Signe Bergstrom - The Ultimate Jewish Trivia Book: 500 Questions to Test Your Oy Q

FALL RIVER PRESS and the distinctive Fall River Press logo are registered trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. 2011 by Jennifer Grace This 2011 edition published by Fall River Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. ISBN 978-1-4351-3884-1 (e-book) Printed and bound in the United States of America 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 The information in this book has been drawn from many sources and is assumed to be accurate. Although every effort has been made to verify the information, the publishers cannot guarantee its perfect accuracy. INTRODUCTION The Whole Megillah P onder this: approximately 22 percent of Nobel Prize winners have been Jews, despite the fact that Jews comprise less than one-quarter of 1 percent of the worlds population.

Choose any fieldscience, economics, entertainment, medicineand youll find not one, not two, but a long list of Jews who have excelled in it. Even sportsyes, sports. (Heard of Sandy Koufax? No? Turn .) And dont get me started on the field of psychotherapy; we practically invented it. Oy vey. Yes, weve spent years and years being among the persecuted; in some neighborhoods and corners of the earth, we still are. But, through all the tears, anger, and hostility, weve emerged with a fail-proof weapon: laughter.

If you dont start laughing, youll never stop crying. Laughter is a form of resiliency, after all. Beyond this, though, we also happen to be really smart. Dont believe me? Three words: Marx, Freud, and Einstein. Now thats what I call an impressive resume. So, if were so smart, why dont we know more about who we are and where were from? The Ultimate Jewish Trivia Book is the perfect way to exercise your noggin.

Chock-full of interesting and often little-known factoids, its a guidebook for every Jew, whether wise or simple. Covering information on everything from Biblical history to the wonderful world of fashion, The Ultimate Jewish Trivia Book delves into the whole megillahand then some. CHAPTER ONE The Good Old Days: Jewish and Israeli History [God,] I know we are your chosen people, but once in
a while, cant you choose someone else?
Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof M el Brooks classic 1981 film, History of the World, Part One, spans the great swath of time, with Brooks appearing in no fewer than five roles, Moses and Comicus, the stand-up philosopher, among them. From the Dawn of Man to the French Revolution, the film includes reenactments of the giving of the Ten Commandments and the Last Supper. And so it is with this chapter: to recount the history of the Jew and his impact on civilization, one would have to cast the lens far into the past; Judaism is one of the worlds few cultures that seems to have seen it all. Done that. Done that.

Before the New Testament, there was the Old. Before the civil calendar, there was the lunisolar calendar, with all its million and one Jewish holidays. And while we pride ourselves on the longevity of our culture, for the sake of brevity, weve cut to the chase to give you the ultimate questions that test the core of who you are and where you came from. Descendant of Moses? Sure. Descendant of Abraham? Maybe. 1. 1.

About 3,800 years ago, what did Terah, along with his son Abraham, Abrahams wife Sarah, and his grandson Lot, do, to be considered Ivri (Hebrew)? a. He changed his sons name from Abram to Abraham b. He built an altar c. He tended a flock of sheep d. He fled the City of Ur and crossed the River Eber 2. What did Abraham establish regarding the land of Haran (located in modern day Turkey), that would forever affect the identity of many of his descendants? a.

A synagogue b. A covenant with God c. A woodsmith shop d. A dried goods store 3. Which of Abrahams sons became the father of the Arab nation? a. Isaac c. Isaac c.

Abimelech d. Zimran 4. Which of Abrahams grandsons would reject the covenant? a. Esau b. Ishbak c. Midian d.

Jokshan 5. Jacob, another of Abrahams grandsons, confirmed the covenant. For this, what did God change his name to? a. Joshua b. Ishmael c. Israel d.

Nahor 6. What are Jacobs twelve children known as? a. The Chosen b. The Tribe of Judah c. The Many d. The Israelites 7.

Whom is a Jew a descendant of? a. Judah b. Yahweh c. Abraham d. Saul 8. Who was David Ben-Gurion? a.

A leader of civil rights b. The first prime minister of Israel c. The first king of Israel d. The last son of Abraham 9. Who is an Israeli? a. Any Jewish person b.

Anyone who declares himself so c. Someone who is born and/or lives in Israel d. Someone who believes in God

10. What is the land of milk and honey also called? a. Greece b. Tel Aviv c.

The Promised Land d. Heaven 11. Outside of Israel, which country has the largest Jewish population? a. France b. Russia c. Ukraine d.

The United States 12. The name Adam comes from the Hebrew word Adamah, which means what? a. The first b. Ground, or earth c. Friend d. Light 13.

Who was Abraham Isaac Kook? a. The first chief rabbi of Israel b. The first prime minister of Israel c. A famous historian d. Founder of the Delos Synagogue 14. What are teraphim? a.

Protective spirits b. A sect of Judaism c. Statues of local deities d. A group of artisans 15. According to the Jewish calendar, which is based on a lunisolar system, what year was Abraham born? a. 2000 c. 1947 d. 1948 16. 1948 16.

In modern times, what year did Jews come back to Israel and found their nation? a. 1948 b. 1959 c. 1901 d. 2001 17. Contrary to the concept of idolatry, what did Abraham discover? a.

Atheism b. Monotheism c. Deism d. Pantheism 18. Instead of offering his son Isaac to God, what did Abraham sacrifice instead? a. A ram c. A ram c.

Himself d. His wife 19. According to tradition, which four couples are buried in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron? a. Adam and Eve, Isaac and Sarah, Jacob and Leah, Abraham and Rebekah b. Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Leah, Jacob and Rebekah c. Adam and Eve, Abraham and Leah, Isaac and Sarah, Jacob and Rebekah d.