Judy Chicago (81) is a pioneering feminist artist whose most well-known works include The Dinner Party, International Honor Quilt, The Birth Project, Powerplay, and The Holocaust Project. During the 1970s, she founded the first feminist art program in the United States at California State University Fresno (formerly Fresno State College) and acted as a catalyst…
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Werner Reic lived with his family in Berlin. He later fled to Yugoslavia, but when the Nazis occupied that country…
Lev Raphael is a prolific author who has penned more than 20 books, including Stick up for Yourself, Coming Out of Shame, The Death of a Constant Lover, Dancing on Tisha B’av, My Germany, Little Miss Evil, Burning Down the House, Tropic of Murder, Assault with a Deadly Lie, and Criminal Kabbalah. A number of…
He has had major roles in the feature films The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People, Steve Jobs, Superbad, Pineapple Express, The Green Hornet…
Christmas 2020 has come and gone, but it once again raises a culinary conundrun. Yes, many American Jews really do eat Chinese food on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day — it’s not just some wacky urban myth. What explains the allure of egg drop soup and sesame chicken for people more used to fressing on…
Renowned Israeli violinist Ivry Gitlis passed away on Dec. 24, 2020 at age 98. He died in Paris, where he had lived since the late 1960s. Over his very long and prolific career, Gitlis performed with many of the world’s premier symphony orchestras, but he also played with rock stars and jazz bands. In 1990,…
Jake Sherman (35) is a senior writer for news media company Politico and a political commentator for NBC and MSNBC. Together with journalist Anna Palmer, Sherman co-wrote The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump’s America. Also with Palmer, he writes the influential newsletter “Politico Playbook.” Quote: “{Trump…
For halachically observant Jews, reciting b’rachot (Jewish blessings) for everything from mundane daily events to life-changing major developments is a religious obligation and joy. In the article linked below from The Jewish News of Northern California, Jewish Telegraphic Agency writer Laura E. Adkins interviewed five rabbis about what the proper blessing or blessings are to…
In 2017, Worth — a financial, wealth management, and lifestyle magazine — published an article titled “The 25 Most Important Entrepreneurs of the Past 25 Years.” The piece noted: “In the past quarter century, these men and women not only built massively successful companies, but they also created new categories and products that changed the…
Deni Avdija (pronounced Avdiya), 19, is an Israeli professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the NBA. Previously, he played for Maccabi Tel Aviv and became the youngest player to ever win the Israeli League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. In honor of Avdija and to attract Israeli fans, the Wizards have launched a…
WOW! FACTS
Inventor of the mobile phone, “Father of the Internet,” inventor of the video game cosole, inventor fo the laser, inventor of the gramophone, creator of the Barbie Doll, creator of the cruise ship, “Father of Immunology,” inventor fo the modern condom (!), a prime minister of the U.K., a three-time prime minister of France, a president of Switzerland and the primary financier of the American Revolution?
We knew you could guess… all of them are (or were) Jews!
To learn about these and many more AmazingJews, watch a compilation put together by JewOfTheWeek.net in 2015 and posted on YouTube. >>
Nobel Prizes
Although Jews are less than two-tenths of one percent of the world’s population, more than 20% of Nobel Prize winners have been Jewish. Source: Google
Polio Vaccine
Millions and millions of people worldwide have been spared the ravages of poliomyelitis — including paralysis and even death — thanks to research conducted by Jewish scientist Dr. Jonas Salk and his team. The Salk vaccine entered widespread use in the U.S. in 1955. Source: Wikipedia
Miss Liberty
The words “…give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…” on the Statue of Liberty were written by Emma Lazarus, a Jew. Source: BuzzFeed
Blue Jeans
Levi Strauss, an immigrant from Germany, invented his blue jeans in 1873. Source: BuzzFeed
Start-Up Nation
Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world. It has the highest rate of entrepreneurship among women and people over 55 in the world. Source: BuzzFeed