The year 2019 marks 30 years since the untimely death of Gilda Radner (June 28, 1946 — May 20, 1989), one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live. She appeared on the iconic comedy program between 1975 and 1980. On SNL, she created several signature characters — among them “Baba Wawa,” Emily Litella…
Amos Oz (pronounced ah-mos ohz) — who passed away on December 28, 2018 at age 79 — was an internationally renowned Israeli novelist and journalist. During his long and illustrious career, he wrote 40 books that appeared in 45 languages. Oz garnered numerous prestigious awards: the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the French…
In 1949, the newly formed State of Israel launched Operation Magic Carpet, an ambitious project to airlift the Jews of Yemen to the Jewish homeland. Magic Carpet was completed the following year, with almost 50,000 Jews having made the journey. It was a monumental achievement, considering it was carried out in secret and high-capacity jumbo…
Klezmer is a style of traditional Jewish music that developed in the Ashkenzi communities of Eastern Europe. European influences on klezmer included music from Romania, Greece, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary (Romani) and Turkey. Brought to American by Yiddish-speaking immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the musical style has been influenced by American jazz.…
Tikkun olam is Hebrew for “repairing the world” and is a central principle of Judaism. Peter Shankman is a 46-year-old entrepreneur, author and sought-after lecturer. Also, a wizard of sorts: He magically transforms airline frequent-flier miles into a vehicle for tikkun olam (repairing the world). For the past five years, Shankman has donated his…
Dahlia Lithwick, 50, is a Canadian-American attorney, journalist and writer. A contributing editor at Newsweek and senior editor at Slate, Lithwick focuses on the law and politics. At Slate, she writes for the “Supreme Court Dispatches” and “Jurisprudence” columns; she also hosts the podcast “Amicus.” Her writing has appeared in The New Republic, The Washington…
Dahlia Lithwick, 50, is a Canadian-American attorney, journalist and writer. A contributing editor at Newsweek and senior editor at Slate, Lithwick focuses on the law and politics. At Slate, she writes for the “Supreme Court Dispatches” and “Jurisprudence” columns; she also hosts the podcast “Amicus.” Her writing has appeared in The New Republic, The Washington…
Adam Shankman, 54, is a multifaceted Hollywood talent: producer, director, writer, dancer and television dance judge. Here we’ll focus on his prowess in the art of choreography: He’s created dance moves for Tony! Toni! Toné!, The Time, Whitney Houston, Aaron Neville and other musical performers. Perhaps most notably, his choreography was prominent in the 2007…
U.S. Olympian Arielle Gold began her love affair with snow at a very early age: She was just 3 when she learned to ski. Four years later, with the encouragement of her older brother, Taylor, she turned her attention to snowboarding. Now 22, Gold garnered a bronze medal in the women’s half pipe event at…
For more than four decades, Dennis M. Ross, 69, has been an influential American diplomat and advisor to several presidents, including Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Most notably, he has served as a special envoy focusing on the Middle East in general, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in particular. In addition…
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