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The Congress that Founded the Jewish State

Asael Abelman

Few famous names attended the first Zionist Congress in Basel, but it made Zionism a political movement no one could ignore Asael Abelman In February 1896, Herzl published Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State). Discussed in...

ArticlesIndependence DayIssue 14 | December 2012

Once Bitten, Twice Shy – Portuguese Jewry

Moti Benmelech

Manuel of Portugal had to choose between his Spanish bride – and her powerful parents – and his faithful Jewish subjects. The Portuguese monarch preferred to have his cake and eat it too, and...

ArticlesIssue 31 | April 2016

A Dig Full of Holes

Sara Jo Ben-Zvi

Judaean Mystery: Junk or Jewels? Maresha is an archaeological oddity. First of all, nobody's heard of it, as it’s usually lumped together with nearby Beth Guvrin. Then there’s the fact that almost nothing of it...

ArticlesIssue 32 | June 2016

Fastest Jew in the West – Wild West Synagogues

Louis Davidson

Among the many immigrants to the U.S. who went west to seek their fortunes, most Jews struck gold selling dry goods rather than prospecting. Once settled, these pioneers built towns, communities – and a surprising...

ArticlesIssue 31 | April 2016

My Son, the Pirate – Samuel Pallache

כותב

Few rabbis have lived as colorful a life as Samuel Pallache. Merchant, diplomat, and emissary to the king of Morocco, Pallache even resorted to piracy to exact his people׳s revenge on the Spanish fleet כותב...

ArticlesHistoric CharactersIssue 32 | June 2016

9 Things You Didn’t Know About Hedy Lamarr

Yemima Hovav

1. Hedy Lamarr׳s parents came from a bourgeois Jewish background. Her father was born in Lvov, Poland, and her mother in Budapest. Assimilation was their fast track to economic security; they even gave their only...

ArticlesIssue 32 | June 2016

A Beautiful Mind

Yemima Hovav

Two Takes, One Woman Scene 1: a lavish European ballroom complete with crystal chandeliers, plush Persian rugs, and exquisite porcelain vases. Flowers, champagne flutes on silver salvers, exotic hors d׳oeuvres served by black-clad waiters –...

ArticlesIssue 32 | June 2016

Salvation at Stake – Shlomo Molkho

Moti Benmelech

The product of two worlds, New Christian Diogo Pires secretly delved into Jewish mysticism even as he rose through the ranks of Portuguese society. Then a visitor from the kingdom of the ten lost tribes...

ArticlesIssue 33 | August 2016

Articles

The Congress that Founded the Jewish State