Muhammad Ali
by Joe Dorinson In song, Bob Dylan declared: “The times–they are [were] a-changing.” Joe Louis fell out of favor in the 1960s, a turbulent period of jangling discord and generational conflict. Images...
View ArticleFyvush Finkel – Will Always Be Remembered
BJHI celebrates the life of Fyvush Finkel. We are honored we could induct him into the Class of 2015 Brooklyn Jewish Hall of Fame. A real Brooklynite, who was wise, entertaining and downright funny. We...
View ArticleSamuel Leibowitz: A Mentsch for All Seasons
By Joe Dorinson The recent death of civil rights lawyer Jack Greenberg as reported in the New York Times (Obit, Oct. 13, 2016) recalls the once close, though later frayed link between American Jews and...
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An Interview With The First Hasidic Woman Elected To Public Office In The U.S.
Judge Rachel Freier. (Jordan Rathkopf) In September, attorney and Hasidic community activist Rachel Freier won a contested primary for a civil court judgeship in Brooklyn’s 5th Judicial District....
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In Remembrance of Henry Foner
By Joe Dorinson Contact with Henry Foner, an outstanding union leader, political activist, and talented musician, resulted from my bid to honor Jackie Robinson with a major conference at LIU Brooklyn,...
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Brooklyn’s Changing Neighborhoods a Reflection of Jewish Diversity and...
By Sarina Roffé Neighborhoods in Brooklyn are a direct reflection of the changing ethnicities and religions of the people who live in them. During the last 100 or so years, Brooklyn has embraced Jews...
View ArticleI Love Jesse
In describing the pugilistic antics of his older brother, Harvey, Jerome Charyn evokes painful memories of bias in Brooklyn. To be sure, my Jewish friends in Williamsburg excelled in their studies and...
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The Dime
The Dime — excerpted from “The Scorekeeper,” a memoir published in 2017 by Joy Media LLC I never thought of us as poor. We gave to the poor. My grandmother defied arthritic legs trudging from neighbor...
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The Story of the Butterfly
by Cecelia Margules Approximately 30 years ago I commissioned Ann Froman, a noted sculptor, to fulfill a vision of a butterfly wrapped in barbed wire atop a granite pedestal containing the poem “The...
View ArticleBranching Out From Sepharad: Traces Community History And Selected Rabbinic...
After 15 years of research, BJHI Co-chair Sarina Roffé has completed Branching Out From Sepharad (New York: Sephardic Heritage Project, 2017). Dedicated to her grandparents, Joe and Frieda Missry,...
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Irwin Hochberg, 89, ‘Zionist Giant’
BY JONATHAN MARK Former UJA-Federation board chair was a leading activist and philanthropist. Irwin Hochberg, a former chairman of UJA-Federation of New York’s board of directors who helped shepherd...
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Brooklyn, the Most Jewish Spot on Earth
By Hilary Danailova January 2018 The Williamsburg Bridge opened up Jewish migration to Brooklyn. Today, it is a gateway to the famous hipster neighborhood of the same name. A dozen years ago, I moved...
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Judge Judy and Others Inducted Into the Brooklyn Jewish Hall of Fame
Necks craned and cameras clicked as the man next to the stage at the Brooklyn Historical Society Tuesday night took out a glass seltzer bottle. He held it high for all to see, a relic of the...
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The Chosen Game
Reviewed by Joseph Dorinson, Professor, Department of History, Long Island University Brooklyn 19 April 2018 Charley Rosen’s book, The Chosen Game: A Jewish Basketball History (Lincoln: University of...
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Sarina Roffe Elected to International Jewish Genealogy Board
Sarina Roffe, a resident of Belle Harbor , was elected to the Board of Directors for the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, (IAJGS) at its recent conference in Warsaw, Poland....
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VIDEO: Thousands of Hasidic women come together to celebrate Rebbetzin legacy
January 28, 2019 By Liliana Bernal Brooklyn Daily Eagle “When I light up my own home, I’m able to illuminate the world,” said one of the speakers to the crowd of Orthodox Jewish women. Eagle photos...
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Jackie Robinson Revisited
The Jackie Robinson saga, biographer Jules Tygiel insisted before his untimely death in 2008, was comparable to an Easter/Passover service that invites public recollection every year. We must never...
View ArticleMagen David Synagogue
Documentary about the landmarked Magen David Synagogue in Bensonhurst Brooklyn, produced by Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative in cooperation with Sephardic Heritage Project. 2019 View BJHI Video...
View ArticleJoe’s Corner – Jews & Commedy
Joe’s Corner – Jews and Comedy Historian Sarina Roffe interviews Joseph Dorinson about Jews in comedy and their shared Brooklyn roots. The post Joe’s Corner – Jews & Commedy appeared first on BJHI.
View ArticleJoe’s Corner – Woody Allen
Joe’s Corner – Woody Allen LIU Professor and author Joe Dorinson talks about Brooklyn comedian Woody Allen The post Joe’s Corner – Woody Allen appeared first on BJHI.
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