SPECIAL REPORT: How Hebrew was reborn

May 17, 2023
by RJ Hamster

CELEBRATING JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

This month, we bring you stories of resilience and rebirth: the story of Hebrew; the histories of the bagel and matzoh; the unfolding mystery of the Dead Sea Scrolls; the legend of the Borscht Belt; and much more.

PHOTOGRAPH BY AMERICAN COLONY PHOTOGRAPHERS, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Hebrew wasn’t spoken for 2,000 years. Here’s how it was revived.

For millennia Hebrew lay dormant as Jewish communities scattered across the globe and adopted the languages of their new homes. By the late 1800s, Hebrew vocabulary was limited to archaic and religious concepts of the Hebrew Bible. This is the story of how it was reborn as a modern language—and the debates that surround its continuing evolution.

HOW A (NEARLY) DEAD LANGUAGE WAS REBORN

PHOTOGRAPH BY REBECCA HALE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

The unusual history of the humble and beloved bagel

There are many myths surrounding the invention of this Jewish-American culinary icon. But its true origin tells a story of ingenuity and survival.

THE ‘FASTEST-DRAWING BUN IN THE YEAST’

PHOTOGRAPH BY BECKY HARLAN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

A brief history of matzoh, aka ‘the bread of affliction’

While the aforementioned affliction may have changed over the years, most Hebrew scholars agree on one thing: It is not supposed to taste good.

‘WE EAT IT BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE TO’

PHOTOGRAPH BY PAOLO VERZONE/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION

Who wrote the Dead Sea scrolls? Science may have the answer

The Dead Sea Scrolls are estimated to be 2,000 years old. While their authenticity is not in doubt, what remains a mystery is their authorship. The Essenes, a monastic Jewish sect, has long been the most common answer among scholars—but modern archaeology is shedding new light on who these mysterious authors were.

AN ANCIENT WHODUNIT

Stories from the Bible and beyond:

•

What do we know about the real Jesus? Here’s what archaeology can tell us.

•

What’s buried under Jerusalem? A maze of tunnels and layers of history.

•

Heretics or heroes? These biblical queens played crucial roles in the rise and fall of ancient Israel.

•

These two ancient empires shaped Passover

THE MAGIC OF THE CATSKILLS

PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIC BARD, CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES

The Catskills region sprawls across four counties north of New York City, dotted with lakes and crowned with around 100 mountain peaks. Once it was the sparkling center of Jewish summers, replete with glamorous hotels and thriving small towns. Is a Borscht Belt revival in the works?

SEE MORE VINTAGE PHOTOS

CHERNOBYL’S JEWISH DYNASTY

PHOTOGRAPH BY PIERPAOLO MITTICA, PARALLELOZERO

Long before clouds of highly radioactive particles were released across Europe, sparking fascination and instilling fear of humanity’s fragility, Chernobyl was the cradle of a prominent Hasidic movement. This story from our archives reveals how one man—and his 50,000 relatives—are reclaiming their history.

A SEARCH FOR ANCESTRY

STORIES FROM THE HOLOCAUST

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY THE GROSMAN AND GROSS FAMILIES

999 young women were on the first Jewish transport to Auschwitz. This is their story.

Parents had gathered outside the school to wait for their daughters. They wondered what was taking so long on this Friday, when families were preparing for Shabbat. Then someone noticed that guards had sneaked the girls out a back exit and were herding them toward the train station.

CONTINUE READING

PHOTOGRAPH BY DUŠAN MARTINČEK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FOR DISNEY

The woman who kept Anne Frank’s story alive

The miniseries A Small Light tells the story of Miep Gies, a courageous young woman who risked her life to hide the Frank family from the Nazis.

AN ‘ORDINARY’ WOMAN

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTOPHE PITIT TESSON, POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

How the Holocaust happened in plain sight

Six million Jews were murdered between 1933 and 1945. This is how Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party turned anti-Semitism into genocide.

HOW IT UNFOLDED

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RJ Hamster

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SPECIAL REPORT: How Hebrew was reborn

SPECIAL REPORT: How Hebrew was reborn

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