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The Titanic and Jewish History

Of the 2,225 people aboard the Titanic on its maiden voyage, 1,512 perished in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic when the ship went down.

Charles Kennell was among the nearly 700 crew members to die that night. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, the 30-year-old listed his address as 6 Park View, Southampton, the port city in southeast England from which the Titanic would embark.

Kennell had already served on the Titanics sister ship, the Olympic, which took its maiden voyage in 1911. Kennell was the ships Hebrew cook. The Titanic had kosher food service.

Midway through the great wave of Eastern European Jewish immigration to Americawhich brought two million Jews to the United States between 1881 and 1924major passenger lines crossing the Atlantic began instituting kosher food service for its Jewish passengers, mainly immigrants in third-class steerage.

Tunisias Jews Are Wary of Political Developments

The Grande Synagogue de TunisDuring a visit to a synagogue that had been bombed 10 years ago, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki said Tunisia is committed to the security of its Jews and that they are equal citizens under the law.

In December 2011, the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia, a body elected to govern the country and draft a new constitution, elected Marzouki as the interim President of the Tunisian Republic.

Marzoukis visit was part of a ceremony to mark the 10-year anniversary of the 2002 Al Qaeda truck bombing attack on the El Ghriba Synagogue in Djerba.

Some Jews in the country have been unsettled by demonstrations in Tunisia over the last three months in which ultra-conservative religious Salafi groups with alleged ties to Al Qaeda called on Muslims to kill or wage war against Jews.

April in Jewish History: Tel Aviv was Founded

Tel Aviv was founded on April 11, 1909. Several dozen families gathered on the beach outside of the city of Yaffa to allocate plots of land for a new neighborhood they called Ahuzat Bayit (Homestead), later it became known as Tel Aviv (Hill of Spring). In Hebrew, Tel does not simply mean hill, but a man made hill covering the remains of an ancient settlement or a hill in an archeological excavation. And the word aviv means spring. Therefore, the name Tel Aviv stands for a link between old and new; antiquity rejuvenated. This is the concept on which the city of Tel Aviv was founded.

The city expanded rapidly, with massive waves of immigration in the 1920s and 30s. Tel Avivs status as the regions most creative, liberal and tolerant city was furthered when it merged with Yaffa in 1950.

Etz Chaim Congregation: The Sephardic Jewel of the Midwest

The words I remember uttering with a sarcastic laugh, when Rabbi Harold Sutton approached me two years ago, after he received a phone-call requesting a pulpit rabbi in Indianapolis are: There are Sephardim in Indianapolis?

After spending three years in YUs ordination program under the tutelage of Rabbi Eliyahu Ben-Haim and three years immersed in studies under the wings of Haham Shimon Alouf and Rabbi Harold Sutton at the Sephardic Rabbinical College, the time had come to leave the comforts of the Brooklyn community and make a difference.

Nestled on a tree-lined country road, in the heart of the American mid-west, is a 100 year-old Sephardic community, The Etz Chaim Sephardic Congregation of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Jewish Rio De Janeiro

Rio has an ethnic mix that includes Brazils second-largest Jewish community (after Sao Paulo). An estimated 30,000 of Rios six million residents are Jewish, with roots as varied as you might imagine: there are descendants of the first Iberian refugees of the Portuguese and Spanish Inquisition, who arrived before the countrys independence, as well as Sephardic and Ashkenazi families from successive waves of immigration.

More than two-dozen synagogues and many more institutions cater to this diverse and active population. The largest is the Associacao Religiosa Israelita (ARI), a congregation and community center founded in the 1940s by German Jews.

Maimonides Is Combating Childhood Obesity

Help your kids make the right choiceMaimonides Medical Center has received a $150,000 grant from the New York State Department of Health for a project that will help children and families combat obesity. The funding will support training for health care providers and other initiatives.

Overweight and obese children are at great risk for a lifetime of serious health problems such as diabetes, coronary disease and/or hypertension, said State Health Commissioner Nirav R. Shah, MD. Earlier intervention can result in better quality of life and reduced health care problems.

ADHD: Its More Common Than You Think

Prevalence and Diagnosis
Despite the fact that ADHD is a disorder that afflicts between 5% and 10% of children and adults worldwide and appears to occur with equal frequency in males and females, it is not well understood by the lay public. In simple language, the average yeshivah classroom contains at least one, and probably two, children with ADHD. You probably know an adult or two or three with the diagnosis, as well.

ADHD is perhaps the most exhaustively studied disorder in the history of child psychiatry. Though there are occasional cynics and doubting Thomases in the media,  who question the validity of this diagnosis, ADHD is a diagnosis recognized by the major medical, psychological, and educational organizations, including the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Education.

It does not result from bad parenting. ADHD symptoms, such as impulsive and immature behavior and distractibility are not just a childs bad attitude. There is likely no one to blame. ADHD is not a mind problem; it is a brain problem. This disorder is physiologically based, and genetics do play an important role.

Creating Beautiful Smiles with the Science of Invisalign

With over 10 years on the market and hundreds of thousands of satisfied patients, nearly everyone has heard of Invisalign. For those who are still unsure how it works, the process is this: detailed impressions of your teeth are scanned to produce 3-D images of your teeth. Corrections to your alignment and bite are programmed virtually and these images are used to fabricate clear custom plastic aligners to wear over your teeth.  These aligners gradually and gently shift your teeth into a more ideal position. A fresh new set is provided approximately every two weeks until your treatment is complete.

The Jewish Community of Gibraltar

Four Orthodox synagogues, a mikveh, a kosher coffeehouse and separate boys and girls religious high schools suggest a community far larger than just 750 Jews. But Gibraltar, the tiny British overseas territory of 30,000 that sits at the foot of Spain and at the gateway to North Africa and the Mediterranean, has spent centuries cultivating its individuality.

The community is vibrant, hospitable and Orthodox. Its a little community with a big heart, run by  the Managing Board of the Jewish Community. The Board is involved in all aspects of lay and religious communal life. Religious issues are the province of their esteemed Communal Rabbi, Rabbi Roni Hassid, who has served and led them for 25 years.

Choose the Perfect Wedding Dress for Your Body Type

When walking into a bridal shop its best to have in mind the type of gown you are looking for. You can research dresses on bridal websites and in magazines.

Because each woman has a different body shape, height and background, there are a multitude of wedding dresses to choose from. Your gown should highlight and accentuate your shape, so you love the way you look on your wedding day.

Have your dream dress in mind, but be open to other styles. You never know whats going to look most flattering, until you try it on. This is your big day, when all eyes will be on you. Instead of hiding what you have, show it off!  Its your time to shine. Embrace your beauty.

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A wedding ring is a symbol of the never-ending love and commitment you and your husband-to-be share. Choose a ring that represents this, as this is one piece of jewelry you will treasure forever. it should reflect your personality, and of course, match your engagement ring.

Follow your instincts with the look and design of your ring, while asking yourself if it will be a design youll be comfortable wearing every day for the rest of your life. Of course, your husband-to-be has to like it too. Before selecting jewelers and wedding rings, talk to him about the style of ring he likes. Since your engagement and wedding ring will be worn together, choosing a design that will complement the engagement ring will highlight the beauty of both the rings. Wedding rings range from simple bands to intricate designs with various precious stones.

Should Your Drinking Water Be Filtered?

Your drinking water should be filtered and its important, from a health and safety perspective, to periodically replace all filtration elements in accordance with the manufactures maintenance recommendations.

A water filtration system can be a cost-effective option to minimize exposure to hazardous contaminants, albeit, in very low concentrations and considered safe by federal, state and local regulatory authorities.  Unfortunately, there are over a hundred known toxic substances that remain unregulated.  At least, and until such time that the USEPA and other appropriate regulatory entities establish enforceable standards for currently unregulated drinking water pollutants that are completely safe for long term consumption, effective drinking water filtration, to minimize exposure to these known hazardous contaminants, should be practiced.

Colon Cancer: Deadly but Preventable

One of the fundamental precepts of Judaism is the inherent and infinite value of human life. This sentiment is strongly echoed in the famous maxim of the Gemara which states: Whoever saves a life, it is as if he has saved the entire Universe.

As the famous saying goes: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In the next few paragraphs, I would like to discuss what I believe is one of the most important and underutilized preventative and potentially lifesaving tools available to our community: screening colonoscopy!

Be Heart Smart

Take good care of your heartCardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the United States, causing almost 500,000 deaths annually. It has been the focus of tremendous effort and research in the medical community, and there have been tremendous advancements when it comes to heart disease, from preventing coronary artery disease, to stopping heart attacks in their tracks, and hopefully in the future, to regenerating new heart muscle after a heart attack.