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SPECIAL REPORT: How Hebrew was reborn

RJ Hamster

VINTAGE PHOTOS FROM THE ‘JEWISH ALPS’ VIEW ONLINE
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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