Spring 2015 Issue Also Highlights the Fast-Growing Metropolis of Beersheba, Ben Gurion University and Louis Armstrong

Jews of color are a growing segment of the American-Jewish community. A 2011 survey by the UJA-Federation of New York found that 12 percent of Jewish households identified themselves as non-white. Angela Warnick Buchdahl, who became the senior rabbi of the Central Synagogue in midtown Manhattan last July, was the first ordained Asian-American rabbi in 2001.

The increasing diversity of Jewish culture is also reflected in popular culture by people like Grammy-award winning rapper Drake and Fox News reporter Geraldo Rivera. While the reality may be changing, perceptions of “what a Jew looks like” have not yet caught up. Writer Miranda S. Spivack looks into the reality of being a Jew of color.

In the spirit of Passover, B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs reviews B’nai B’rith International’s role in attaining freedoms for Israel and Jewish people around the world.

Over the last decade, Ben-Gurion University has done revolutionary research on neurological conditions like, dementia, concussions and autism. Despite the fact that its student population has tripled to more than 20,000, it is ranked number one in Israel for ambience and individual attention. Writer Maayan Jaffe highlights the country’s fastest growing institution of higher learning.

50 years ago, Beersheba, a city in southern Israel, was not considered to be a substantial part of Israel. Today, it features a booming business district, the Soroka University Medical Center, a cyber-security industry and Ben-Gurion University. Writer Hillel Kuttler explores the transformation of Beersheba from a modest city into a burgeoning metropolitan area.

With spring upon us, B’nai B’rith Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin’s column turns to baseball. As a life-long fan, Mariaschin examines Jewish Americans’ cultural connection to the sport—and his own.

Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong is undoubtedly one of the most influential jazz musicians in history. As a child, he was part of an impoverished New Orleans family and was forced to work at a young age. But a Jewish family helped him along the way, cementing a lifelong bond with the Jewish people. Writer Sam Seifman details the story of Armstrong and the Karnofsky family.

> Passover — A Time for Reflecting

> Jews and Baseball: An American 
   Tradition Continues

> Jews of Color

> Satchmo and the Karnofskys

> Ben-Gurion University 

> Beersheba

> Passover Wine

Fall 2014 Issue Also Tells the Story of Twin Brothers During WWI

Writer David Laskin’s Great-Aunt Itel was a Jewish immigrant from Belarus without a college education. Her story, featured in the fall issue of B’nai B’rith Magazine, is that of a rebellious, headstrong and fiercely intelligent woman who arrived in the United States nearly penniless and started the wildly successful Maidenform Bra Company.

Laskin chronicles his great-aunt’s remarkable life and the company’s rise under her stewardship. Itel’s company revolutionized the women’s apparel industry and created a highly-visible brand during the 1940s and 1950s.

In a similar vein, we follow the story of B’nai B’rith Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin’s immigrant parents who arrived in the United States with very little to their name. After years of working and raising a family in the New York area, they moved to a small town in New Hampshire and operated a women’s clothing store.

The fall issue then takes a look at ancestry through a different lens. In the spirit of L’Dor V’Dor (from generation to generation), B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs relays the story of the honeymooning grandson of former B’nai B’rith President Frank Goldman, connecting the trip to his grandfather’s role in the founding of Israel.

A century ago, France entered World War I. Writer Gerard Leval, an American Jew of French descent, recalls his family’s sacrifices during what was first known as the Great War. Leval’s grandfather suffered serious injuries and the loss of his twin brother André in the fighting.

Elsewhere in the magazine, George Johnson details his journey to Israel—discovering the story of his ancestor Reuven Lehrer, who founded the town of Ness Ziona in the late 19th century. The investigation led Johnson to a treasure trove of family history connecting him with his Israeli roots.

Beryl Benderly tells the story of Copenhagen’s Danish Jewish Museum, which recounts the country’s long history of tolerant relations with its Jewish citizens. Designed by famed architect Daniel Libeskind, it depicts, among other things, the daring rescue of 7,220 Jewish Danes by their fellow citizens who organized a nighttime boatlift to Sweden—saving them from deportation to the Nazi death camps.