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Anti-Semites, the people who brought us The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the belief that any evil is caused by Jewish fortune, would probably rejoice at knowing that while the English branch of the Rothschild family funded the English wars against Napoleon in early 19th century, two wealthy Jewish families from Algeria supported Napoleon in his wars against the English. These guys would probably say: “well, Jewish money sticks to yet some more Jewish money”. The French occupation of Algeria lasted for 130 years and we all know how it ended, from dozens of periodical works: tens of thousands[…]

How Jews imported football into Austria – that is some strange tale. It happened after the Austrian branch of the Rothschilds hired a group of English gardeners to maintain the lawns at their mansion. The workers brought along both a football and a strong passion for the unfamiliar game. The first football match in Austria took place on the magnificent lawns of the Rothchild mansion. But with all due respect to the noble banking dynasty, the man who made the most significant contribution to Austrian and European football was another Jew, who ironically chose to leave banking behind. Hugu Meisel[…]

“If journalism aims to serve the public, it must strive for as large circulation as possible. And the reason is simple – larger circulation means more publicity, which means more money, which means optimal journalistic freedom” – said Joseph Pulitzer, the Jewish journalism magnate who immigrated to America in the 19th century and was one of the founding fathers of American journalism, along with William Hearst. Though Pulitzer prospered in Uncle Sam’s country, he obtained the basic principles in his land of origin, Hungary. His quote defines the four elements of the financial model of journalism ever: journalism=publicity=money=freedom. These four[…]

With the opening of Beit Hatfutsot’s new exhibition, “Let There Be Laughter – Jewish Humor Around the World,” the Museum has welcomed Tefillin Barbie into its collection of objects that inspire, amuse, provoke, and enrich the story of the Jewish people. This year, Tefillin Barbie is celebrating her bat mitzvah: 12 years of bringing joy, laughter, and greater inclusivity to the Jewish world. Jen Taylor Friedman – Tefillin Barbie’s creator and a scribe who is the first known woman to have written a Torah scroll – sat down with us for an interview in which she discusses the unexpectedly funny[…]

Everybody who lived in at least part of the 20th century can easily recognize the cultural icon of the roaring lion before every movie by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, known worldwide as MGM. Today the company functions mainly as an archive owned by Sony, but at its peak in the 1930’s and 1940’s it was not only the main production studio in Hollywood, but has also set the foundations of cinema, with classics such as The Wizard of Oz, I’m Singing in the Rain, Ben Hur, Gone with the Wind, the Marx Brothers films and many other movies that became eternal pillars[…]

Miki and Sally Schneider’s only son was born in Long Island in 1925. He was circumcised when he was 8 days old, and named Leonard Alfred, or “Lenny”. Little did his parents know then, that this baby was about to smash the idols of his time and announce a new religion: counter-culture. “Lenny Bruce was bad, he was the brother that you never had”, Bob Dylan wrote after Lenny’s death. And this is, perhaps, Lenny’s story in a nut shell. Dylan always knew how to nail it. For him and his friends, Lenny was a spiritual brother who pulled the[…]