This Day in History January 24, 1656

As you probably know (if you are familiar with U.S. history), it was not the normal thing for Jews to come to this country in it early days.  Puritans, Pilgrims, and other religious groups were the ones who came here, and most were extremely narrow-minded when it came to welcoming others from different walks of life.  Jacob Lumbrozo was born in Portugal, and on this date in 1656, he established himself in Maryland.  He was a doctor, and this doesn't really seem like something all that extraordinary.  Except that he was a Jew.  While it is pretty certain that Jews were in this country since even before this time, this was the first Jew to be officially documented in his religion.  For at least a decade, he had a lucrative business that was important in the culture of the community.  He did run into some issues in 1658 in regards to his beliefs, and he was put into jail and possibly could have been convicted.  However, he was pardoned, and he went on to live a well-respected life.

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Lumbrozo
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10184-lumbrozo-jacob
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Lumbrozo.html

This Day in History, December 8 (25th of Kislev)

I thought I would take a moment to spotlight Hanukkah today because today at sundown, this Jewish celebration will begin.  It is always on a different date for us, but according to the Jewish calendar, it is always on the 25th of Kislev.  We have to go back to 165 B.C. when the Jews rededicated the temple.  What happened?  The Jews defeated their enemy, and the lamp in the temple needed some oil. There was only enough for one day, but the supply could not be replenished for eight days.  And according to tradition, a miracle occurred.  There was enough oil for the lamp to burn for eight days.  There is much more to the story, but that is the main thing that is celebrated.

While I won't be celebrating this holiday, I hope that any Jews out there will have a wonderful Hanukkah this year, and may Jews the world over have a time peace during this season.

For more information:
http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/hanukkah.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah
http://www.punchbowl.com/holidays/2012/12/8/hanukkah-begins

"Gilboa Iris" by Zahava D. Englard Book Review

Remember my promotion for this book on Monday?  There is still a giveaway of the book going on until the 25th of this month.  All I can say is that if you have not entered, you should!  This is my current favorite read. Read my review below!

The Gilboa Iris by Zahava D. Englard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Not very often do I find a book that so captures my attention that I almost literally cannot put it down. I had many other things I should have been doing on a Friday night, but I was unable to do them.  I absolutely had to finish this book!  In fact, I got to a really exciting point last night, and I did not want to go to sleep!

When I began reading this book, I knew absolutely nothing about it.  It seemed fine to begin with.  Roni and Dara are star-crossed lovers, love at fist sight--the usual stuff.  I have to admit that I wasn't even that interested during the first 30 pages of reading or so.  But I was quite smitten with Roni.  Give me a rough, strong guy who knows what he wants and doesn't beat around the bush--yes, that is Roni. They made such a sweet couple.

What I did not see coming was the international intrigue and espionage.  In fact, there was much I did not see coming.  The story seemed normal until Dara returned to the U.S.  And the twists and turns did not stop.  The more I read, the more I was on edge.  I kept telling my mom that I had to finish the book so I would know if I was right or not!

All I will say is that I mostly figured out the direction the story was going.  But the author still kept me on the edge of my seat.  The book was one wild ride with sweet (not sappy) romance along the way!  I connected with this book on so many levels, and it has quickly become my current favorite read.

Okay, it had some minor profanity throughout, but I will tell you, that none of it truly offended me because of how it was used.  And although there were implied bedroom scenes, they were not described in any kind of detail.  In fact, a part of me truly enjoyed the physical relationship between Roni and Dara.  His indomitable sense of humor always showed through.

I do not believe I have read a book that takes place in Israel since I was college age.  The author is incredibly knowledgeable about her people.  I even managed to learn something that I did not remember ever reading in the Bible concerning Mt. Gilboa.  I will let you discover the meaning behind the title of this book--which is quite clever, by the way.

I would recommend this book to lovers of history, fiction, romances, thrillers, and Jewish literature. You will not be sorry that you picked up this book.  I would say more about this book, but I don't want to give it away.  This is a fabulous debut novel, and I understand now why the book has been rated so highly.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are 100 percent mine, and I was not financially compensated.

View all my reviews

This Day in History June 14, 1942

It has been many years since I read this book and saw the movie.  I actually did that in the opposite order.  I read the book of my own free will, and I know that this book is often studied in great depth in school.  And it certainly should be.  It was on this date in 1942, that Anne Frank began her famous diary.  There are a few sites who say it began June 12, but it would seem like most sites agree it was June 14.  I am going to trust the sites on this one.

If you do not know the famous book Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl, you are missing out on a great work.  It puts the plight of Jews in hiding during WWII into very human terms.  She was only 16 when she died in a concentration camp.  Her account is simple but very powerful as she describes the terror and boredom of hiding from the Nazis.  Her book only covers about a year's worth of time, and in the end, they were discovered.

If you have never seen the old black and white film, I would invite you to do so.


For more information, please check out:
http://www.enotes.com/anne-frank-qn/setting
http://www.remember.org/educate/frank.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Frank
http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-annefrank/chapanal001.html
http://www.shmoop.com/diary-of-anne-frank/literary-devices.html

This Day in History January 6, 1955

Well, I would not know about today's featured person if it were not for Martin, my friend from England.  He introduced me to the work of Rowan Atikinson (who was born on this date in 1955) a few years back through the shows of Black Adder.  I will tell you right now that if you enjoy British humor that sometimes is slightly off-color, you would like his shows.  In fact, some of you may find it hard to believe that those shows also featured a well-known actor in this country--Hugh Laurie of Dr. House fame.

Atkinson has had a long string of successes in the UK in both television and film.  In addition to Black Adder, he has appeared on Top Gear where he actually set a record for the kind of car he drove (he loves fast cars).  He has also portrayed Mr. Bean in a couple films, but he also was the voice of Zasu in Disney's Lion King (this was news to me!).



For more information, please check out these sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowan_Sebastian_Atkinson
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000100/bio

This Day in History December 23, 1850

Since we are now into Hanukkah, I thought it would be quite fitting to pay tribute to a Jewish person in history, and so I am.  It was on this date in 1850 that the man pictured above, Oscar Solomon Straus, was born in Otterberg, Bavaria (Germany).  His brother, Nathan Straus, was also well-known as the owner of Macy's (and he went down with his wife on the Titanic).  Oscar Straus was the first Jewish U.S. cabinet member amongst other things, but let us examine how this occurred.

He was the youngest of a family of four children, and they immigrated to the U.S. in 1854, and they settled in Georgia.  Following the Civil War, they moved to Philadelphia and then New York in 1866.  He graduated from law school which was different than the business path of his father and Nathan, but they always supported his decision.

Due to the popularity of the YMCA, he and a group of civic leaders created the Young Men's Hebrew Association in 1874.  That same year, he also founded L. Straus and Sons Employees Mutual Benefit Association which served as a model for similar organizations.  He even gave a bond so that Armenians in 1896 who were being murdered in their country would not be hindered from coming to this country (these refugees had been denied entry).

He was somewhat involved in politics throughout the latter part of his life.  From 1887 to 1889, he served as U.S. minister to Turkey.  Under President Theodore Roosevelt, he served as the United States Secretary of  Commerce and Labor (1906-1910).  Under Prresident Taft, he served as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey (1909-1910).  He also ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor (1910).  Under President Wilson, he helped with the League of Nations (1919).  An in 1922, he published his autobiography: Under Four Administrations: From Cleveland to Taft.  He died May 3, 1926.

For more information, check out these sites:
http://thisdayinjewishhistory.blogspot.com/2010/12/this-day-december-23-in-jewish-history.html
http://www.straushistoricalsociety.org/uploads/1114528892nwsltr803.pdf
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Oscar_Straus.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/568498/Oscar-Solomon-Straus