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A Stele in the Museum and a Horse in the Temple // Nir Rachkovsky
Fragments of an ancient inscription now on display at the Israel Museum corroborate a colorful tale appearing in II Maccabees – and on the Vatican walls – and chip away at the myth of Seleucid religious tolerance
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Passage from India // Tammy Gottlieb
Ethnic discrimination runs like an ugly thread throughout the history of the Jews of Cochin – from the rivalry between the light-skinned Paradesi and the slightly darker Malabari, to the supposedly bureaucratic delays that held up their emigration to Israel
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The Wry Writer of Hameln // Yemima Hovav
What makes a middle-aged woman’s diary into a source of inspiration for generations of Jewish women? Why did Gluckel Hamel’s diary endure the test of time? Was it just happenstance, or was it the depth of her resolve and the steadfastness of her faith that lent her words longevity?
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Fighting for Heart and Soul // Yaakov Medan
The war Mattathias and his sons fought against Hellenism was perhaps even more formidable than their armed conflict against the Greeks. The religious reforms they enacted testify to their determination to prevent the cultural assimilation of the Jewish people, and to the proud, independent spirit of the kingdom they hoped to found
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Website review
The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls, Israel Museum // Elka Weber
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Book review
Wisdom of the Heart, Ora Wiskind-Elper // Sara Jo Ben-Zvi
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Heads and Tales
The Coin That Never Was // Itamar Atzmon
Rumors and scholarly speculation alike have fueled the search for coins minted by Simon, the first Hasmonean ruler and the brother of Judah Maccabee. Archeological efforts have so far produced mainly false leads and scholarly disputes
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Preservation
Lighting Up the Land // Moshe Haim Shapira
The Menorah symbol
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From the Archives
The Gateway // Yochai Ben-Gedalia
Divorce between Latvia and Siberia in the 19th c. in Russia