Vera Caspary began her career as a stenographer, copywriter, and as the editor of Dance Magazine from 1925–1927. In 1929, she published her first novel, The White Girl, which was praised for its portrayal of a Black woman who moves to Chicago and passes as white. During her prolific career, Caspary wrote twenty novels, five plays, an autobiography, a collection of short stories, and countless screenplays. Her best-known work, Laura, a murder mystery with a complex plot and characters, is considered the first psychothriller. The 1944 film based on the book and directed by Otto Preminger was incredibly popular and has become a classic. The female characters in Caspary’s novels and plays are strong, emancipated women, and her own concern with issues of prejudice and class consciousness are reflected in her works.
"In 1654, a small ship carrying 23 Jewish refugees sailed into the port of present-day New York City. Fleeing oppression and discrimination, these courageous women and men faced resistance from the colony’s leaders. Nevertheless, they secured the right to remain and became the first Jewish communal presence to settle on American soil. In so doing, they expanded the frontier of religious freedoms that would help define the bedrock principles upon which this Nation was built. During Jewish American Heritage Month, we honor these 23 refugees and the centuries of successive generations of Jewish Americans, who — shaped by their own encounters with prejudice, persecution, and the promise of a better tomorrow — have emboldened our Nation to stand up for justice, equality, and freedom." (U.S. Department of State, 2022).
U.S. Department of State. (2022, April 129). A Proclamation on Jewish American Heritage Month, 2022 [Presidential action]. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/04/29/a-proclamation-on-jewish-american-heritage-month-2022/
In honor of Jewish American History Month, join us in a celebration American Jews, their culture and traditions, and their contributions to our society! (6:20 min.)
Jews have lived in the United States since 1654 — before the states were even united — when twenty-three Sephardic settlers fled to New Amsterdam. Today, the Jewish population of America stands at 7.5 million. Overcoming brutal sweatshop conditions, assimilationist pressure, antisemitic regulations and even lynchings, American Jews have helped positively shift the country’s politics and economics. (7:58 min.)
The Emma Lazarus Project is a three year multi-faceted initiative that explores the story of Emma Lazarus, a fifth-generation American Jew caught in an important turning point in American and Jewish History. The initiative - including the exhibit, curriculum and poetry contest - will not just redress omissions, but will exhibit a fuller, richer, more historically-grounded picture of Emma’s life than has yet been presented to a public audience. (12:24 min.)
Barbara Joan Streisand , known professionally as Barbra Streisand, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and filmmaker. In a career spanning six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment and has been recognized with two Academy Awards, ten Grammy Awards including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Grammy Legend Award, five Emmy Awards including one Daytime Emmy, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Kennedy Center Honors prize, four Peabody Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and nine Golden Globes. She is among a small group of entertainers who have been honored with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award – though only three were competitive awards – and is one of only two artists in that group who have also won a Peabody. After beginning a successful recording career in the 1960s, Streisand ventured into film by the end of that decade. She starred in the critically acclaimed Funny Girl, for which she won the Aca... (35:02 min.)
Jewish people have greatly impacted the world that we know today in many ways. From cultural practices, science, politics, media, and finances, Jews have left their mark. So who are some of the Jewish people that have had a significant lasting influence in the world? In this episode, I will be listing the 10 most influential Jewish people or people of Jewish descent and affiliation in history. (9:08 min.)
Leonard Bernstein was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Among the most important conductors of his time, he was also the first American conductor to receive international acclaim. According to music critic Donal Henahan, he was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history". (1:02;41 min.)
Louis Brandeis was a lawyer who dedicated his life to public service, earning the nickname the "people's attorney." As an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, he tried to balance the developing powers of modern government and society with the defending of individual freedoms. (10:00 min)
Want to know more about Judaism ? Here are 20 Interesting Judaism facts that you probably didn’t know before Judaism, at 4000 years old it is one of the oldest monotheistic religions. But even though its teachings helped create the world’s two most popular religions many people don’t know what the Jews actually believe. (8:42 min.)
The history of the Jews and Judaism can be divided into five periods: (1) ancient Israel before Judaism, from the beginnings to 586 BCE; (2) the beginning of Judaism in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE; (3) the formation of rabbinic Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE; (4) the age of rabbinic.
Judaism has a very close relationship with food. Most holidays have one or more specific foods associated to it. There are many Jews that observe Jewish dietary laws, like keeping kosher and not cooking on Shabbat (3:30 min.)
