Attorney Andrew A. Weissmann (62) became the chief of the criminal fraud section of the U.S. Department of Justice in 2015. Two years later he was appointed to a management role on the 2017 Special Counsel team headed by Robert Mueller. The Muller investigation into President Donald Trump ended in 2019, after which Weissmann went…
Some 65 years ago, the idea of women serving as cantors in temples and synagogues seemed fanciful. In 1955, reportedly, Betty Robbins because the first female cantor in the U.S. In 1975, Barbara Ostfeld became the first woman to be ordained as a female cantor. Today, a great many female cantors serve in Reform and…
As of this writing, President-Elect Joe Biden has named four Jewish men and a Jewish woman to key positions in his administration — all of whom are listed below. Nominees to cabinet-level posts will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF Ronald “Ron” Klain (59) is an…
Gertrud Kauders (1883 — 1942) was a talented Jewish-Czech artist who was murdered by the Nazis in the Majdanek concentration camp. Her family had pleaded with her to leave Czechoslovakia early on, but she refused. It would prove to be a fatal mistake. Kauders was almost lost to history until recently, when some 700 of…
One thing Jews have become quite good at over the years is coping with, adjusting to, and overcoming adverse conditions. That skill is going to come in handy this winder. Because of the pandemic, many observant Jews have moved their prayer services outdoors, where they can socially distance properly. That wasn’t a huge sacrifice during…
Actress Milena Markovna “Mila” Kunis (37) was born in the Soviet Ukraine and moved with her family to the United States at age 7, in part because of antisemitism in the former Soviet Union. She is perhaps best known for playing Jackie Burkhart on the television series That ’70s Show (1998–2006), a part she got…
In addition to his many writings, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (z”l) left a rich legacy of thoughtful and thought-provoking lectures and talks.
UPDATE: On Nov. 27, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, considered the main mastermind of Iran’s clandestine nuclear weapons program, was assassinated near Tehran. Although there has been widespread speculation that Israel carried out the killing, the Jewish state has neither confirmed nor denied involvement as of this writing. Iranian leaders, for their part, have said they’re convinced Israel…
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Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (z”l) passed away on Nov. 7, 2020 at age 72, following a short battle with cancer. He had beaten the disease twice before, and was diagnosed with his final, fatal bout in October 2020. From 1991 to 2013, Rabbi Sacks was Chief Rabbi of the Orthodox U.K. organization United Hebrew Congregations…
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