Jews and Jazz

Of all the genres of music perhaps Jazz has the most intriguing history as far as Jews are concerned. You might expect that given its origins, it was an Afro-American 'thing'. Well there's some nice trivia ahead, including Benny Goodman, Satchmo, Gershwin, and Cab Calloway. 

The Chinese General and the Irish VC

Sometimes stories are so odd that you cannot believe them to be true – and yet they are.

Let's start with Morris Cohen Morris Abraham "Two-Gun" Cohen (1887 - 1970) was a Jewish soldier and adventurer who became aide-de-camp to the Chinese leader Sun Yat-sen and a major-general in the Chinese army. I bet you’ve never heard of him …..and for all his various adventures, he is buried in Blackley Cemetery in Manchester.

Part 2 Mazel begins brightly and turns dark

Mazel and Brocha, Good Mazel, and Bad Mazel

It seems that Mazal and Bracha is the traditional phrase used by the diamond industry when closing a deal.

The expression is accompanied by a handshake each day wherever it takes place, whether New York, London, or Amsterdam…..or of course Jerusalem. 

It has been pointed out that the word mazel does not mean good luck.

Part 1 How is your mazel?

Mazel and Mazel Tov

One time I went to the Southport Flower Show. In one of the tents was a man selling brightly coloured plates with the word "Jerusalem" on them. “Very nice - do you come from Jerusalem?” Said I. “I’m a Palestinian” he said. “mazel tov” I said. I don’t know why I said it. He had given me an inappropriate reply to an innocuous question. It just seemed to be a non-aggressive way of telling him that I didn’t give a monkey what side of the argument he was on. I was there to see the flowers.

Afterwards, as you do, I thought of several witty reposts, but mazel tov was good enough.

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer

It was a Jew, Irving Berlin, who wrote those lines in his classic “God Bless America”, one of those iconic songs that define patriotism.

On December 5th, 1805 Rabbi Solomon Hirschell gave a sermon in the Great Synagogue, Duke’s Place for a “General Thanksgiving for the success of His Majesty’s fleet under Lord Nelson, Of Trafalgar”

Wow

For hundreds of years Jews have been exceptional in their loyalty to the State in which they live; whenever they have been given a chance to be patriots they have done so. For example

Picking a pocket or two - a tale of two films

When Dickens wrote Oliver Twist it is unlikely that he could have imagined how memorable many of the characters in his stories would become in the pantheon of English Literature

Of all his works, one continues to be current (largely thanks to Lionel Bart).Oliver Twist. Of his characters in Oliver Twist, one has come under close scrutiny - Fagin.

Mrs Elswood pickles exceedingly good cucumbers

When Premium Foods, who bought the Mr Kipling brand when they acquired Rank Hovis McDougall, they kept the phrase “Mr Kipling bakes exceedingly good cakes”. 

The idea of having someone representing a brand has always been a popular one. Psychologically we believe that