Selected entries from the Encyclopaedia
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The guiding principle of the editors of Encyclopaedia Judaica Second Edition was to retain the broad, solid scholarship of the original edition while giving voice to the present generation. From the achievements and contributions of Jewish women, to new Holocaust awareness, from Jewish Law and Community Life, to Popular Culture, the Encyclopaedia celebrates the achievements of Jews and illuminates their history. Here is a selection of sample entries to help you examine the rich scope of this extraordinary work:
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Dietary Laws
The collective term for the Jewish laws and customs pertaining to the types of food permitted for consumption and their preparation. The Hebrew term is kashrut, which is derived from the root כשר ("fit" or "proper"). Read More »		 Einstein, Albert
Physicist, discoverer of the theory of relativity, and Nobel Prize winner. Born in the German town of Ulm, son of the proprietor of a small electrochemical business, Einstein spent his early youth in Munich. Read More »		 Havana
Capital of Cuba; general population: 2,180,000 (2001); estimated Jewish population 1,000 (82% of the Jews in the country). During colonial times Havana was considered by Spain as "the key to the Americas" for its important strategic location. Read More »		 Meir, Golda
Mapai leader and Israeli prime minister in 1969-74; member of the First to Eighth Knessets. Meir was born in Kiev, Russia, where her father was a skilled carpenter. In 1906 the family migrated to the United States and settled in Milwaukee... Read More »