Author: Glen Berd

The Ghost Shtetl of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Youth 30 years after his death, the Nobel laureate's village is being rebuilt, including a massive replica of a synagogue that was never there Isaac Bashevis Singer in his Nobel Prize ceremony tuxedo appears in front of the Wolpa Synagogue [Source: Photo by Israel Zamir, from the Dan Hadani Archive, Pritzker Family National Photography Collection at NLI / Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem] In his 1978 acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Isaac Bashevis Singer employed memories from his earliest years as a source of hope for coping with the troubles of modern times: “In our home and in many other homes the eternal questions were more actual than the latest news in the Yiddish newspaper. In spite of all the disenchantments and all my scepticism I believe that the nations can learn much from those Jews, their way of thinking, their way of bringing up children, their finding happiness...

The little-known ‘female Nicholas Winton’ who saved 10,000 Jewish children A new documentary explores how unsung heroine Truus Wijsmuller rescued thousands of Jewish children from Europe during the Second World War at great risk to herself Many would never have dared to walk straight up to Adolf Eichmann who, in 1938, was responsible for enforcing the Nazi policy of Jewish emigration, and ask to take 10,000 children over to England. But not many were like Truus Wijsmuller. Leaning over the SS-Obersturmführer’s desk inside the Gestapo headquarters – formerly the Palais Rothschild in Vienna – the Dutch native told Eichmann the British government was happy to take youngsters under the age of 17 from Nazi countries for a temporary stay.  “Let’s arrange it,” she said. He, in turn, was astounded. “So Aryan and so insane,” he retorted. Snarling at her, Eichmann proposed an impossible task – if Truus could successfully take 600 children, she could have all 10,000. But it had to be done that Saturday. Logistics were one...

Chief Rabbi Mirvis As the Jewish world struggles to come to terms with the horrific scenes of the Lag BaOmer tragedy in Meron, the worst peace-time loss of life in Israel’s history, this is a moment for us to unite in grief and prayer. May the memory of those lost to us forever be a blessing and may the injured be granted a refuah shelemah. 44 crushed to death, over 150 hurt in stampede at mass Lag B’Omer event in Meron Many in critical condition as ambulances, helicopters evacuate victims from largest gathering held in Israel since COVID outbreak; kids said among dead, injured Israeli security officials and rescuers carry a body of a victim who died during Lag B'Omer celebrations at Mt. Meron in northern Israel, April 30, 2021 (AP Photo) Abandoned hat after a stampede during the celebrations of the Jewish holiday of Lag B'Omer on Mt. Meron, in northern Israel on April 30, 2021 (David Cohen/Flash90) Crowd in the moments...

A STREAM OF HIT TV SHOWS LIKE SHTISEL HAVE MADE THE COUNTRY A WORLD LEADER IN ON-SCREEN ENTERTAINMENT Of all the burning cultural questions on social media during the last lockdown, “When does Shtisel Season 3 start?” cropped up often. Unpronounceable (‘Schteezel’) and obscure to those who have yet to watch the Israeli drama about an ultra-orthodox Jewish family, which first aired in 2013 and was picked up by Netflix in 2015, it finally returned at the end of March to a devoted global audience of millions. That the Hebrew and Yiddish-spoken series, set in the sparse Jerusalem apartment of patriarch Rabbi Shulem Shtisel (veteran star Dova’le ‘Dov’ Glickman) and his handsome teacher/artist son Akiva (Michael Aloni, now a cult heartthrob), should attract such vast viewing figures almost beggars belief. Prayers, modest dress and no touching in any episode is a tricky sell, but it is the devout beliefs, daily rituals and familiar struggles of the Shtisel family – delivering what The...

Miracle of the orphans who escaped the gas chambers: Two Jewish boys who were among 13 children saved from the Nazis after they were hidden in a Belgian hospital are reunited after 76 years to reveal their incredible story Jacques Weisser and Bill Frankenstein were among only 13 of 39 Jewish children from the orphanage in Antwerp to escape the Holocaust and survive the War Aged one, the boys were spirited away from the Nazis tightening their grip on Antwerp and hidden at Sint-Erasmus Hospital The only memory Jacques had of Bill was from two black and white photos of them both taken in 1944 after Belgium was liberated Both boys lives followed different, yet oddly similar paths: Both now 79, Bill settled in the US, while Jacques eventually moved to Radlett, Herts After being tracked down by a dogged researcher based in The Netherlands, the men have been reunited on Zoom and shared their memories from the time   Two young...

  Frank Sinatra was one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Less well-known is that he was also a staunch Zionist, who, among other things, helped illicitly ship weapons from New York to pre-State Israel. Frank Sinatra (1915 -1998) One of the greatest singers of the twentieth century, Frank Sinatra always had universal appeal. He had a unique ability to capture the romance of places near and far, whether singing of “Autumn in New York” or “Springtime in Paris.” Although there is no Sinatra number called “Moonlight in Tel Aviv,” for his entire life, “Old Blue Eyes” was an ardent philo-Semite, an unstinting supporter of Zionism and the Jewish state. Indeed, as Sinatra’s long-time assistant wrote in a memoir, Israel was Mr. S’s “favourite country.” Growing up in immigrant-heavy Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra developed a keen sense of the discrimination faced by Italian and Jewish newcomers to America. As Shalom Goldman has written, Sinatra’s early life was filled with Jews. One nanny,...

Israeli-invented swallowable cameras to check for bowel cancer launched on NHS Sci-fi tech avoids need for colonoscopies and may see patients taking cancer tests at home A miniature camera, shown for size reference next to a pen (Image: NHS / PA) Mini cameras which are swallowed by patients to check for cancer are being trialled across the NHS. The innovative Israeli-invented tech has been welcomed by Jewish cancer charity, Chai Cancer Care, which says it will avoid the need for uncomfortable colonoscopies. The capsule, no bigger than a pill, can provide a diagnosis within hours. The “sci-fi” invention takes two pictures a second as it makes its way through the body, checking for signs of cancer and other conditions such as Crohn’s disease. An initial group of 11,000 NHS patients in England will be eligible for the capsule. “We welcome this very encouraging development and breakthrough in camera testing as a replacement for uncomfortable endoscopies,” said Chai Chief Executive, Lisa Steele. “Bowel cancer is the 4th most...

The cast reunion !   https://youtu.be/l5r6CVyb9iE...