Birthday

This week in Jewish history: The SS Exodus, Tisha B’Av, and Nobel pioneers

From the destruction of the Temples to Nobel Prize breakthroughs, the coming weeks mark defining moments of Jewish loss, resilience and achievement.

|BySTEVEN DRUCKER
‘SS EXODUS,’ now derelict, in Haifa Port, 1952.
Dov Bleich writing a Yiddish prayer for America’s next 250 years at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.

America did not begin in a single language - opinion

Could Jonas Phillips have imagined what this experiment called America would look like 250 years on? 

|ByDOV BLEICH
Kennedy Center Honors recipient actor Sylvester Stallone poses on the red carpet for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, US, December 7, 2025.

Still Rocky after all these years: Beloved actor Sylvester Stallone celebrates 80th birthday

“To all the Rockys in the world, I love you,” he said as he stood onstage at the Oscars, accepting the Best Picture Award in 1977.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
The Statue of Liberty is lit up ahead of the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of US independence, on July 1, 2026.

Celebrating the ‘United States of Possibility,' and an Israel of impossible possibles - opinion

For all the tensions of the moment, Israelis and Americans should celebrate America’s 250th, toasting both countries as miracle-makers that keep making the impossible not just possible but routine.

|ByGIL TROY

Mazal tov to Mel Brooks: The 100-year-old man

Brooks, best known for directing irreverent films that became comedy classics, including The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Spaceballs, was born in Brooklyn on June 28, 1926.

JUNE 28, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Mel Brooks speaks onstage at the "Spaceballs" screening during the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 21, 2024 in Hollywood, California.

Netanyahu, Herzog wish Trump a happy 80th birthday, praise his support of Israel-US alliance

"I wish you continued strength and vigor as you lead America towards a bright future of peace through strength, and as we ... bring the US - Israel alliance to greater heights," Netanyahu wrote.

JUNE 14, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
US President Donald Trump gestures during a roundtable focused on tax cuts in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, April 16, 2026.

This month in Jewish history: Revelation, thrill of victory, agony of defeat

A highly abridged monthly version of Dust & Stars – Today in Jewish History.

MAY 16, 2026BySTEVEN DRUCKER
THE PALMAH’S ‘German Squad’ on a training march, 1942.

British broadcaster David Attenborough turns 100, notable for not joining anti-Israel boycotts

The famed BBC broadcaster, whose family rescued Jewish sisters before the Holocaust, has never backed Israel boycotts and once praised Israel’s climate innovation.

MAY 8, 2026ByJAMES GENN
A drone view shows an artist from the Sand In Your Eye art team putting the finishing touches to a giant sand portrait of David Attenborough to mark the conservationist's 100th birthday, on the beach in Morecambe, Britain, May 6, 2026.

Police officials criticized for attending Ben-Gvir's birthday party

During the party, the minister’s wife, Ayala Ben-Gvir, presented him with a cake decorated with a drawing of a hanging noose.

MAY 3, 2026ByALON HOCHMON/MAARIV
GUESTS ARRIVE to the birthday celebrations of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in Moshav Emunim, May 2, 2026.

Israel at 78: An appropriate birthday gift - opinion

Nations, like individuals, are not defined by how they celebrate their birthdays, but by how they respond to the clarity those moments provide.

APRIL 21, 2026ByJEFFREY KAHN
The turbulence of the past year fuelled by the Iranian regime’s war on Israel has fashioned Israel’s 78th birthday as a critical moment for self reflection.

This month in Jewish history: History, memory, destiny

A highly abridged monthly version of Dust & Stars.

APRIL 18, 2026BySTEVEN DRUCKER
AS AN astronomer, Ralbag influenced Copernicus. Pictured: Nicolaus Copernicus Monument in his hometown of Torun, Poland.

KAN marks 90 years of Israeli public broadcasting with cross-platform celebration

Broadcasts will include unforgettable historical clips from the KAN archive, and the anniversary will also be marked on the beloved comedy/variety show, Zehu Ze.

APRIL 9, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Zehu Ze cast members Moni Moshonov (left) and Avi Kushnir in a new version of Benzin's song, "Shared Home," which was created for the KAN 90th anniversary celebration.

The ultimate guide to gifting in Israel: How to surprise your loved ones without leaving home

FEBRUARY 1, 2026ByTAMI DEMSKY
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The birthday I forgot and the leverage I lost - opinion

In addition to revitalizing the Hebrew language, the reborn State of Israel also made Hebrew birthdays a thing.

FEBRUARY 1, 2026ByHERB KEINON
Illustrative