Category Archives: Al Reguel Ajat English

Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginsberg (1856-1927) was born in Ukraine to a Hasidic family. At the age of eight, he taught himself to read Russian. He attended cheder, the religious school for boys, until the age of 12. He then studied … Seguir leyendo →

Solomon Schechter (1847-1915) was born in Romania to a Lubavitch Hasidic family. He was initially educated at the Lemberg yeshiva and continued his studies in Vienna and Berlin. He was a professor of rabbinic subjects in Cambridge, England, when he … Seguir leyendo →

On the evening of July 11, 1883, some 200 people gathered for dinner in a Cincinnati restaurant to celebrate the 8th council meeting of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the graduation of the first class of rabbis from … Seguir leyendo →

The genizah, which means «hiding place» in Hebrew, is a place where books and documents that are no longer useful are kept. Because they contain the name of God, they cannot be destroyed. Since it is also customary to write … Seguir leyendo →

Isaac Mayer Weiss was born in 1819 in Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. From a young age, he proved to be a brilliant student. He studied the Bible and Talmud, especially with his father, Leo Weiss, and his … Seguir leyendo →

Bundism was another response to the problems facing Jews in the late 19th century, especially in the Pale of Settlement in Russia. It was a secular, socialist Jewish movement. The General Union of Jewish Workers, known in Yiddish as the … Seguir leyendo →

In the 19th century, despite the changes brought about by modernity, Jews had not been able to fully integrate into European societies, and European societies, in turn, had failed in their attempts to incorporate them. This problem, known as «the … Seguir leyendo →

One of the first Jews to arrive in what is now the United States was a group of 23 men, women, and children fleeing Recife, Brazil, who landed in 1654 in New Amsterdam, present-day New York. Later, Ashkenazi and Sephardi … Seguir leyendo →

In biblical times, God was conceived as a national deity, who protected the Israelites in their land, helped them in their disputes, freed them from hunger, and generally provided for their sustenance. Bad fortune, poor harvests, and illness could be … Seguir leyendo →

In biblical times, the Israelites were more of a nation than a religious group. They did not have the concept of religious conversion, because it was an incoherent idea to consider religion as something separate from nationality. That is why … Seguir leyendo →