“God Bless America” in Yiddish, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in Hebrew By Jason Hecht In Israel, Independence Day is celebrated on Yom Ha’atzmaut, a holiday filled with music, dancing and blue‑and‑white pride. Here in the United States, July brings its own celebration of freedom — but unlike Israel, there aren’t many songs …
The story of Purell By Jerry Brodsky What got you through the Covid-19 pandemic? What product did you purchase so much more during Covid than you’d ever purchased before, besides masks? That’s right – hand sanitizer. And what’s one of the best-known brands? Purell! So here’s the story: In 1946, Jewish-Americans Goldie and Jerry …
How barcodes came to be By Jerry Brodsky Maybe U.S. Patent No. 2,612,994 doesn’t mean much to you. Nor, perhaps, should it – at least not by its number. But have you ever seen or used a bar code? You can thank two Jewish-Americans, Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver, for developing the first …
Teaching Judaism near the shores of Lake Victoria By Jonathan D. Epstein FJMC International has been partnering with the Abayudaya Jews of southeastern Uganda for more than 10 years, working to support this unique Jewish community that chose Judaism more than a century, and that has embraced our faith with passion and enthusiasm. Today, …
El Bandido Yankee Reposado By Al Davis I’ve become something of a tequila aficionado, having sampled many brands and expressions: blancos, reposados, añejos, organic and additive-free varieties, and even some infused tequilas. Some have been good, some awful and a few truly outstanding. Recently, while browsing at one of my favorite liquor stores, I …
What we have done and what we can do By Bruce Tomar “In the summertime, when the weather is high, you can stretch right out and touch the sky…” Mungo Jerry Yes, it is that time of year again. Most people take time to slow down, recharge, reset, reinvigorate. With Canada Day and …
The power of 10 By Rabbi Noam Raucher A synagogue can be full and still feel lonely. You can see it in the easy conversations after services — the updates about work, the jokes, the “how’ve you been?” that rarely invites an honest answer. Many men have learned to be present without being known. …
FJMC INTERNATIONAL MEDIA RELATIONS — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Aaron Altman, CATALYST Editor-in-Chief | | www.fjmc.org Press Release When the Alarm Is This Loud, You Need More Than Awareness. You Need a Map. The ADL, Hillel International, Blue Square Alliance, and Spertus Institute join FJMC International in the inaugural issue of CATALYST MAGAZINE …
Rabbi Noam Raucher, MA.Ed – Executive Director, FJMC International There is a brutal sequence in Chukat that is easy to miss because the story moves so quickly. And since June is Men’s mental health awareness month, we should pause and read the story closely. Miriam dies. The people have no water. They complain to Moses …
How do we respond to antisemitism? by Samson Nderitu from Kenya At its core, antisemitism seeks to intimidate Jews into abandoning their identity, traditions, and faith. It attempts to make Jews stop being Jews. Yet this effort is ultimately futile when we understand what Judaism truly represents. Judaism is not only a religion but a …
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