Dana Kessler

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[…]

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[…]