University of Memphis-Bornblum Judaic Studies

10/25/2022

Come and join us!

08/20/2022

Taking a new look at Bambi.

For a century we've abided each other, Giving our brotherly due. You abide that I breathe, And, though you rage, I abide you.

08/17/2022

07/04/2022

Joseph Feingold (pictured left) worried that returning to his hometown of Kielce could be dangerous. He had heard rumors that post-war Poland was not safe for Jews, but assumed that his appearance would allow him to blend in. More importantly, he was determined to find out any information about the fate of his mother and two younger brothers.

He arrived in Kielce on July 4, 1946. It had been over six years since he and his father fled the town during the initial outbreak of the war. It looked different to him. “Either I grew, or the town got smaller,” he thought.

Joseph had no idea that, in the days leading up to his arrival, a nine-year-old Polish boy from Kielce had gone missing for three days. The boy feared the punishment he might face for running away, so he made up a story. He told his parents and the police that he had been kidnapped and hidden in the basement of the local Jewish Committee building. Rumors quickly spread throughout the town.

Soon after Joseph arrived at the Jewish Committee building, an angry mob began to amass outside. They were furious about the local boy’s alleged kidnapping. “As soon as we came into the house, the crowds outside became loud, started throwing stones, and acting in a very hostile way,” said Joseph.

Polish soldiers and policemen entered the building and called upon the Jewish residents to surrender any weapons. Joseph was forced outside and thrust into the crowd. “Next thing I know, I feel I’m on the ground. I feel my eyes getting closed, and it’s getting wet with blood.”

Joseph awoke several days later in a hospital bed with his father sitting beside him. He was lucky. The mob consisting of civilians, soldiers, and police had killed 42 Jews that day in Kielce. The massacre convinced many Polish Jews—including Joseph and his father—that they had no future in Poland after the Holocaust.

Joseph and his father immigrated to the United States in 1948.

Photo: USHMM, gift of Joseph Feingold

07/04/2022

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/Caribbean-synagogue-sand-floor-180963581/

Fleeing anti-Semitism in Europe, Jews found unexpected shelter on the island of Curaçao

05/24/2022

https://www.timesofisrael.com/zelensky-mila-kunis-among-jews-to-make-time-100-influential-list/

Also named are actors Zoë Kravitz, Andrew Garfield, Pete Davidson and Sarah Jessica Parker, director Taika Waititi, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and opioid crisis activist Nan Goldin

05/09/2022

Dr. Shaul Bar, Bornblum Chair of Excellence in Judaic Studies has recently published his 8th book, Samuel: The Man of God. This work examines Samuel, who was instrumental in transitioning a loose confederacy of Hebrew tribes into a centralized monarchy. Samuel, who has been equally compared to Moses and Aaron, serves as a link between the various stories in the book of Samuel—beginning with the birth of Samuel through the death of Saul on Mount Gilboa.

In two major speeches, Samuel rejects the idea of monarchy; still, he acts as a loyal servant of the Lord, anointing Saul as the first king of Israel and later, David.

Why did Samuel oppose this idea of kingship? Did he have his own agenda? Was he motivated by personal aspiration? There are several titles given to Samuel—priest, prophet, seer, judge, and “the man of God.”

Who was Samuel? There is no description of a person in the Hebrew Bible like that of Samuel—readers will rediscover Samuel through an understanding of both achievements and failures.

In addition to this work on Samuel, Dr. Bar is the author of A Letter that has not been Read: Dreams in the Hebrew Bible (2001), I Deal Death and Give Life (2010), God’s First King: The Story of Saul (2013), Daily Life of the Patriarchs (2014), A Nation is Born: the Jacob Story (2016), The Samson Story: Love, Seduction, Betrayal, Violence, Riddles, Myth (2018), and Isaac: The Passive Patriarch (2019). He is currently conducting research for a future book.

05/05/2022

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-launches-74th-independence-day-with-torch-lighting-ceremony-1.10780624

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05/05/2022

Constructed in 1941 for the Orthodox community that immigrated from Poland, Russia, and Lithuania, the Synagogue Nidjei Israel, also known as Justo Sierra 71, is the oldest active synagogue in Mexico and serves as a cultural center for the Jewish community of Mexico City.

Restoration in 2008 helped to revitalize activity around the temple, which had seen many worshippers leave for more modern accommodations. Wood and natural varnish have replaced old paint, and a ceiling mural has been restored to pristine condition. The beauty of the building's interior stands in contrast to the facade, which is nondescript brick with no adornments. Except for the Magen David carved into each wooden door, there is no indication on the exterior that the building is a synagogue.

The building maintains important historic relevancy for those that immigrated to Mexico City in the twentieth century. For many Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jews, assimilation in the city was difficult, but the streets around Justo Sierra 71 became a prominent market district that catered to the Jewish community. Kosher butchers and bakeries, tailors, and dry goods stores arose in the streets surrounding the synagogue, thereby helping the immigrant community incorporate itself into the greater community of Mexico City. Gradually, families began to settle into other neighborhoods, allowing for the development of more prominent and modern synagogues. The historical relevancy of the Justo Sierra, however, remains valuable to the Jewish community, and its prominent placement in a historical neighborhood with many other schools, museums, and universities, led the community to support the remodel and revitalization.

PHOTO CREDIT: MXCITY.MX

05/02/2022

Judaic history in Mexico is connected to the earliest eras of the country. Conversos and Marranos were the terms given to Jewish migrants who were forcibly converted to Catholicism during the times of the Spanish Inquisition. While these first generations endured similar persecution and need for secrecy as their European relatives, the extent of the Inquisition was never as thorough as in Spain, and in 1606 the monarchy issued an order to free Converso prisoners. Still, many Jewish communities continued to practice their traditions in secret into the late 19th century when liberal reforms in the government began to counter the deep influence of the Roman Catholic Church. While the earliest origins of the Mexican-Jewish community are from Iberia, there is also a large contingent of Yiddish-speaking descendants of the Ottoman Empire, which saw an increase in immigration as the government began to dissolve in the early 1900s.

The largest wave of Jewish immigration to Mexico, which now accounts for about half of the nation's Jewish population, was in the 1880s when the Mexican government began to actively invite Jewish immigrants in the wake of the assassination of the Russian czar and the emergence of the pogroms. Although settlements are found throughout the country, the population is largely concentrated in Mexico City, where communities and practices are often distinguished from one another depending on their nation of origin. Sephardic communities were among the quickest to emerge, as their similar language made for an easier adaptation. These communities were essential in the rapid development of the nation following the Reform War, contributing to famous economic centers such as the Madero Street markets, La Esmerelda Jewelry Store (now a historical museum), and El Salon Rojo, the first movie house in Mexico City.

Today, there are roughly 100,000 Jewish citizens living in Mexico, the majority inside of Mexico City communities such as Polanco, Santa Fe, and Huixquilucan. These communities house the majority of Jewish schools and Synagogues found throughout the nation. Although the Catholic church maintains a strong cultural presence, the Jewish community has largely avoided the discrimination and prejudices felt in other parts of the world. Social divisions remain, however, between the communities of various ethnic descent as well as among the 'crypto-Jewish' community, communities that practiced in secrecy for generations and have come to include secular practices as part of their faith. In recent generations, many American and Mexican rabbis have made a concerted effort to engage and educate descendants of the crypto-Jewish community, some of whom have no knowledge of the origins of their secretive family rituals, and to help incorporate them into the greater Jewish community. This is not an effort that comes without controversy, as many want to maintain their secular or Catholic beliefs and practices, and because of the avoidance of proselytization in established Jewish communities.

Photo 1 - Museo del Estanquillo, formerly La Esmeralda Jewelry Store. (credit: Luisalvaz.) Photo 2 - Salon Rojo, first movie house in Mexico. (credit: cinesilentemexicano)

04/27/2022

On Yom Hashoah, "What do we eat?" is not the first question that comes to mind. But the people whose memory we honor had lives and families and even favorite recipes. Cookbooks by survivors and their children are "not only a collection of recipes, but rather a memorial to Holocaust victims, creating a legacy for future generations."

Holocaust Survivor CookbookJoanne CarasCaras and Associates, Inc., 2007350 pagesAs the title might imply, this is not a regular cookbook. In fact, it is quite unusual. Sarah Caras, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, and her husband Jonathan (new immigrants to Israel from the U.S.A.), have succeed...

04/25/2022

With the recent rise of the Grizzlies to the elite ranks of the NBA and the resurgence of the Tiger basketball program, Memphis is quickly gaining a reputation as "Basketball City, USA." But many fans today might not appreciate the deep historical roots within the Jewish community for this game or even be aware that the sport was largely dominated by Jewish athletes in the early part of the 20th century.


Basketball found early popularity in the New York area in the early 1900s, where the development of public-school leagues allowed young students to play in an organized, competitive environment. After the First World War, basketball began to take on a greater national prominence through the development of the ABL in 1925. Although the league would dissolve due to the Great Depression, it gave a national spotlight to scores of Jewish athletes, many of whom had to overcome discriminatory 'quota' systems within college athletic leagues.


Although professional basketball saw a decline until the postwar era, college basketball continued its trend into national relevance. One of the most famous exhibitions of the formative era of basketball occurred in March of 1934, when a match between two undefeated colleges, New York University and City College of New York, featured nine of ten Jewish starting players. In 1950, a CCNY team featuring primarily Jewish players became the first and only team in history to win both the NIT and NCAA tournaments hosted at Madison Square Garden.


One of the most famous Jewish players and coaches of this era was William 'Red' Holzman, most famously known as the head coach of the New York Knicks throughout the 1970s that led the team to two NBA championships. Holzman was a product of basketball programs promoted in urban Jewish communities, going on to play for CCNY and then the Rochester Royals of the NBL/NBA, winning Rookie of the Year and All-League honors. He also won NBA Coach of the Year during his first championship run, making him one of a select few to have earned such high accolades as both a player and a coach.


Another important Jewish figure in this period was Eddie Gottlieb, founder of the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association, or SPHAS, and a fervent promoter of the Jewish roots of the game. SPHAS players wore Hebrew lettering on their uniforms, giving them the moniker of "The Wandering Jews". Gottlieb was deeply involved in the Philadelphia Jewish community and would go on to become the owner of the Warriors franchise that he would later relocate to San Francisco.


These two figures are among the 27 in total currently in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and current leaders of the game such as NBA commissioner David Stern and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban continue the tradition of Jewish involvement in the game. The role of the Jewish community in the game of basketball is an important reflection of their path in 20th century America, beginning in immigrant communities and combating economic and social struggles to emerge as lasting and essential contributors.