In late October 1941, a bishop in Slovakia wrote to Pope Pius XII  to alert him that the country’s Jews “are simply being shot, systematically murdered, without distinction of sex or age.” This was the first credible account of the pope learning...

(JTA) – A Holocaust-themed novel by bestselling author Jodi Picoult was among dozens of books removed from a South Florida school district library’s circulation last month, in the latest example of books with Jewish themes getting swept up amid a...

The oldest known copy of the Hebrew Bible could soon be yours for the low price of $30 million. The Codex Sassoon, which dates to around the year 900, is composed of all 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, including the punctuation, vowels and accents that...

TAIPEI (JTA) — Ho Feng-Shan, the Chinese diplomat stationed in Vienna who helped thousands of Jews escape from Europe during World War II, never met Adolf Eichmann. But in “Night Angels,” a novel based on his life, Feng-Shan comes face to face...

This weekend Jews around the world will celebrate Tu B’shvat, the Jewish new year for trees. In the Torah, fruit bearing trees are revered because of their importance in sustaining life. The name is Hebrew for the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shevat. In...

In the battle against poverty and illiteracy, Wednesday, Feb. 1st is a special day. That's because it’s World Read Aloud Day, when attention to the importance of sharing stories is highlighted by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience,...

Few people can rival Elizabeth Taylor’s impact on American popular culture. Taylor’s life was a warp-speed roller coaster of dizzying ups and downs.  Her heart-stopping physical beauty combined with bonafide acting ability launched her acting career...

I never met Adina Talve-Goodman, but I feel as if I know her. The daughter of Rabbis Susan Talve and Jim Goodman of Central Reform Congregation, Talve-Goodman was born with a congenital heart condition and survived multiple operations during her childhood...

Omer Friedlander is the winner of the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) Jewish Fiction Award for his short story collection The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land, published by Random House. The award includes a $1,000 cash prize and an invitation...

This story first appeared on the Jewish Women’s Archive Blog and is republished here with permission.  Living in Europe for the past few months, I’ve been struck by the similarities between traditional Jewish and European dishes. I was vaguely...

There is something quite wonderful about walking into a bookstore, engaging with all the possibilities in front of you, eventually making a choice and coming home with a brand-new book. But there is something also wonderful about picking up a used book,...

(JTA) — Eric Alterman, born in 1960, says the view of Israel he absorbed growing up in a Jewish family in suburban Scarsdale, New York, was decidedly one-sided. “I went on this nerdy presidential classroom thing when I was in high school,” he...