Dana Kessler

In 1967, the award-winning photographer, Paul Schutzer, posthumously received the Citation for Excellence: Robert Capa Gold Medal, awarded by the Overseas Press Club of America. Schutzer won quite a few prizes and citations during his short career. He received the aforementioned citation for his photo coverage of the Six Day War for LIFE magazine, which[…]

There are plenty of Passover Haggadot to choose from. Every Jewish home in Israel has different and unusual Haggadot: fancy Haggadot, inexpensive Haggadot purchased at the last minute at a ‘dollar’ store, Haggadot for children, personally designed Haggadot, and Haggadot published by the kibbutz movement. But there are few Haggadot which are as beautiful as[…]

In any other context, if a Jew were nicknamed ‘big nose’ it would be considered a racial slur. But Luo Shengte (Chinese for big nose) was the nickname given to Dr. Jakob Rosenfeld, a Jewish Austrian physician who volunteered for the People’s Liberation Army in China in the 1940’s. In no way was it intended[…]

The Miss America pageant was founded in 1921, initially as a bathing suit contest. Later on, it became a beauty, talent and poise pageant whose contestants sought to bring about world peace, which is how we know it today. The competing and winning criteria have, however, changed a bit every few years. No one remembers[…]

Some names evoke such strong connotations that you can’t free yourself of them. One of those names is Delilah. Every time you hear Tom Jones’s immortal hit from 1968 about the treacherous woman who drove him crazy, which was written by Barry Mason and composed by Les Reed, you can envision the seductive and dangerous[…]

Towards the middle of the 1960’s, a new kibbutz was established at Tel Avdon in the Western Galilee. A lot of effort went into building it, but no trace remains – besides on the movie screen. The kibbutz was established so that Sophia Loren, who at the time was at the height of her beauty[…]

Roseanne Barr has just turned 70. It’s an excellent opportunity to take a close look at the high-profile, complicated and volatile Judaism of one of the most influential, controversial and oftentimes successful women in the American television and entertainment industry. Despite the broad-based consensus regarding her importance in the world of American comedy, as well[…]

During Sukkot, ushpizin – Aramaic for guests – are invited to the sukkah. According to the Jewish faith, the spirits of exalted ushpizin come to the sukkah on each day of the seven days of the holiday. One of them heads the ‘delegation’ and the others accompany him. The order of the ushpizin visits varies[…]