It was on this day, in 1808, that Napoleon Bonaparte decreed that all Jews living in the French Empire must adopt a family name. Before that, many people were not commonly known as John Smith or Mary White as they are today. In the Biblical era, God’s people were...

In consideration of the fact that, in order to be called “the sons of God,” we all have to be born again, should babies be regarded as innocent? It’s a cold and calloused person who can look upon a small infant and not be touched by the fact that these little ones are...

It was on this day, in 1099, that European Crusaders captured the city of Jerusalem from the Muslim Turks in a very bloody battle. History records that tens of thousands of Muslims, Jews and some Christians were slaughtered by the Crusaders. Records indicate that, as...

It was on this day in 1852 that poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, author of such poems as   “Paul Revere’s Ride,” visited the Jewish cemetery in Newport, Rhode Island. His visit to the centuries-old cemetery inspired him to write a poem about those who were laid...

It was on this day in 1969 that the remains of 25 members of those who had committed suicide at Masada in 73 A.D. were interred at the foot of the mountain with full military honors. To most Israelis, the story of Masada is equivalent to what the Alamo is to many...

It was on this day in 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln revoked orders that had been issued by Ulysses S. Grant expelling all Jews from military districts under his command. Grant’s General Order #11 ordered Jews off of their property simply because they were Jews....