To paraphrase a well-known expression, “The way to a culture is through the stomach.” Food is an important touchstone of any nation’s culture — and that includes the State of Israel. A series of videos on the Internet shows citizens of one country trying another country’s cuisine for the first time. Some of the reactions…
Even though Albania is a Muslin-majority country, it and the Jewish state have had surprisingly good relations. (Albania is the only European nation that had more Jews at the end of World War II than at the beginning. We recommend reading the Wikipedia article linked below.) Last month, the Israeli embassy in Tirana, the Albanian…
The Samaritans — who now number fewer than 1,000 — are an ethnoreligious group originating from the ancient Israelites. In Israel, they are concentrated…
Although a sizeable majority of Jews in Israel today are native-born (sabras), most of them are descendants of immigrants from scores of countries around the world. The Israelis who made Aliyah brought with them at least a taste of the cultures in their countries of origin. Still, a distinct and unique “Israeli culture” has evolved…
Israeli folk dancing, one of the most enduring and endearing expressions of the Jewish state’s unique culture, remains highly popular to this day.
Habima (‘the stage” in Hebrew) was founded in 1912 in Czarist Russia, where it was the target of antisemitic persecution. The company settled permanently in British Mandate Palestine in 1931; in 1945, its home theater was built in Tel Aviv. Since 1958, when it received the Israel Prize, Habima has been considered the national theater…
Shakshuka (shakshouka) — which means “a mixture” or “shaken” in Tunisian Arabic — is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion, and garlic, and commonly spiced with cumin, paprika, cyenne pepper, and nutmeg. There are many different recipes, however. Several theories have emerged about the origin of the…
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