by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Mar 27, 2025 | Jewish Funeral Traditions
The Requirements for Compliance with Jewish Law In the Jewish faith, while life is revered, death is considered a part of the natural cycle of life. Furthermore, Jewish tradition holds fast to the belief, set forth in Genesis 3:19, that we are created from dust and...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Mar 26, 2025 | Jewish Heritage & History, Uncategorized
Jewish Honorees Account for Nearly One in Every Four Laureates First awarded in 1901 to commemorate the 5th anniversary of scientist Alfred Nobel, the Nobel Prize is now awarded annually to honorees in six categories: physics, chemistry, literature, medicine, peace...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Feb 28, 2025 | Jewish Heritage & History
The Story of the “Quintessential Jewish Artist of the 20th Century” Art has been an essential element of Jewish life and culture for millennia. Artifacts from the First Temple Period (around the second millennium BCE) show visual representations, mostly connected to...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Feb 28, 2025 | Jewish Heritage & History
The Orthodox Jew Who Was Instrumental in Lincoln’s Candidacy for President America’s 16th president is well-known for his involvement in ending the enslavement of millions of Black Americans, but historians have written little about his friendships with and respect...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Feb 12, 2025 | Jewish Heritage & History
What Is Hamantaschen? What Does It Symbolize during Purim? Purim, the Jewish holiday that remembers the Jewish escape from destruction at the hands of Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire, falls on March 13 and 14, 2025. Generally a day of celebration, with...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Feb 11, 2025 | Jewish Heritage & History
The Secret Evacuation of Danish Jews during World War II History is replete with stories of courage, bravery and selfless acts on behalf of Jewish people across the European continent during the dark years of the Second World War. A lesser known event, but one of the...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jan 31, 2025 | Jewish Heritage & History
Celebrating the Jewish “New Year for Trees” | Why Trees Play a Special Role in Jewish Culture | Some of the Most Important Trees in the Torah In 2025, the Jewish ”new year” for trees, also known as the 15th of Shevat, will be celebrated on February 13,...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jan 31, 2025 | Jewish Heritage & History
From Composers to Performing Artists, from Mahler and Mendelssohn to Rubenstein and Heifetz | The Jewish Affinity for the Violin When you peruse the history of western classical music, it’s impossible to overlook the tremendous involvement and influence that Jewish...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Nov 29, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
What Is Gefilte Fish? How Did It Originate? When Is It Typically Served? Modern Takes on a Classic When you think of gefilte fish, what comes to your mind? A colorless lump of something with little or no flavor, maybe suspended in a jar of clear sludge? Unfortunately,...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Nov 28, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
What Is It? How Did It Become Such an Important Part of Jewish Tradition? It’s typically a loud and mournful sound, one unmatched in nature. The shofar, a musical instrument forged from a ram’s horn, has long been an integral part of Jewish lore and tradition. What...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Oct 30, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
Does the Use of Electricity on the Sabbath Violate Any Jewish Laws? Jewish tradition has long held that certain activities are not permitted during Shabbat, commencing at sunset on Friday evening and ending at the end of the day on Saturday. Observant Jews will...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Oct 30, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
What Are the Requirements for Wine to Be Kosher? Little Known Facts about Kosher Wine Wine has long been an integral part of Jewish life and practice. It’s a traditional part of most Jewish high holy days as Passover and Purim. Though grape juice is occasionally...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Oct 1, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
The Jewish Role in Protecting the Environment Within the Jewish tradition, there has always been a deep reverence for the earth as God’s creation. In fact, the commitment to the planet is so strong that, according to the Avot D’Rebbe Natan 31b, if a person is planting...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Sep 30, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
The Alheira—A Portuguese Sausage that Helped Jewish People Avoid Persecution When you think of Jewish cuisine, you don’t typically think of sausage. Most sausage uses pork, of course, and pork is prohibited under the Jewish dietary laws. But a very special type of...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jul 30, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
What Is Shabbat? The Tradition of Shabbat Dinner The day of rest…you’ll find references to it in the world’s three principal faiths. Within the Jewish tradition, it’s known as Shabbat, from the Hebrew for “sabbath.” It’s been recognized as an integral part of the...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jul 30, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
The Many Yiddish Terms that Have Become a Part of Our Speech The Yiddish language, first believed to have spoken about 1,200 years ago, has contributed much to modern English. While many of the terms we use almost every day have somewhat colorful origins or...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jun 28, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
How a Scandinavian Food Became a Jewish Staple Bagels and lox—there are probably fewer foods more closely associated with Jewish culture. Lox, though, originated in Sweden, where fishermen learned how to preserve salmon with a saltwater brine about 200 years ago. In...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jun 28, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
The Jewish Tradition of Organizing and Fighting for the Rights of Others On June 20, 1964, Andrew Goldman and Michael Schwerner joined James Cheney, a 21-year-old Mississippi native, on a drive from Meridian, Mississippi to Philadelphia, Mississippi, to view the...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jun 1, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
The Origins of the Practice | The Many Different Forms of Head Coverings Some type of head covering has long been a tradition within the Jewish faith, though the types of hats or covering can vary significantly. Though married Jewish women commonly cover their hair as...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | May 30, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
Who Knew Chicken Fat and Chicken Skin Could Taste So Good? Shmaltz—we all know what that is…it’s when the music swells when Kate Winslet gazes into Leonardo DiCaprio’s eyes in Titanic or at the climax of most “feel-good” movies. That’s the modern definition of...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Apr 23, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
Commemorating the Destruction of Ancient Temples and Other Tragedies Many of the Jewish high holy days and holidays are celebrations, often commemorating the resilience of the Jewish people over many millennia. The observance of Tisha B’av and the Three Weeks, though,...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Apr 16, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
have to add oil, as some will be soaked up during the process. The optimal temperature is 350 degrees…that’s typically about halfway on the dial. Don’t pinch on the salt!!—Salt makes just about everything better, but potatoes simply demand it. Don’t worry about...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Mar 31, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History, Jewish Holidays
What Is It? How Does It Differ from Passover? The Jewish holiday of Passover, commemorating the release of the Jews from captivity in Egypt, begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nisan and extends for 7 days. In Temple times, most Jews would travel to...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Mar 17, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
A Brief Look at Judaism in This Overwhelmingly Catholic Country St. Patrick’s Day is upon us…a holiday that celebrates the man who ostensibly brought Christianity to the Emerald Isle. It may come as a surprise to learn that, in a country where more than two-thirds of...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Feb 20, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
The Basic Rules of Kosher Cooking What Is the Purpose Behind Kosher Cooking? What Makes Cooking Kosher? “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well” –Virginia Woolf Who doesn’t love a great meal? The truly great dining experience can...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Feb 20, 2024 | Jewish Holidays
Why Do We Celebrate Passover? What Are the Customs of Passover? Passover, or Pesach, will begin just before sundown on Monday, April 22, 2024, extending until the sun sets on Tuesday, April 30. The most celebrated Jewish holiday in the world, Passover has a number of...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jan 23, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
Traditional Jewish Confections to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth Within the Jewish tradition, there’s a rich history of culinary creativity, and nowhere is that more evident than with pastries, cakes, sweet breads and other desserts. Many confections that were originally...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Jan 19, 2024 | Jewish Heritage & History
What Is Klezmer Music? When Is It Typically Played? What Are the Different Types of Dances? At many Jewish celebrations, there’s some type of dancing. Often, those dances are accompanied by klezmer music. Though klezmer music saw a revival in the late 20th century,...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Dec 26, 2023 | Jewish Heritage & History
Jewish Folk Tales through the Ages | Modern Takes on Old Tales Within the Jewish culture, there’s a rich and compelling history of storytelling. Though the Hebrew Bible includes folk tales and legends in nearly every book, scholars believe that the origins of this...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Dec 23, 2023 | Jewish Heritage & History
The Origins of the Star of David | It’s Importance as a Symbol of Judaism The six-sided Star of David has long been an iconic symbol of the Jewish faith. Historians say that the revered image, also known as the “Shield of David,” or “Magan David,” appeared in both...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Nov 29, 2023 | Jewish Heritage & History
When and Why Were the First Matzo Balls Made? How Are They Prepared? Some Little Known Facts about Matzo Balls Is there any food more iconically Jewish than the matzo ball? Whether you’re a little under the weather or it’s a Jewish holiday, there’s no elixir like...
by Gutterman's & Gutterman Warheit | Nov 27, 2023 | Jewish Heritage & History
How the Jewish Community Has Helped Further Human Equality and Dignity in the United States One of the fundamental tenets of the Jewish faith is the belief that we are all created equal. In action, that credo follows the Talmud, which mandates respect for the basic...