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Issues 1-50

Articles

Why We Eat Haman Taschen – Purim Spiel

Shmil Holland

How did a classic Central European pastry become associated with the Jewish festival of Purim? And how did Haman’s ears end up in his pocketbook? Shmil Holland The triangular pastries that developed in Central Europe and spread

Topsy Turvy – Purim Spiel

Yair Lifshitz

An annual outlet for the pressure cooker of the medieval Jewish community, the Purim spiel subtly subverts the power structures of Jewish society, making a mockery of their authority Yair Lifshitz Reb Yeshaya Priwes was not ena

The Fire of Faith – Zoroastrianism

Shai Secunda

In the Persian Empire of the book of Esther, the Gnostic fire worship of the Zoroastrian faith reigned supreme. The meeting of Persian and Jewish cultures generated mutual influences as well as sparks of confrontation Shai Secunda

In the Service of the Czar – Peter the Great

Irena Vladimirsky

The St. Petersburg police chief, a Russian diplomat, and a comedian all sit down together at the Seder... It sounds like a joke, but Peter the Great may well have attended such a gathering, for Jews were surprisingly crucial in his court Ir

Poet of the Promised Land – Rachel

Yemima Hovav

When the delicate young woman stepped off the boat in Jaffa and swore never to leave the land of Israel, no one dreamt how great her influence on Israeli culture was to be. Her name was Rachel Bluwstein, but she’s known simply as Rachel, an

The Youngest Maccabi – Jonathan

Haggai Misgav

Guerilla leader turned charismatic statesman, Jonathan the Hasmonean exchanged his daring tactics for shrewd diplomacy to take the Hasmonean rebellion center stage Haggai Misgav The year 160 BCE found the Hasmonean family in a s

Fighting for Heart and Soul – Maccabees

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 the Maccabees enacted testify to their determination to prevent the cultural assim

Cast a Giant Shadow – Akra Fortress

Tamar HaYardeni

The giant Akra fortress and its garrison of Hellenist soldiers sowed fear among Jerusalem’s Jewish residents well after Hasmonean victories had brought autonomy to Judea. Maybe that’s why this stronghold was razed when the Maccabees finally

Jewish? French? Italian! – Piedmont

Yoav Sorek

Despite their historic ties to diverse European communities, the Jews of Turin stood out as active players in the struggle for a united Italy – and planned a synagogue to match their achievements Yoav Sorek Embossed on the obver

Columns

Ruins Revisited | Archelais

Assaf Avraham

Irreversible damage is being inflicted on Judea and Samaria’s archaeological sites, as authorities on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides look the other way. In Archelais, for instance, a priceless source of knowledge is about to be lost