Mark Shiffer

Passion for History

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Feb 10, 2022, 6:00 AM

The Nazi Officers Who Defied the SS

Albert Battel is a little known German military figure from World War Two, but is worth remembering. This is his story, along with a few other Germans who helped him. Albert Battel was born in what was then part of...

Jan 3, 2022, 6:19 PM

The Incredible World of the Cairo Genizah

Often in the discipline of history, finding evidence is a painstaking process. Documents are difficult to find and then just as hard to decipher. However, sometimes treasures of historical documents are found and reveal a distinct historical place or...

Jun 10, 2021, 7:36 PM

Democratic theocracy? The judges of ancient Israel

The Book of Judges was a fascinating period of conflict and turmoil in ancient Israel. Lasting two hundred years, it spans the period between Joshua and King Saul, roughly between 1200 and 1000 BCE. What makes the era most interesting...

May 21, 2021, 1:05 AM

Israel’s disengagement from Gaza in 2005

2005 was a year of turmoil for Israel. The Jewish state took control of the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day-War, In the following decades, a relatively small number of Jews moved into the enclave, reaching 8,000 by 2005,...

Apr 27, 2021, 5:57 PM

Tiger in the sea: A remarkable true story

An exciting new book is being published on May 14. Tiger in the Sea: The Ditching of Flying Tiger 923 and the Desperate Struggle for Survival was written by Eric Lindner and tells the incredible story of Tiger Flight...

Mar 1, 2021, 6:38 PM

New film About the life of Rabbi Abraham Heschel

Martin Doblmeier has produced a new documentary on the life of famous twentieth century Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. The film, SPIRITUAL AUDACITY: The Abraham Joshua Heschel Story, takes a closer look at Heschel's life and achievements. And it is quite...

Feb 17, 2021, 5:37 PM

Jews and the American civil rights movement

It was a time of massive upheaval in the United States. The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s was the catalyst for social change, as African-Americans sought full integration into mainstream American society. The role of Jews...

Jan 21, 2021, 7:37 PM

Moses Maimonides

Moses Maimonides, also known as Rambam, was a major medieval Jewish scholar, philosopher, and physician. Much of his writing is still popular and studied as an important contribution to Jewish thought. Maimonides was born in 1135 in the city of...

Dec 21, 2020, 5:44 PM

A History of Jews and Christmas

December 25th in the Western world is typically a safe experience for Jews today. Aside from the constant risks of assimilation, the Christmas holiday has taken on a more secular status for many. Yet, this was not always the...

Nov 19, 2020, 1:10 AM

The Trial and Lynching of American Leo Frank

Leo Frank was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1884. He was the son of immigrant German Jewish parents. After graduating from university, in 1908 Frank found employment managing a pencil factory in Atlanta, Georgia. Shortly after moving to Atlanta,...

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About Me

Mark Shiffer is a freelance writer living in Canada. He has a degree in history and loves writing about the subject. Mark particularly enjoys Jewish history, as it encompasses a massive time span and many regions of the world.

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