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Articles by Phyllis Singer
The bay, the boat and the rain
I’m a Chicago girl. At least I was. But since I finished college, so many years ago, Long Island became my home. And after a decade or so in Port Jefferson and Huntington I found myself on the South S... An online subscription is required to view this content! Please login below or Subscribe today! Remember Me
Easing into a much simpler life
In this month when we celebrate love, it might be a good time to talk about how much we love our homes. We all do …. these comforting spaces where we have spent decades decorating, improving, ma... An online subscription is required to view this content! Please login below or Subscribe today! Remember Me
De-Identifying Government Datasets: Techniques and Governance
Simson Garfinkel, Joseph Near, Aref Dajani, Phyllis Singer, De-identification is a general term for any process of removing the association between a set of identifying data and the data subject. This document describes the use of deidentification with the goal of preventing or limiting disclosure risks to individuals and establishments while still allowing for the production of meaningful statistical analysis.
From the Pages
In the Beginning: 1855 Each week The American Israelite will print an item from the first years. JERUSALEM.— While other cities in the Turkish empire are falling to ruin and decay, being depopulated and barbarized, Jerusalem is rapidly springing up into new life. European manners and European wants are brining in civilization and enterprising industry.
From the Pages
In the Beginning: 1855 Each week The American Israelite will print an item from the first years. To the Editor of the Israelite: Gents, — I take pleasure to state that, for the first time in my life, I have read a journal with unprecedented joy and interest; that journal is your valuable paper, the Israelite.
From the Pages
In the Beginning: 1855 Each week The American Israelite will print an item from the first years. A Newspaper Hoax. — Many of the daily papers have published an item — on account of its brevity -- that the husband of Jenny Lind could not go with his wife to Sweden, on account of being a Jew. This is a hoax; because the Jews are not only tolerated, but even emancipated in Sweden, and besides which Mr. Goldsmith was frivolous enough to abjure his religion in Boston.
From the Pages
In the Beginning: 1855 Each week The American Israelite will print an item from the first years. Since Laborde opened up the wonders of Petra, its stones have cried aloud, and many a verse of Jehovah’s word stands graven there with a pen of iron in the rock forever. Skepticism was wont to sneer and ask, where is Nineveh, that great city of three days’ journey? But since Both and Layard have shown its sixty miles of enclosing wall, skepticism sneers no longer.
From the Pages -- January 19, 2023
In the Beginning: 1855 Each week The American Israelite will print an item from the first years. New Orleasn, La. — The Portuguese congregation continue to worship in their present school room, and we learn, has always a larger attendance of ladies than of gentleman. We hope to hear that after the contemplated new synagogue is erected, there will be more interest exhibited by the members.
From the Pages -- December 1, 2022
In the Beginning: 1854 Each week The American Israelite will print an item from the first year of our publication, 1854. Obituary Mr. Abraham Fechheimer, of the firm of Fechheimer & Bro. of this city, died at his residence, November 25th, after a lingering disease of several months. Mr. A.F. was but forty-two years old when he died, leaving a widow, three children, and numerous relatives and friends to lament his loss. He was a native of Bavaria, and came to this country in 1838.
From the Pages -- November 24, 2022
In the Beginning: 1854 Each week The American Israelite will print an item from the first year of our publication, 1854. The Committee for establishing a school in connection with K. K. Benai Israel of this city, organized on Sunday last in the vestry-room of their synagogue. The following officers of the board were elected: Ph. Heidelbach, president; M. Hellman, secretary; Leopold Milius, treasurer; S. Bruel, collector.
From the Pages -- November 17, 2022
In the Beginning: 1854 Each week The American Israelite will print an item from the first year of our publication, 1854. The Two Feasts Rabbi Chia was once invited by one of his friends at Asene, and found there, in one of the most elegantly-furnished rooms, the most delicious viands and the most costly plate. The splendor of the whole scene did not lose its impression on Rabbi Chia, and he did not disguise his admiration.
From the Pages -- November 10, 2022
In the Beginning: 1854 Each week The American Israelite will print an item from the first year of our publication, 1854. Letter-Box of the Israelite We request some of our friends who write for the paper to drop the editorial privilege “we,” and write in the first person singular number so that the editor may not be made to issue any statements but his own.
FROM THE PAGES
150 Years Ago Rules for Public Speakers 1. Say something worth hearing. 2. Much substance and little broth make the most acceptable dish. 3. Keep you “eyes” on the people, and your “I” far away. 4. Take care of good ideas, and let the words take care of themselves. 5. Beware of common places, and out Jemimah’s nursery tales. 6. What you said, what he, she or they said, is of no interest to an audience. 7.
From the Pages
JEWISH BICENTENNIAL Each week The American Israelite will print one milestone related to the history of the Cincinnati Jewish community over the last 200 years, provided by the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial. Each milestone weaves Jewish history within the greater context of our community’s development, and our country at large.
The American Israelite plays significant role in community’s history
The American Israelite has played a significant role in the history of Cincinnati’s Jewish community, as well as in the American Jewish community. Founded as The Israelite on July 15, 1854, by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, the paper today is the oldest English-Jewish weekly in America and the second oldest in the world.
The Month of Remembrance
Phyllis Singer - This Year in Jerusalem We have just completed what I call “The Month of Remembrance” – from Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day on the 27th of the Hebrew month of Nisan, through Lag B’Omer on the 18th of Iyar to Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) on the 25th of the Hebrew month of Iyar.
Excavation uncovers remains of 2,000-year-old Jewish village
Phyllis Singer One of the most exciting things about living in Jerusalem (or even other places in Israel) is the possibility that remains from thousands of years ago can be unearthed near where you live – even in your own backyard as happened to a friend of mine.
This Year in Jerusalem - You need a scorecard for April’s elections
Phyllis Singer This year in Jerusalem – and throughout Israel – there’s a new player. Not on the soccer field or on the basketball court, but on the political landscape! Benny Gantz, former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff, has emerged as a force in the April 9 Israeli elections. Many Israelis who have grown tired of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu see the charismatic Gantz as a viable choice for prime minister.
This Year in Jerusalem: Feeling the Jewish pride
Phyllis Singer In December I was both worried and kvelling (feeling Jewish pride) in Jerusalem. How can one person do both at the same time? Read this story about the Singer brothers, and you will understand. My late husband, Allen, z’’l, was a loving, caring human being, and he transmitted those qualities to our five children (four sons and one daughter). As the saying goes, the sons recently “stepped up to the plate” when it was necessary.
This Year in Jerusalem: New mayor brings questions to Jerusalem
Dec. 3 this week marked a change for Jerusalem: Jerusalem inaugurated a new mayor for the city – Moshe Lion – who was sworn in on Tuesday. Lion succeeds Nir Barkat, who decided after two five-year terms of serving as the capital’s mayor not to run for a third term.
This Year in Jerusalem: Israel goes though its own elections
“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” (French, Alphonse Karr, 1849) And so it goes – in elections – in Israel and in the United States. When you read this article in The American Israelite on Thursday, Nov. 8, you will know the outcome of the Nov. 6 mid-term elections in the United States. When I am writing this article, I don’t know those results. But I do know the results of the Israeli municipal elections that took place Oct. 30. Some things did stay the same.
This year in Jerusalem: Trains are big news in Israel these days
The station is the eastern terminus of the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem railway and is one of the world’s deepest heavy-rail passenger stations, with its structure extending down to 80 meters (260 feet) below the surface. It is located near the Jerusalem Central Bus Station and is part of a major public transportation hub, situated adjacent to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station as well as next to a station serving current and future lines of the Jerusalem Light Rail.
The year in Jerusalem: Helping the foreign media with the holidays
Although I work for The American Israelite in Cincinnati, I am not an official member of the Foreign Press Association, although I pay dues and attend many of their functions. Since I am an observant Jew, I am knowledgeable about the Jewish holidays and the practices and customs associated with them. But many — probably most — of the members of the Foreign Press Association are not Jewish and, therefore, not knowledgeable about Jewish holidays.
This Year in Jerusalem - explaining the new Basic Law: Israel - The Nation State - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
On July 19, 2018, Israel adopted a new Basic Law: Israel – The Nation State of the Jewish People. The law provoked controversy inside and outside of Israel. After the vote, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “This is a defining moment in the annals of Zionism and in the history of the State of Israel. Today, 122 years after [Theodor] Herzl shared his vision, we have established into law the basic principles of our existence. Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people.
This year in Jerusalem: 2000-year-old cave unearthed during development
This week’s column is really about “this year in Israel,” not “this year in Jerusalem.” But I always feels comfortable writing about discoveries or developments anywhere in Israel – although I usually try to concentrate my column on Jerusalem whenever possible. According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, a complex burial cave dating from the Roman period (c. 2000 years ago) came to light a few weeks ago in Tiveria (Tiberias).
This Year in Jerusalem has some unusual weather
We had some crazy weather in Israel last week. Actually, “crazy” is probably not the right descriptive word since some of the unusual weather last Wednesday and Thursday led to tragedy. Teenagers on a premilitary bonding hike south of the Dead Sea Wednesday were caught in a flash flood south of the Dead Sea. Ten participants drowned while 15 others made it to safety.
This Year in Jerusalem: ‘A Daughter of Many Mothers’ - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
“All the fences are lined with bodies, piled higher than a man standing tall – not that men stand tall anymore. “I am 9 years old. I have spent most of my childhood in a ghetto, a work camp, concentration camps, and a death march. Bergen-Belsen is the worst of all. There is no water, not even in the filthy puddles of yesterday. “Suddenly the quiet is broken. I hear an unfamiliar sound and look up. People are running. Men and women who never walk faster than a shuffle are running.
Should New Year’s Day be celebrated? - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
This time of year is very interesting in Israel – especially in Jerusalem! Once Chanukah is completed, the holiday season can pass by with very little notice for most Jerusalemites. I can remember coming here with an American Jewish Press Association delegation in 1990 – prior to the Gulf War. The Ministry of Tourism sponsored a mission for editors of Jewish papers. The country was hurting for lack of tourists, but, of course, the Ministry of Tourism still wanted Jewish tourists to come.
Archaeologists discover rare finds - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
According to Wikipedia, several kingdoms in the Levant had ceased to pay taxes for the Assyrian King Sennacherib. As a result, he began a campaign to once again subjugate the rebelling kingdoms, among them the Jewish kingdom of Hezekiah. After defeating the rebels in Philistia, he set out to subjugate Judah; on his way to Jerusalem, he came across Lachish, the second most important among the Jewish cities. The battlefield was the walled city of Lachish, situated on a hill.
Documentary covers Cincinnati brothers’ actions in helping Jews escape Nazis in Europe - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
The one-hour documentary, “Rescue in the Philippines,” is the previously untold story of how the five brothers, together with Manuel Quezon, first president of the Philippines; Paul McNutt, U.S. high commissioner and former governor of Indiana; and Army Col. Dwight Eisenhower helped 1,200 Jews from Germany and Austria escape the Nazis and immigrate to the Philippines.
Former ambassador’s book fascinating, heart-throbbing - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
When Michael Bornstein was 15 years old, participating in a Zionist youth movement in Washington, he shook hands for an instant with Yitzhak Rabin, then Israel’s ambassador to the United States. “The 15-year-olds sang ‘Heveinu Shalom Aleichem’ at the top of our teenage voices,” he said. Rabin spoke for only a few minutes.
Israeli spy ring helped British during World War I - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
But the first time I became really cognizant of how members of the spy ring helped the British was several years ago when I visited the Aaronsohn family home in Zichron Ya’acov, which has been turned into a museum. There I read and saw information about the NILI Spy Ring. NILI was a secret, pro-British spying organization, which operated in Palestine during World War I.
Ancient artifacts discovered off the coast of Caesarea - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
First, a young boy from Russia participating in the Temple Mount Sifting Project in Jerusalem found a rare seal from the First Temple period. Then a seven year old boy, taking part in a spring hike in the Beit She’an valley, discovered a 3,400 year old figurine. While the hikers were climbing up an archaeological mound at Tel Rehov, the boy came across a stone that had shifted, and suddenly he saw an image of a person covered with soil.
A small Jewish world story with a laugh attached. - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
As part of the tour to Gush Etzion on July 25, we visited Yeshiva Har Etzion, Alon Shvut and an artisan bakery in Rosh Tzurim. The visit to the artisan bakery was very interesting and very hands-on. The bakery specializes in sour dough breads, and we were able to experiment making sour dough pretzels and rolls. The baker, who opened the bakery about a year ago, has been very successful; and, in addition to operating the bakery, he gives lectures and classes about sour dough bread.
First in a series of articles about an educational trip to Poland - American Israelite: International News
Although anti–Semitism had been rampant in Catholic Poland for hundreds of years, the Poles deny that they collaborated or cooperated with the Nazis to help round up thousands of Jews who were then sent to concentration camps. But the numbers seem to contradict that. In 1939, the Jewish population of Poland was 3,300,000. Of those, 3 million perished in the Holocaust. Could the Germans have annihilated that many without cooperation–or, at least, without turned–away eyes––by Polish citizens?
Israel Connections - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
The mission, which brought 508 individuals to Israel for a ten-day trip featured participation by nine Cincinnati congregations and their rabbis, offered numerous venues and opportunities for congregations and their members to connect and collaborate together and to connect with Israel. Participants visited Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Netanya, several locations in northern Israel, plus the Dead Sea and Masada.
Ancient menorah engraving discovered during Chanukah - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
Most recently, during Chanukah, engravings of a seven–branched menorah and a cross were discovered by hikers in an ancient water cistern in the Judean shephelah. According to Wikipedia, the shephelah (also known as sfela) is a fertile rolling plain. One of the major characteristics are hills formed of soft chalk, as opposed to the Judean hills which are made of hard chalk and dolomite.
Israel’s fascinating archaeological discoveries - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
Recently, a small extraordinary jug from the Middle Bronze Age was revealed with the assistance of pupils in the Land of Israel and Archaeology matriculation stream. The students were participating in an Israel Antiquities Authority archaeological excavation that was being conducted in the city of Yehud prior to the construction of residential buildings.
Israel beginning to explore wind farms - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
As we drove through the flatlands of Indiana, we often saw wind turbines situated in the fields. But at the time, we had no idea of the importance of wind turbines and the role that they might come to play in the energy sector – of the United States and other countries. According to WhatIs, a wind farm is a grouping of wind turbines in an area. A wind turbine is a power generating device that is driven by the kinetic energy of the wind.
This Year in Jerusalem - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
In August 2005, the Israeli army carried out the Cabinet’s decision and forcibly removed more than 8,000 residents of Gush Katif from their homes. Their communities were demolished as part of?Israel’s unilateral disengagement?from the Gaza Strip. This August, the International Young Israel Movement sponsored a commemoration marking the 10th anniversary of the disengagement (the neutral term) — “10 Buses for 10 Years: Remembering Gush Katif.” I participated in one of the bus rides on August 12.
This year in Jerusalem - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
I can remember times when the weatherman in Cincinnati predicted a massive snowfall for Cincinnati and environs, but he found himself with egg on his face! Instead of a massive snowfall, we found ourselves with a few flurries or at most, an inch or two. Meanwhile, the kids had to suffer with massive disappointment instead of massive snow. No snow day! And then there were other times when he missed the boat. No snow forecast, but we woke up to eight to twelve inches outside.
May their memories be for a blessing - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
Although the ceremony usually takes place at a memorial site in a forest established by AACI in conjunction with the Jewish National Fund on the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, near the pass of Shaar Hagai where fierce battles raged in 1948, this year’s commemoration took place at AACI’s center in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem.
His Majesty’s Government views with favor... - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
“His Majesty’s Government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.” The government of Prime Minister David Lloyd George decided to publicly...
Pesach then and now - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
It seems unbelievable to me, but this will be my 18th Pesach in Israel—part in Jerusalem and part on Kibbutz Merav with Han and Judy and their family. And sometimes other members of our family—such as Roz and Robby or Sid and Lisa, Abby and Jack—have joined us for the holiday. And sometimes it has just been Han and Judy, Sivan, Zohar and Keren, Allen z”l and I. This year, Roz and Robby will be joining us.
Reflecting on 17 years since making Aliyah - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
On Sunday following our arrival, Hanan took us to Jerusalem to look at furnished apartments in the Rehavia/Talbieh/Katamon areas where a lot of English-speaking olim live. We had decided to put most of our lift into storage and rent a furnished apartment for a year, so we could determine exactly where we wanted to settle. We expected that Jerusalem might be too expensive for us; but, after we lived here for a year, we knew we didn’t want to live anywhere else.
“Seven Pianos” concert in Jerusalem absolutely overwhelms - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
Such was my experience when I attended the “Seven Pianos” concert last month at the Jerusalem Theater. Absolutely overwhelmed! By the performers, the musical selections and—most of all—by the concept and ideas of pianist, composer and conductor Gil Shohat.
The importance of selecting friends - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
When I was young, the thought of having a good friend for 50 years would have seemed unattainable. But now, as a senior citizen, I recognize that it is a goal that is reachable. Recently in Israel, an old friend, Reba Sharfstein, and I reconnected—although we had seen each through the years in Cincinnati since Allen and I left to make aliyah in 1999.
Israel celebrates 50th year of reunification of Jerusalem - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
Following the Six Day War, Israel immediately began a program of unifying the entire city, including the Old City, the Kotel (Western Wall), the Temple Mount and the Arab neighborhoods that were now within the boundaries of the unified city. It has not been an easy task. Many of the Arab neighborhoods within the boundaries of the city resist being part of Jewish Jerusalem.
National Library of Israel’s new home - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
The beginning of construction on the new building, which took place with laying of the cornerstone this week, is a major milestone in the National Library's renewal process that aims to preserve and open access to the cultural and intellectual treasures of the State of Israel and the Jewish people in its collections. The new NLI building, will be located adjacent to the Knesset and the Israel Museum at the intersection of Kaplan Street and Ruppin Boulevard in Jerusalem's National District.
This year in Jerusalem - American Israelite: This Year In Jersualem
Fifty years or more ago, my father, Ben Ritter, put together a list of family members who had emigrated from Chorzele in 1900. However, before we left for Poland, Hanan did some online research—especially with JewishGen—and found that part of the family—the Ritterbands, my grandather’s family—was from Chorzele, and another part of the family—the Millers (known in Poland as Monka), my grandmother’s family, was from Prasznysz, another town about 10 miles from Chorzele.
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