Related Blog Posts on Jewish History and Jewish Life Around the World

The opening chapters of Genesis introduce and establish one of the most enduring elements of Jewish religion, spirituality, and culture: the power of food.

Being a Jew in the Diaspora, I'm unsure that we'll ever get one answer to what it is that we're supposed to be doing. We're scattered, eclectic.

The events of October 7th left an indelible mark on Israeli society, reshaping the nation in ways that have yet to be fully realized, and will be felt for generations. The solidarity so many Jewish communities around the world have expressed, along with emotional, financial, and actionable support, have been sources of hope and resilience.

Growing up in Seattle, I was fortunate to be surrounded by the city's vibrant Sephardi Jewish community. Seattle, with its large Sephardi population, was the perfect place to grow up immersed in the language and flavors of this unique Jewish culture.

Simcha Blass, Helen Suzman, Eddie Jacobson, and Abby Stein all contributed to our world in different ways. Yet, they shared traits - commitment, integrity, resolve and an inner sense that they could make a difference.

Focusing this contemporary lens on Deborah and Yael reveals a story of women acting so outside of expected norms that I stand in awe and am compelled to magnify their adventures for our own times.

During the Spanish Inquisition, there were plenty of ways that one could be identified as a Jew. One way people would identify their neighbors as Jews was observing whether they would eat non-kosher food that was popular with the Christian population such as pork, sausage, or fish without scales.

I've been reflecting on the story of America's founding - the narrative many of us learn as children in the United States. I've recently learned a different version of that story - one that I now recognize intertwines with my own. My identities as Cuban American and Jewish have been shaped by Indigenous stories in America and in Cuba; particularly the themes of beginnings, loss, transformation, and change.

Beejhy Barhany (she/her) is an entrepreneur and activist who was born in Ethiopia, raised in Israel, and currently resides in New York. Today, she is the chef and owner of an eclectic Ethiopian restaurant in Harlem, New York, Tsion Café, that incorporates cuisine from the many places that have influenced her journey.

Imagine that you travel back in time to 1934 – when Europe had no inkling of the catastrophic events lying ahead that would transform that continent forever. What would you photograph to capture the authentic essence of human experience at that liminal moment in history?