By Lauren Gilbert Director of Public Services, Center for Jewish History “A Very Ticklish Problem”: The AJC Response to the Rosenberg Trial & Execution Convicted of passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed 70 years ago on June 19, 1953, the first and only American civilians to face the death penalty for espionage. At the time, many believed…
By Ella Jordan-Smith Reference Services Librarian, Center for Jewish History Kosher Food Production in the United States and the Manischewitz Empire The Jewish population in the U.S. currently makes up just under 2.5% of the total population, with an even lower percentage keeping kosher. Yet, over 40% of the packaged food produced in the U.S. is labeled as kosher, and American food production companies…
By Cassia Kisshauer Reference Services Librarian, Center for Jewish History Babka & Beignets: Jewish Foodways of the South Food is a way to maintain cherished traditions and connect to ancestors, particularly for marginalized groups. It can also be a method to adapt to a new environment. The American South has a rich Jewish history dating back to the 17th century. Port cities like Charleston,…
By Lauren Gilbert Senior Manager for Public Services, Center for Jewish History Sermons of Thanksgiving It is widely believed that the Pilgrims modeled their Thanksgiving feast after the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. In its modern incarnation as a secular festival focusing on gratitude, an appropriately Jewish concept, Thanksgiving has been observed by American Jews from its earliest days. When George Washington declared a non-denominational National…
