All in

By Rob Eshman
Published on April 4, 2012

Two years ago, before our very eyes, a liberation movement of great courage and hope began to unfold halfway around the world. Blood ran like water in the streets of distant capitals, and still people fought, flesh against tanks, citizens against infantry, poets against police.

Unspeakable Acts, Incredible Pictures

By David Finnigan
Published on July 14, 2005

A large, striped blue-and-white flag bearing the phrase, "Liberation!" greets visitors at the Museum of Tolerance exhibit, "Liberation! Revealing the Unspeakable," about the Allied soldiers and the starved, dying and dead Jews they discovered while liberating concentration camps.

In a hallway there is a row of photographs of soldiers who became the saviors of survivors. Then, down a set of stairs to the main exhibit area, one gallery wall features a 1945 poem written by an unnamed survivor upon learning of Hitler's death:

I have outlived the fiend
My lifelong wish fulfilled
What more need I achieve
My heart is full of joy

MY IRAQ

Published on May 26, 2005

When a Marine finds himself in a ditch or an abandoned house, suddenly under fire, having to decide where to shoot and who to kill, it may not much matter if the Marine is Jewish. It was before and after the firefights in Iraq that Marine Corps Sgt. Kayitz Finley remembered and confronted his belief.

The war in Iraq cost Finley his faith for awhile. It also took away 11 buddies -- including a close friend -- men on whom he'd depended to get home in one piece. Still, for Finley, the conflict was never the wrong war, the wrong place or the wrong time. For him, the Iraq War was as advertised -- a war of liberation, a war keeping faith with the American principle of bringing freedom to those lacking it.

"Every Marine out there was for the cause," said Finley, who served two combat tours in Iraq. "I believe in the cause, and I wanted to continue what I was doing."

Moving Forward Passover

By Rabbi Karen Deitsch
Published on April 28, 2005

I was sitting at lunch with my best friend the other day discussing life. This is her tsuris at the moment: she is involved with a guy who loves her very much, accepts her unconditionally, is cute, bright, Jewish, healthy, loyal.

Auschwitz Memorial Marks ‘45 Liberation

By Toby Axelrod
Published on February 3, 2005

The last time Trudy Spira was in Auschwitz, she was 12 years old. The day of liberation "is my second birthday -- I was reborn on that day," said Spira, who came from Venezuela with her son, Ernesto, 48, to show him the place that robbed her of her childhood.

Ceremonies to Mark Auschwitz Liberation

By Carolyn Slutsky
Published on January 20, 2005

Each year, the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Soviet forces is marked on Jan. 27, but this year, the 60th anniversary has given Poland, site of the most infamous Nazi death camps, a special opportunity for remembrance and reflection.

The anniversary ceremonies, which will be held at the memorial site in Birkenau, will draw an assortment of international dignitaries and leaders. Among those slated to attend are Israeli President Moshe Katsav, Ukrainian President-elect Viktor Yuschenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Groups Celebrate Seders With a Cause

By Gaby Wenig
Published on April 8, 2004

At Jewish Family Service's Freedom Seder, participants read from a haggadah that was just a little bit different. Instead of reading of the four sons, those at the Freedom Seder read about the "four community members."

"The wise community member asks, 'How can we, as individuals, and a community, address domestic violence?'"

Food for Thought

By Hirsh Goodman
Published on August 8, 2002

The motive driving suicide volunteers is revenge. They have stopped fighting to liberate Palestine.

Exploring Faith’s Price

By Charlotte Hildebrand
Published on May 3, 2001

"Love and Liberation: When the Jews Tore Down the Ghetto Walls" by Ralph David Fertig (Writers Club Press, $17.95)

On Jan. 9, 1807, Prince Jerome of Prussia decreed that the fortifications of the ancient city of Breslau could be destroyed. After 540 years of isolation, the Jews of Breslau tore down the ghetto gates. Under Napoleonic law, they were now free to pursue their religion while becoming citizens of the state.

Purim Pastries

By Judy Zeidler
Published on March 1, 2001

Purim, sometimes called the Feast of Esther, is one of the happiest of all Jewish holidays. It marks the liberation of the Jews from the cruel prime minister, Haman, through the heroism of the beautiful and good Queen Esther. The story states that she was a vegetarian while in the king's court in ancient Persia. Yes, before it was the fashion, Queen Esther was a connoisseur of fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains, but poppy seeds were said to be her favorite. It is in her honor that on Purim, poppy seeds find their way into salads, kugels and pastries.

Seasons of Reinterpretation

Published on April 20, 2000

The world has an odd habit, alert readers have noticed, of exploding in springtime, smack in the middle of the Season of our Liberation. Sometimes these explosions disrupt those carefully laid Passover plans in the most annoying way. At other times, Passover just gains new meaning.

Rally for the ‘Iran 13’

By Tom Tugend
Published on April 20, 2000

The Passover theme of liberation took on new meaning when more than 1,000 people rallied Sunday to demand freedom for the 13 Iranian Jews, imprisoned in Shiraz a year ago and facing trial for alleged espionage.