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Issue 31 | April 2016

Articles

Once Bitten, Twice Shy – Portuguese Jewry

שרה ג´ו בן צבי

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 as usual the Jews, who’d already endured one exp

Fastest Jew in the West

שרה ג´ו בן צבי

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 variety of synagogues שרה

Columns

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 rese

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 among Israel’s s

Was ‘The Jewish Bride’ Really Jewish?

Naomi Samuel

Naomi Samuel The Jewish BrideOil on canvas122 x 166 cmRijksmuseum, Amsterdam Rembrandt van Rijn – Self

Locking Horns at the Battle of Hattin

Tamar HaYardeni

The Crusaders lost the Battle of Hattin not because they were fewer, weaker, or less fierce than Saladin’s army. Ill-prepared for the climate and terrain, they were just too thirsty to fight Tamar HaYardeni Where To? Hattin Nati