Adah Isaacs Menken. Photo: American Jewish Historical Society.
She flew on fake horses above the stage, wore nude bodysuits so audiences would think she was naked, married four men (and divorced three)—and was surrounded by rumors of affairs with dozens of famous writers. Actress Adah Menken (1835-1868) was one of the first international celebrities, due more to her daring exploits and shrewd publicity…
Photo of the day: Louise Waterman Wise and Justine Wise (1920). From American Jewish Historical Society.
Photo of the day: The American Jewish Congress takes a chartered bus from New York to Washington for the March on Washington, 1963. From American Jewish Historical Society. View the planning pamphlet for Jewish participation in the march here.
by David P. Rosenberg, Senior Reference Librarian – Collections, Center for Jewish History
Hanukkah Lamp. Galicia or Ukraine, ca. 1800. Silver: cast, filigree, engraved. The Max Stern Collection, Yeshiva University Museum. This lamp is of the Ba’al Shem Tov type, named after the founder of Hasidism, who, tradition tells us, owned a Hanukkah lamp of this type. This…