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From the Archives | With Thanks from Damascus

Yochai Ben-Ghedalia

Not only community leaders suffered interrogation and humiliation in the Damascus Affair – so did their wives. Their letter of thanks recently came to light Yochai Ben-Ghedalia On February 5, 1840, Father Thomas, a Capuchin monk...

19th centuryanti-SemitismColumnsFrom the ArchivesIssue 15 | February 2013Syria

Did Jew Know? | Jewish Statistics from World War I

Segula Editorial

1. Rank and File Roughly 1.35 million Jews fought in World War I, in the following armies: 500,000 – Russian320,000 – Austro-Hungarian250,000 – American100,000 – German55,000 – French35,000 – British 2. Jew against Jew In dozens...

ColumnsIssue 23 | October 2014

Post-script | Posting Independence

Itamar Atzmon

Despite the need for secrecy, and with production lines under fire, Israel’s first stamps were printed in time for independence Itamar Atzmon On 5 Iyar – the final day of the British Mandate – the...

Coins and StampsColumnsIsrael Independence DayIssue 16 | April-May 2013Land of IsraelPre-state of Israel

From the Archives | Mum’s the Word

Hadassah Assouline

Eighteenth-century birth registries list a surprisingly large number of “unwed” Jewish mothers, but immorality wasn’t the issue Hadassah Assouline The friendly American yeshiva student who frequented the Central Archives to research his Bavarian ancestors found...

ColumnsIssue 31 | April 2016

Head and Tales | Golden Nostalgia

Itamar Atzmon

How did a rare gold coin end up in a hiker’s hand in the Western Galilee? Archaeologists have more theories than answers Itamar Atzmon Thirty-nine gold coins from the Hellenistic and Roman periods are registered...

ColumnsIssue 31 | April 2016

History Live | Through Lions’ Gate

Tehila Bigman

Uzi Eilam’s rich and fascinating military career peaked when he commanded his paratrooper unit to retake the Old City of Jerusalem Tehila Bigman Courtesy of the Eilam family Reserve General Uzi Eilam 1934 Born on...

ColumnsGeneralsIsrael's warsIssue 39 | September 2017JerusalemJerusalem DayPost-1948RabbisZionism

From the Archives | The Wedding That Wasn’t

Yochai Ben-Ghedalia

Certification that a husband and wife are both in fact single? This was a peculiarly Orthodox method of fighting British restrictions on immigration to Palestine Yochai Ben-Ghedalia One might suppose that a local rabbinate’s archives,...

ColumnsIssue 12 | August 2012

From the Archives | The Angry Convert

Hadassah Assouline

A letter sent by Lenin’s great-grandfather to the czar was intended to make as much trouble as possible for the Jews of Russia Hadassah Assouline The letter below, sent to Czar Nicholas I of Russia...

19th centuryColumnsFrom the ArchivesIssue 16 | April-May 2013PeopleUkraine

Portrait of a People | Sabbath Peace

Naomi Samuel

Naomi Samuel Friday EveningOil on canvas73 x 91 cmVienna, 1920 Jewish Museum, New York(Gift of Mr. & Mrs. M. R. Schweitzer) Isidor Kaufmann1853-1921 Realism Stillness. Silence. The Sabbath has begun. While most Sabbath scenes of...

ColumnsIssue 36 | February 2017

Portrait of a People | The Truth Behind the Title

Naomi Samuel

Naomi Samuel The Jewish BrideOil on canvas122 x 166 cmRijksmuseum, Amsterdam Rembrandt van Rijn – Self-Portrait, 1659 Rembrandt van Rijn1606-1669 Baroque Who were the couple in Rembrandt’s tender painting, and were they really Jewish? You...

ColumnsIssue 31 | April 2016

Portrait of a People | Father of French Impressionism

Naomi Samuel

Naomi Samuel Boulevard Montmartre, Afternoon SunOil on canvas92.8 x 74 cmParis, 1897Hermitage Museum,St. Petersburg Camille Pissarro1830-1903 Impressionism The tags hanging in museums the world over next to Pissarro’s famous landscapes, cityscapes, and pointillist figures don’t...

19th centuryArtColumnsFranceIssue 32 | June 2016

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From the Archives | With Thanks from Damascus