Jewniverse Articles Archive - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Amsterdam’s Jaw-Dropping 17th-Century Jewish Library

In 1639, Sephardic Jews in Amsterdam—many of whom had fled religious oppression in their home countries of Spain and Portugal—founded a school and meeting place that was a testament to their newfound religious freedom. Today, Ets Haim (Hebrew for “Tree of Life”), is the oldest functional Jewish library in the world. And it’s visually stunning. […]

How a Protestant New Yorker Smuggled Marc Chagall and Hannah Arendt Out of Nazi France

In 1994, a man whose later years were spent as a high school Latin teacher was recognized by Yad Vashem as a righteous among the nations. In 1935, it turns out, Mr. Varian Fry traveled to Berlin to report on the German government’s banning of all non-Aryans from military service and the criminalization of homosexuality. […]

Meet the Jewish Beauty Queens of India

When the first Miss India beauty pageant took place in 1947, it was no surprise that a stunning Bollywood starlet named Pramila won. She was a natural beauty, with wide, sparkling eyes and a warm smile. She was also a Baghdadi Jew, born Esther Victoria Abraham. Jews have always been a religious minority in India – […]