medicine, space, literature, film … and language, of course. What other tiny group can kvell our “nobility” when it comes to winning the Nobel Prize alone? (Despite comprising only 0.25% of the world pop. 23% of all winners since 1901, or about 180 Jews have been so honored.)These Jews creating household gems but they aren’t household names. Time to correct that.Names such as Albert Einstein, Jonas Salk, Freud, Paul Ehrlich, Levi Strauss, Rosalyn Sussman Yalow are a tiny sampling of our group who made history, were honored, and whose contributions are taughtin history classes.As we know, Jews are also the brainkinder behind: the Cardiac Pacemaker, The Polio Vaccine, Chemotherapy, the Kidney Dialysis machine, cellular technology, the Microchip, Laser, and yes, even Google among many other vital inventions.But what about Akiba Horowitz, Sylvan Goldman, and Maurice Levy, among hundreds of others? Who are they you ask? No they aren’t shul presidents? They were Jewish brilliant inventors who fooled around with everyday stuff that we can’t be without. Are there statues to them? Buildings named for them? But while some were patented, honored, and made massive gelt by creating household gems, today, they aren’t household names. Time to correct that.

FROM OUT OF THE DARK. THE FLASHLIGHT: CONRAD HUBERT (1855-1928)The son of Russian-Jewish wine distillers, (born Akiba Horowitz, 1855 1928) he arrived in New –York in 1891. As a youngster he attended Hebrew school, then became a partner in his dad’s business. Deciding to come to America, he passed through Ellis Island in 1891 and tried his hand at several enterprises. In the 1890s, one major interest was the development of what we know today as the flashlight (patent (No. 617,592). He turned his American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Company, into the Ever Ready Company famous for its batteries. The Russian immigrant who came with nothing, became a multi-millionaire after seeing the light.“THE LITTLE GENIUS.” THE FLEXISTRAW, THE IMPROVED FOUNTAIN PEN: JOSEPH B. FRIEDMAN (1900-1982)The young genius would do well on Gefilte Tank! First generation American, the Ohioan, a son of Jacob David Friedman and Antoinette Grauer Friedman was already on the job by age 14.A patent king, his first, a better fountain pen, was issued in 1922 which he then sold to the Sheaffer Pen Company. In the mid-1930s. Seeing his young daughter Judith straw-struggle, he inserted a screw, and with dental floss, wrapped the straight straw in the screw threads. Voila, it bent! (Of course he removed the screw.) His initial patent for “The Drinking Tube” was issued in 1937. He got additional patents for construction and formation. As he couldn’t find an investor, he started producing his product himself, forming The Flexible Straw Corporation in 1939 in California. WWII halted his efforts until his brother-in-law and a family friend backed him. With his sister Betty’s business experience, the first flexible straw machine entered the market in the late 1940s. In 1950 the newly named Flex-Straw Co., took off! Now this is what I call turning spilt milk into major gelt.ENOUGH SHLEPPING! THE SHOPPING CART: SYLVAN NATHAN GOLDMAN (1898- 1984)Leave it to a Jew to notice people in his store shlepping goods and thinking: “This is meshugge … but more, they’ll buy more if they had something to shlep things in.” The genius who invented the shopping cart was “Syl” Goldman, born to parents Hortense and Michael Goldman, owner of a dry goods store, in what was then Ardmore, Chickasaw Nation (now, Oklahoma). After the First World War, he and brother Alfred partnered in wholesale food in Texas. Fascinated by a new concept-- a supermarket -- with different goods under one roof, they returned to Oklahoma and opened shop in Tulsa. It was a hit, and they expanded to 21 markets. They sold their company and in 1934, Syl bought the Humpty-Dumpty grocery chain, a company where Humpty not only fell off a wall, he laid an egg. Goldman, using savvy advertising then developed and patented the shopping cart in 1936. From the basket he made major gelt, adding the grocery sacker, the folding inter-office carrier, and the milk

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.bottle rack. So next time you find yourself: A) getting heeled by a cart, or B) chasing after it as it’s heading toward a Caddy; remember, it could be worse. Thanks to Sylvan Nathan Goldman, at least you don’t need 20 trips or a back brace to shlep a carton of seltzer.A JEWISH FINGER EXERCISE: THE TV REMOTE CONTROL: ROBERT ADLER (1913- 2007)We Jews old enough to remember Molly Goldberg on TV, also remember having to actually get up! Imagine lying there, comfy, with a glass tea and the cushion with a perfect imprint of our head. Then, oy … something terrible happened. We had to go vertical and walk yet to change the station! Or worse make it louder for Bubbe! While Adler didn’t actually invent the first remote, the genius founded the technology to make it work for those of us for whom lying down should be an Olympic event. The Vienna-born inventor was the son of Max Adler, a social theorist and Jenny a doctor. Dripping with yichus, he received his Ph.D. in physics in 1937. After Hitler moved into Austria, Adler traveled to various European locations, then came to the United States where, starting in 1941, he worked with Zenith. All told he was granted 58 patents, but his most famous was the wireless TV remote improving upon an unsuccessful model. Adler used sound waves to transmit. His \"Space Command,\" consisted of aluminum rods that were struck by hammers when initiated by the device’s buttons. He modified the model in the 1960s using ultrasonic signals. By the time he retired in 1982, he held the title of VP and Director of Research, earning numerous awards, including the Emmy for his invention. To Robert Adler we give The Golden Gefilte award for letting us develop strong enough fingers to grab a pound of lox from the back of the buffet.

https://www.aish.com/j/f/We_Jews_Medal_of_Honor_Winners.htmlWe Jews: Medal of Honor WinnersMay 19, 2012by Marnie Winston-MacauleyProfiles of some of the many Jewish Medal of Honor recipients.Over the years, despite statistics to the contrary, there is often the perception that We Jews are under-represented in the military. Sadly, some Jews in the military, past and present, have chosen to designate themselves as “unaffiliated” given concern over anti-Semitism on the part of enemies and even colleagues.Jews have served with distinction in the United States military.Yet, the facts are that Jews have served with distinction in the United States military: In WWI, for example, 250,000 Jews served with over 3,000 killed, and another 12,000 were gassed or wounded. Wecomprised 5.73% of the military when we totaled only 3.27% of the general U.S. population (half of whom were women).In WWll, over 650,000 Jews served. While We Jews represented only 3.3% of the U.S. population (Jewish males comprising 1.6%), we comprised 4.23% of the military. Eight thousand were killed in action, and 60,000 were decorated for valor!In honor of Memorial Day, we look at a few of that rarefied group: Medal of Honor winners who were Jewish. The award, the highest for U.S. military service, was created during the Civil War. Post-Civil War standards are stringent. Recipients must distinguish themselves at the risk of their own life above and beyond the call of duty. The medal is presented by the President on behalf of Congress.Thus far there have been 3,473 recipients. At least 29 Jews have been so honored from the Civil War through the Vietnam War. Some received the honor posthumously.Medal of Honor Jews: A Small SamplingThe Civil War

While sources vary, as many as seven recipients were Jewish. A few include:*Army Sergeant Major, Abraham Cohn during the Battle of the Wilderness and Battle of the Crater, Virginia, May 6, 1864 and July 30, 1864: rallied and formed disorganized and fleeing troops of different regiments. At Petersburg, Virginia, bravely and coolly carried orders to the advanced line under severe fire.*Army Sergeant, Henry Heller during the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, May 2, 1863: One of a party of four who, under heavy fire, voluntarily brought into the Union lines a wounded Confederate officer who provided valuable information concerning the position of the enemy.*Army Sergeant Leopold Karpeles during the Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia, May 6, 1864: While color bearer, rallied the retreating troops and induced them to check the enemy's advance.Indian WarsFour recipients were Jewish. The first was Simon Suhler a.k.a. Charles Gardner honored for extraordinary bravery.*Army Sergeant George Geiger during the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Montana, June 25, 1876 : With three comrades courageously held a position that secured water for the command.*Army First Sergeant Jacob Trautman during the Wounded Knee Massacre, South Dakota, December 29, 1890: Killed a hostile enemy at close quarters, and, although entitled to retirement from service, remained with the campaign till its end.Philippine-American War*Private Louis C. Mosher at Gagsak Mountain, Jolo, the Philippines, June 11, 1913: Risked his life while rescuing a wounded soldier under enemy fire.Haiti*Marine Corps Private Samuel Gross a.k.a. Marguiles at Fort Riviere, Haiti, November 17, 1915: The second man to pass through the breach in the fort's walls despite constant fire from the Cacos, then engaged the enemy in desperate hand-to-hand combat.World War IOf the 124 Medals awarded, seven were to Jews. William Sawelson, received it posthumously, as he was killed by a machine gun while trying to assist an injured soldier.

*Navy Lieutenant Commander Edouard Izac aboard German submarine U-90 as prisoner of war, October 8, 1918: Captured after the ship he was on was sunk, gathered information about German submarine movements and risked his life to escape and provide it to the allies.*Navy Boatswain's Mate Second Class John Otto Siegel , aboard the USS Mohawk, November 1, 1918: Risked his life by making multiple trips into a burning, ravaged ship to rescue injured crew.World War IIDuring World War II more than 650,000 Jewish men and women served. Approximately 60,000 Jews received medals, including five Medals of Honor. Three, Isadore S. Jachman, BenL. Salomon and Raymond Zussman received it posthumously. Jachman and Salomon were killed helping injured soldiers; Zussman risked his life on September 12, 1944, by leading his tank against the enemy, capturing 30 prisoners. He was killed less than a month later -- before receiving the Medal.*Navy Lieutenant Commander Samuel G. Fuqua, Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941: Aboard the USS Arizona during the Attack on Pearl Harbor, directed the crew to resist, fight fires, then evacuate the injured. When the ship couldn’t be saved and all possible crew was rescued, he ordered the ship abandoned and remained on deck until the last of the crew had been evacuated.*Army Lieutenant colonel Matt Urban, Renouf, France, June 14, 1944-September 3, 1944: While severely wounded, continued to return to combat in order to insure that his unit completed its mission.Korean WarAlthough more than 150, 000 Jews served in Korea, not one received the Medal of Honor! Yet, on July 23, 1950, Tibor Rubin, a rifleman in Korea, stayed behind to keep the road open for his withdrawing unit, single-handedly fighting North Korean troops, and capturing prisoners. A few months later, Chinese forces assaulted his unit and once again, Rubin, manning a machine gun, allowed the unit to retreat southward. Severely injured and captured, he snuck out at night to get food and medical supplies for other wounded prisoners.In a 1993 study commissioned by the Army to investigate racial discrimination in the awarding of medals, it was determined that Tibor Rubin, Holocaust survivor, and Korean War hero, had been denied the Medal because of religion. In 2005, President George W. Bush presented the Medal of Honor to Rubin in a ceremony at the White House for his actions in 1950 during the Korean War -- 55 years later!Vietnam War

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.Two Jews received the Medal.*Army First Lieutenant Jack H. Jacobs, Kien Phong Province, Republic of Vietnam, March 9, 1968: Seriously wounded, assumed command and ordered a withdrawal, then repeatedly returned through heavy fire to rescue other wounded including the company commander, and treated their wounds. More, on three occasions repelled Viet Cong squads.*Airman First Class John Levitow, Long Binh Army post, Republic of Vietnam, February 24, 1969: Severely wounded, moved another injured crew member to safety, then used his own body to smother and move a smoking flare, saving an aircraft.Today, the percentages of Jews in the military has decreased somewhat, yet, 44 Jewish servicemen and women died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. About a third did not register as Jews and their religion became generally known only after their deaths, suggesting that there may be many more Jews in the military than assumed.The truth: Over the years, Jewish representation in the military has frequently equaled or surpassed the Jewish population of the United States and We Jews have served with honor and courage.

https://www.aish.com/j/f/We-Jews-Memorial-Day-Edition.htmlWe Jews: Memorial Day EditionMay 25, 2013by Marnie Winston-MacauleyF a s c in a t in g fa ct sa b o u t J ew wsh h voae er esv d t inh eU .S.Ar e m dFor ecs.According to the Jewish War Veterans, We Jews have served in the U.S. Armed Forces far beyond our numerical proportion in the general population. More, we did so with distinction, receiving more than 52,000 awards, including the coveted Congressional Medal of Honor.George Washington directly commanded 40 Jewish soldiers.In honor of Memorial Day, here are but a few known but mostly unsung facts about our passion, our involvement, and our sacrifice.LETTER FROM DANIEL: What I have experienced inthe Army is far more profound than anything else in my life. I've learned that my mind can be my ally as well as my enemy. I had to teach myself how to be more flexible. I've learned how to push myself to my limits and, once there, continue. My biggest fear is not my death. It's the death of those whose parents and wives I'll have to see suffer. That's what makes me a solider. I want you to know that I love you and I will see you in a year from now. Love, DanielDaniel Freeman, age twenty, part of the elite 173rd Airborne Division, was killed in Afghanistan on April 6, 2005.Early Jewish Officers*The first Jewish officers in the New World fought in the French and Indian Wars. They were Jacob Judah, Michael Isaacs, Isaac Moses and Isaac Meyers. Meyers led a company across the Allegheny Mountains and served as captain.*By 1775, there were about 2,500 Jews populating the colonies. Several hundred were of military age. There were at least 27 Jewish officers in the Continental Army.*George Washington directly commanded 40 Jewish soldiers.*In South Carolina, about two dozen men recruited from a largely Jewish part of Charleston became known as a “Jews’ Company.”Jews & Independence

There were about 2,000 Jews in America in 1776, and they were devoted patriots during the Revolutionary War:*Every adult Jewish male in Charleston, South Carolina, fought for independence.*Jews also helped finance the War. Haym Salomon lent a fortune to the Continental Congress. The money was never repaid, and Salomon was bankrupt when he died.*The Jewish Paul Revere of the South. \"First Jew In South Carolina To Hold Public Office And To Die For American Independence” opens the inscription on a commemorative stone in honor of Francis Salvador, erected at the time of the bicentennial celebration of the Jewish community of Charleston, 1950. Salvador came to Charleston (Charles Town), South Carolina from his native London in 1773, and served with distinction in the creation of his state and his new nation. In 1775, he was the first Jew elected to public office as delegate to the first South Carolina Provincial Congress. A patriot, participating as a volunteer in an expedition against Indians and Tories, he was killed in an ambush near the Keowee River in 1776, thus also becoming the first Jew to give his life in the Revolutionary WarBrother Against Brother: The Civil WarJewish-Americans fought in this most tragic of wars on both sides of the battlefield, blue and gray.*The banking firm of Seligman Brothers provided financial support to the Union Army.*Judah Philip Benjamin served both as Secretary of War and Secretary of State for the Confederacy. The Confederate States of America (CSA) had at least 23 Jewish-American staff officers.*Surgeon General David de Leon of S.C. was the first Surgeon General of the Confederacy –and his counterpart for the Union was Dr. Jonathan Horowitz.*When General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Grant, present at the ceremony on April 9, 1865, was Benjamin B. Levy, one of a six (some say seven) Jews awarded the Congressional medal of honor*The only known Hebrew military cemetery outside of Israel is the U.S. Cemetery for Hebrew Confederate Soldiers in Richmond, Virginia, where 121 Jewish Confederate soldiers are buried.*Despite the fact that thousands of Jews fought in the Civil War, it was reported in “Jewish Soldiers in the Union Army” (North American Review, December, 1891), that few, if any, served. To set the record straight, social activist Simon Wolf not only responded with facts in an article of his own “The American Jew as Patriot, Soldier and Citizen\" (published in The

Simon Wolf published the names of 7,000 Jewish Civil War veterans.Washington Post soon after), but in 1895, Wolf, whose friends included both Grant and Sherman, published the names of 7,000 Jewish Civil War veterans.A MOTHER’S GRIEF … Rebekah Hyneman's last letterto son Elias about the death of her other son. Philadelphia. June 22, 1864Oh, my dear one. He died, God rest him without a struggle, without a moan. When he calmly told me he was dying and wished someone to read the prayers for him, I felt as if I could not endure it. He left a kiss for you with his dying lips and loved you to the last. May his pure spirit hover over you, my treasure, and turn aside every weapon that is aimed against you. Sorrowing Mother*Elias Hyneman, a soldier with the Pennsylvania Cavalry, during the Civil War, could not get a furlough. One week later, his regiment participated in Kautz's Raid. Elias saved his comrades, but was captured and died in Andersonville.WW ll In Body, In Spirit, In Image ...The most famous and most photographed symbol of courage in battle is, of course, that of the U.S. Marines raising the flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. The photo, shot during combat, was taken by a Jew, Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this remarkable achievement.Jewish Veterans: The Oldest Veteran’s OrganizationThe Veterans Organization: Hebrew Union, created March 15, 1896 was forerunner to the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America. The latter is recognized as the oldest veteran's organization in America! The group with approximately 37,000 members holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code.In the preamble to its National Constitution the purpose of the JWV is excerpted:To maintain true allegiance to the United States of America; to combat whatever tends to impair the efficiency and permanency of our free institutions; to uphold the fair name of the Jew and fight his or her battles wherever unjustly assailed; to encourage the doctrine of universal liberty, equal rights, and full justice to all men and women; to preserve the memories and records of patriotic service performed by the men and women of our faith; to honor their memory and shield from neglect the graves of our heroic dead.To those of all stripes who have given their lives for a principle, and to their families, there can be no higher mitzvah. Thank you.

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.

https://www.aish.com/j/f/65145782.htmlWe Jews: Part 1Oct 25, 2009by Marnie Winston-MacauleyA new series that will make you kvell.Introduction Dear Readers:I am pleased to announce a new series titled: “We Jews: Unsung Heroes.” Here we are, 1/4 of 1% of the world, yet the number of Jews who have changed history makes Brazil look like the Bronx. I think there’s a story here -- let me know if you agree. I hope this series evokes kvells, naches, and “cries” over the joys and oys of our intricate, exquisite tapestry of the history of “We Jews.”Francisco MendesDona Gracia Nasi, born in Lisbon in 1510, was a converso, married to another converso, Francisco Mendes, in 1528. The affluent couple provided escape routes for Jews victimized by the Inquisition. After Francisco died, she partnered with her bro-in-law in Antwerp, who bequeathed her everything in 1542. In Turkey, she could finally practice Judaism openly and –more. She created an underground railroad from Portugal for conversos to leave. Settling with her daughter in Constantinople, she was guardian angel of the Jewish community, which included confronting Pope Paul IV about his anti-Semitic policies. In 1558, the “mogela” arranged with the Turkish sultan to buy the city of Tiberias, hoping to make it an independent Jewish city-state!Luis de Carvajal Hundreds of years before Jews made their homes in the American Southwest, Luis de Carvajal and his family, forced to be crypto-Jews, arrived in Mexico in 1580. His records are the sole surviving Jewish writings of the Spanish colonial period. Not only did Luis circumcise himself, but the family actively encouraged other crypto-Jews in Mexico City to return to Judaism. In 1596, Luis, charged as \"judaizante relapso pertinaz\" (a perpetual, relapsed Judaizer), was burned at the stake, along with his mother, and three of his sisters.

Hannah SeneshShe died at 23 ... a Jewish Joan of Arc. Paratrooper, poetess, and hero, during WW ll, Hannah Senesh, born in 1921, parashooted behind Nazi lines to warn Hungarian Jews of the Nazi scourge. As a young, ardent Zionist, Hannah moved to Palestine, writing, “I am fulfilling a mission.” In 1943, she was the first woman Britain trained as a paratrooper. While trying to free POWs Hannah was captured, sent to Budapest, and tortured. Refusing to reveal her radio code, Hannah was executed on November 7, 1944 and buried in the military cemetery in Jerusalem. My God, My God, may these things never end: the sand and the sea, the rush of the waves, the lightning of the sky, the prayers of humankind. Hannah Senesh–These words, part of a poem, became a Hebrew song.Rudolph VrbaRudolph Vrba, born in 1924, a distinguished pharmacology professor at the University of British Columbia and one of the few Jews to escape from Auschwitz, provided the first –eyewitness evidence of the extent of the Holocaust, and the precise mechanics of Nazi exterminations. The 32-page report, (The Auschwitz Protocol), was later used as evidence at the Nuremberg trials.Rivka Gruber I have taught my sons to be good Jews .To battle for that which is right until the last breath, for man is duty-bound to fight for what he holds dear in life. – Rivka GruberOn May 14, 1979, when the Israel-Egypt peace treaty was signed, Rivka Gruber, was among the dignitaries. A pioneer settler in Eretz Israel, Rivka joined a Jewish Battalion. Her son Ephraim, joined the Haganah and was killed two months before the establishment of the State of Israel. Her other son, 16-year-old Zvi, was killed in battle with the Egyptians three months later. Rivka moved to a remote region of Israel, teaching others to transform the area into a thriving sector.Uri LubraniOn May 24, 1991, Operation Solomon, the mission to rescue thousands of Ethiopian Jews, was almost aborted but for the fast thinking of its mastermind, Israeli ambassador Uri Lubrani. The Operation hinged on the transfer of $35 million to the Ethiopians. But, when the planes had left Addis Ababa for Israel, the gelt had “gone missing!” An Ethiopian “un”-civil service foul up? You bet. They couldn’t find the bank account number! Within an hour, Uri, tracing from Israel, Ethiopia, and New York, “untangled” the mess – and rescued 14, 500 Jews!Andrew Goodman

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 year was 1964. Young Andrew Goodman said, “Mom ... I have to go,” recalled Dr. Carolyn Goodman. “It wasn't easy for us. But we couldn't talk out of both sides of our mouths. So I had to let him go.” One day after his arrival in Mississippi, Goodman, fellow Jew, Michael Schwerner, and African-American, James Chaney, were beaten and shot by Klansmen in Neshoba County, Mississippi. It took 41 years to the day (June 21, 2005), for the 80-year-old Klansman organizer, Killen to receive three 20- year consecutive prison terms.The case hastened the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and has been memorialized in books and films, such as “Mississippi Burning.”The verdict was about justice. I don’t believe in capital punishment and my wonderful son would have agreed. He was raised to believe we are a country of laws and to do the right thing. –Dr.Carolyn Goodman, talking with me in 2006.Rabbi Zelig RivkinWhen, in August 2005, Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, the Jewish community stepped forward mightily, saving lives, raising funds, and opening their homes. More, in a daring rescue operation, a coalition of Jewish agencies waded through toxic waters to save 25 Torah scrolls in the New Orleans area, some of which had also been rescued from the Holocaust, “surviving yet a second horrific disaster,” said Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Washington-based Religious Action Center. Chabad officials, were involved in the rescue. Said Rabbi Zelig Rivkin, director of Chabad Lubavitch of Louisiana, \"Katrina has destroyed our homes, synagogues, and our city but has not destroyed our community.”Dr. Liviu LibrescuOn Monday, April 16th, 2007, Virginia Tech student, Cho Seung-Hui, senselessly murdered 32 classmates and teachers, then killed himself. One of the victims was Israeli professor, Dr. Liviu Librescu. Librescu, 76, barricaded the door of his classroom, allowing students to escape through windows. Cho Seung-Hui shot and killed Dr. Librescu through the door. Horrifically ironic, Librescu, a Holocaust survivor from Romania, died on Yom HaShoah. His family was determined that Dr. Librescu be buried according to Jewish law in Israel, which required transport as soon as possible. Officials rallied. On Tuesday, the Virginia State Police escorted the remains to Alexandria, Virginia, where a team of rabbis, expert in the rituals of transporting, was waiting to drive to New York, with troopers in each State as escorts. By Wednesday, the slain hero was bound for Israel, where he was buried in Raanana on Friday.

https://www.aish.com/j/f/69505347.htmlWe Jews: Part 2Nov 8, 2009by Marnie Winston-MacauleyTales of Jews who are both unsung and fascinatingWhile researching thousands of We Jews, every once in a while I’d come across an MOT whose fame may now be modest, but whose “story” is heroic or fascinating and keeps wafting around the corners of my mulching mind. Each one added a unique stitch to our design and became yet another fact I stored. At the very time I’m losing brain cells, I’m gaining enough material to risk brain burst. My only hope is to “share” – and what a mechaye [pleasure] it is!The first \"stand-up\" may have been a Jew, Menophilus (“Take my idol, please!”).Aliturus, Menophilus, Resh LakishAlright, ok. They may have had to do a little name “adjusting” in the 1950s Borscht belt and TV. But ... the three above had “stage presence,” which wasunusual among early pious Jews. In the first century,the audience, however, wasn’t filled with Cohens and Goldsteins. They performed for Mr. and Mrs. “Pagan.” In Rome, among Nero's favorite was the Jewish actor Aliturus , and the first \"stand-up\" may have been a Jew, Menophilus (“Take my idol, please!”). In century three, Resh Lakish (prior to becoming a rabbi) had worked as a circus strongman.Abraham FarissolFarissol was fascinated by exploration. But using his Yiddishe kop, realized that before shlepping, it was a good idea to know where. So in 1524, he created the first description of the New World in Hebrew literature (also translated into Latin), called Iggeret Orhot Olam (A Tract on the Paths of the World), which was a crude shield-like \"map\" of the New World, which he called, \"New Land\" in Hebrew. Farissol also wrote of unknown places where Jews reside -- the borders of the Land of Israel.

Eliezer Ben-YehudaHebrew ceased be a spoken language around 250 B.C.E. A forward thinker and early Zionist, Lithuanian-born Ben-Yehuda (1858-1922) realized that Jews returning to their homeland would need to farshtaist one another. In Hebrew. How do you revive a language? Write an updated dictionary! So he became the Hebraic Webster! Not a small task, he got the family involved. After moving to Jaffa in 1881, not only did the Ben-Yehudas run a Hebrew-speaking household, they worked tirelessly on the first modern Hebrew dictionary. All 16 volumes were completed by his wife and son after his death, and published in 1959, with over 4,000 new words from biblical Hebrew roots.Penina MoiseOne of our marvelous ethno-traits is persistence, especially in the face of adversity. Penina Moise was nothing if not persistent, but such is the nature of talent! The fledgling poet, the sixth of nine children, was the daughter of French Jews who fled to South Carolina. Forced to quit school after her father’s death, at age 12, she became head of the household, caring for her family and her ailing mother. Yet she persisted, writing verses by moonlight. Her work was first published in 1830, making her the first Jew to publish poetry in the U.S. Her prolific poetry around Jewish themes can still be found in current hymnals. She died in 1880, leaving a rich legacy for Jewish women to emulate: smashing glass ceilings against all odds.Sir Moses MontefioreHis name? Sir Moses Montefiore (1784-1885). His game? Sheriff of London in 1873. Wyatt Earp he wasn’t, but a Jewish humanitarian he was. Sheriff Moses supported Jews in England, projects in Israel and Jewish interests worldwide. As President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews (1835-1874), he wore his badge with Jewish pride. He went from Sheriff to “Sir” when honored with both a knighthood and a baronetcy. Now there’s one Sheriff even Robin Hood (who definitely had Yiddishe kop potential) might have split fish and chips with!Louis RubinAlthough matches made by passion instead of pros, was the major M.O. in America, as late as 1916, thousands of Jews still used shadchans (and some still do), to find the perfect mate.Originally, these matchmakers were learned elders, but the “business” of love “yenta sized” -the profession (think, Hello Dolly). The “deal?” Five per cent of the dowry plus a fee. In “modern times,” Louis Rubin held the distinction of being a legendary matchmaker. In a 1938 interview with the New Yorker, he claimed he’d arranged 7,000 marriages, and never took less than $100 a case. According to Rubin, “In most cases it’s just as well not to have [pictures]–unless the subject is unusually attractive.” Even if the “Net” existed back then, he’d no doubt see downloading photos as a downer and deal-breaker, which would also, no doubt, be the fate of a “Rubin Romances Online.”

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.Morris BergA Jew who went from catcher to spy? The mysterious Morris (Mo) Berg, a Columbia Law School graduate, linguist, and not-too-terrific catcher with the Brooklyn Dodgers, among other teams, was better at the spy game. Berg, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, in deference to his father, left the game the day his papa died in 1942. Better at Japanese, German, and stealing “bomb info” than bases, the Office of Strategic Services (later, the CIA), sent him overseas in 1943 to assess how to deal with Werner Heisenberg, head of Nazi Germany’s atom bomb project. When his extraordinary “game” ended at age 70 in 1972, Mo, -who was laid to rest in Israel, was a winner.Harvey BernsteinAnd while we’re on the subject ... “Get Bernstein?” was the cry of FBI agents from J. Edgar down during WWII. Harvey Bernstein was the only FBI agent at the time who could farshtaist oral and written Yiddish and Hebrew. Should a suspicious “Aleph” or “Oy” appear in a document, the FBI geshreid (screamed) “Get Bernstein!” Once, when Bernstein was “gotten” to de-code the contents of a container found on Fifth Avenue, the “ominous” container was found to be ... a mezuzah! The message? The Shema. The Feds could quit the shvitzing, thanks to Bernstein, who received the highest commendations from the Bureau when he resigned in 1954.Fred LebowAlas, We Jews know from running but not as a sport, never mind a competition. But an MOT –turned it into one of the greatest. The King of Marathons, was Orthodox Jew Fred Lebow, born Fischl Lebowitz in Transylvania in 1932. What Lebow started as a local run with 127 participants in 1970 became the New York City Marathon, the world’s largest with 30,000 runners. He was not only president of the New York Road Runners Club for over 20 years, Lebow competed in 1992, two years after he was diagnosed with cancer and given just months to live. He died in 1994, after running the greatest race a life of courage up to the –finish line.

https://www.aish.com/j/fs/91795029.htmlWe Jews: Part 5Apr 24, 2010by Marnie Winston-MacauleyF i rs st th a t ne er qvu it em a d e t t i ino e Jw i sh hi s tory… u nt l in o w .Einstein, Baruch, Louis B. Meyer, Jonas Salk, Albert Sabin, Levi Strauss, Sigmund Freud, Edwin Land! Great names all. They got there/did that, first. Then they named it, and claimed it. But what of the hundreds thousands of Jews whose contributions, inventions, ideas, have ––been mis or under-credited?For this, my readers, you may want to get some tape, to hang this list as a tribute on your wall, to the MOT creators, too often unsung, sung too softly, or way off tune.You may want to hang this tribute to Jewish inventors on your wall…Oy, Have I Got Gas!When you’re talking gas, who better to check with than We Jews (especially after a healthy serving of cholent!) Experts on all kinds of natural gas, of course petroleum wasn’t discovered by an Arab or aTexan. The credit properly goes to Austrian Jew, Abraham Shreiner, an amateur scientist who found one could use petroleum to light the world! (And no, I’m not guessing whether matches were or were not involved.) In 1853, he built a distillation plant, a year before US- ians “discovered” it.Wrong Number!In 1861, 15 years before Bell patented his “phone,” Johann Philipp Reis, a German Jew, exhibited his own to scientists in Europe. OK, true, it sounded a bit like Donald Duck on tranqs, but did it he did! Scientific interest he didn’t get until much later. In 1861, the Germans issued a postal stamp in honor of: \"First telephone by Philipp Reis from 1861.” In 1878, European scientists dedicated a monument to Reis, two years after Bell received his first patent. German textbooks credited Reis (until the 1930s, when the Nazis purged “Jews” from German lit.).Print with images Large-sized textPrint

So, why no ginormous companies named Reis’s Ear Pieces? It didn’t help that in 1947, one Sir Frank Gill chairman of Britain’s Standard Telephones and Cables tested, then tanked any mention that an 1863 Reis phone still worked. Of course, Gill was negotiating with AT&T (a “Bell” evolution). What to do?! The “message” he transmitted? “Shut up!”Before Orville & Wilbur There was Otto! After, There was WelshUnlike poor Reis, German Jew, Otto Lilienthal, who made the first glider flights in Berlin in 1891, was recognized by the Wright Brothers as their inspiration. In 1896, he was considering a motor, when, during a flight, he lost control in a sudden wind and tragically fell to his death. The first Jewish aviator, Arthur Welsh (Leibl Welcher) born in Kiev in 1881, fascinated by the Wright Brothers, persuaded the brothers to teach him to fly. And fly he did for their company, testing, teaching, and setting records. Welsh was mourned by Orville Wright, following a fatal crash in 1912 while testing a new plane for the War Department. A bust of the prize winning aviator and ardent Zionist are in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.Schwarz vs. Zeppelin Who and which created the first airship? Is the name correct or a Count’s chutzpah? There’s more mystery around this, than Elvis’s ethnicity. As I first heard the story, the zeppelin should have been called the “Schwarzian,” for a Zagreb Jew, David Schwarz (1852-1897), who invented and built a prototype in 1892. Ah ... but there’s more intrigue. When the German government finally OKed the thing, Schwarz dropped dead, some say from shock. Afterward, it’s alleged that Count Zeppelin bought the patents from Mrs.Schwarz --and took the credit. However... is this the emmes? Some accounts note Count Zeppelin’s own long-held interest in rigid metal airships, and once he got the rights to purchase aluminum, he was off and “zeppelin ing.” To this day, the “truth” remains “up in the -air.”The Emmes about Edison and EmileWhat? Edison didn’t invent enough, he was cited for the phonograph, too? Pooh! The gramophone was the brainchild, not of Thomas Edison, but of Emile Berliner. The good news is, he made good gelt selling records, players, and opening the first recording studio (1897) making him truly the Papa of the record industry. The forerunner of RCA absorbed his company and the famous logo — the pooch listening to “his master’s voice.”Hands up if you’ve heard of Charles A. Levine? Bupkes?Charles Who?Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Charles A. Lindbergh? Now, hands up if you’ve heard of Charles A. Levine? Bupkes? The 30-year-oldentrepreneur who entered the “Fly me First” competition, and lost to Lindbergh, who flew

solo, non-stop across the Atlantic in 1927, announced the very next day that his plane would fly faster and further! Only two weeks later, Levine’s pilot, Chamberlin, landed in a German field 42 hours later (shorter than the flight plan). But, Lindbergh's distance and speed record was smashed by Levine’s craft! And, along for the ride, he became the world's first trans- Atlantic air passenger! So, hands up if you now recall Levine? (Still bupkes?)He Caught the Big WaveMarconi invented the radio but it was Heinrich Rudolph Hertz who caught the “big wave” -- radio waves and how to generate, transmit, and detect them (1887-1889).–THE “FIRST” LIST S (Well, some.)MedicineAll those Jewish doctor jokes have a basis. We Jews are “into” fixing. The Talmud makes reference to anesthesia, amputations, false teeth, artificial limbs, and even contraception. During the Middle Ages, about ½ of all Jewish intellectuals were doctors. One Big VIPPY in the 1500's was Amatus Lusitanus, physician to Pope Julius III.Moses Maimonides (1135-1204), the greatest rabbinic thinker and physician of his time was also “on call” to Sultan Saladin. His treatises on asthma, poisons, and hemorrhoids were -studied in universities for 500 years!And then there were…Samuel Blumlaser eye surgery LASIKSimon BaruchappendectomyFelix BlochMRI (shared Nobel)Baruch Blumberg, Irving Millmanvaccine for Hepatitis B. (Nobel)Stanley N. Cohengenetic engineeringAlfred EinhornnovocainePaul Ehrlichsyphilis treatment ( Nobel)Casimir FunkvitaminsSir Ernst Chainpenicillin, (shared Nobel)Gertrude Elionanti-leukemia drugs (Nobel)Charles Gerhardtacetylsalicylic acid (aspirin)Louis Goodman, Alfred Gilman, Sidney FarberchemotherapyAbraham JacobiAmerica's father of pediatricsHenry HeimlichHeimlich ManeuverJulius Hessincubator for premature babies

Basil Hirschowitzflexible endoscopeCharles Kelmancataract surgeryCarl Kollerlocal anesthesiaKarl Landsteinerblood groups, Rh factor (Nobel)Michel Mirowski, Morton Mowercardioverter implant defiblillatorMarshall Nirenberggenetic codeGregory Goodwin Pincus, 1953Oral contraceptiveRobert RinessonogramBenjamin Rubinvaccination needleLeo Sternbach,Valium and LibriumSelman Waksmanstreptomycin (Nobel)Abel Wolmanchlorination of drinking waterPaul Zollcardiac defibrillator, externalEngineering & TransportationWe Jews know that Amoco, an acronym for American Oil Company, was started by father and son, Louis and Jacob Blaustein who also invented the railroad tank car., But the meaning behind Marcus Samuel’s (1853–1927) Shell Oil is a little more creative. In 1878, Marcus Samuel ran his father's London curio shop featuring ... sea shells. Marcus kicked things up a notch to an import-export business, and handling consignments of kerosene. He continued “notching,” natch, and in 1892, operated tankers to the Far East, set up oil depots, then, oil wells and refineries in Borneo. How to name the Big Biz to honor papa’s passion for the place? “Curio?” Scary. Plus, with huge buildings in Borneo, “Borneo Curio” became even scarier. Ah, but papa’s beloved imported shells? Sea, oil, shells had a common cache. So, in 1897 he formed the “Shell” Transport and Trading Company! During the next decade he had worldwide contracts for petroleum supplies. In 1898, he was knighted, and later became the first Viscount Bearsted, which I guess is beats the Viscount of Cockles.And more…Joel Davidson100% solar powered vehicleCharles Ginsburgvideo tape machineLeopold Godowsky, LeopoldMannesKodachromeTheodor Judahchief engineer for the American TranscontinentalrailroadRaymond KurzweilReading Machine

Theodore von Karmanfather of supersonic flight 2003Harold Kosofffree piston engineJulius Lilienfeldinventor of transistorTheodore Maiman, Arthur Schawlow laser. Schawlow (Nobel)Siegfried Marcusmobile gasoline combustionHarold Rosengeosynchronous satelliteReinhold Rudenbergelectron microscopeJoseph Straussdesigned Golden Gate BridgeLeo Szilardnuclear fission reactor\"BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!\"Losing a little hair on your pate? No problem for Ron “Ronco” Popeil, who invented spray-on hair -- GLH-9 Hair in a Can Spray. In the 1950s, before celebs were hawking on home shopping channels, Popeil inventor, and TV marketer supreme, saw the potential of TV to , sell, sell, sell, cheaply, and in quantity. He introduced viewers to the Ronco Spray Gun, Veg-O- Matic, and Pocket Fisherman with an unscripted presentation. His products, such as Mr.Microphone, a Solid Flavor Injector, and Electric Food Dehydrator, have made over $2 billion–and kicked off a new M.O. for media selling: The infomercial!Other inventors We Jews can be proud of…Robert Adlerremote controlRalph Baervideo games console \"Simon\"Zora Arkus-Duntovco-designer of Corvette sports carJoseph FriedmanflexistrawEsther Jacobs LevyAmerican kosher cookbook, titled the \"Jewish Cookery Book.”Lisa Lindahl, Hinda Miller sports braMax Goldbergcommercial parking lotPeter Carl Goldmarkvinyl recordSamuel RubenDuracell mercury batteriesGeorge D. Saxdrive-through banking and loansJoel Spirasolid-state electronic dimmerCopyright © 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.

https://www.aish.com/j/f/97049179.htmlWe Jews: Part 7Jun 26, 2010by Marnie Winston-MacauleyFromh i s la n d i sO u rL a nd h trou g h t t Coh ei ivl W a r , We e Jw s ser ev d tw ih distinction.In my article“The Yiddish Are Coming”we looked at Jews in the American Revolution and came to this conclusion: Without We Jews, we’d be “queuing” for our fish ’n chips from the local “chippy.” But of course the American Revolution was just the start of our mighty contributions. From Bernard Baruch, Ernestine Rose, Benjamin Cardoza, Maud Nathan, to David “Mickey” Marcus, brilliant, sacrificial, and yes, sometimes funny, We Jews changed theU.S. landscape. Here are a few of my lesser known faves.We Jews changed the U.S. landscape. Here are a few of my lesser known faves.Smelts & SmeltingThe first known Jew on Southern soil was Joachim Gans, from Prague, who accompanied Sir Walter Raleigh on his 1585 voyage to the New World. A fisherman he wasn’t. But Gans established the firstsmelting furnace in what is now North Carolina. Later Jewish arrivals brought the “traveling dry goods store” to “the sticks,” the cotton gin to Alabama, and the peach to Georgia. Even while “wandering,” at least we had the courtesy to bring a little something when we “landed.”Jew’s CreekSpanish Jew, Luis Moses Gomez, a successful fur trader, built a flintstone blockhouse, just north of Newburgh, New York, as part of a trading station. Erected around 1720, it’s the first known free-standing Jewish home in the U.S. Residents of Ulster County gave him the dubious honor of calling him “Gomez the Jew,” and the adjoining area, Jew’s Creek.Personally, I would’ve preferred, “Ai! Ai! Ai! Look at Gomez ............... a house right on the water.”Community Rocks