Peddlers & Parchment, a Brooklyn Escape Room

The importance of Yichus and the difficulties of genealogy for the Jewish people. Help arrives with modern DNA testing.

Regardless of our station in life, we all have a noble heritage. The fact that we are here today to even ponder our beginnings means that our ancestors were successful in bringing later generations into existence. We can feel proud of that accomplishment - the mitzvah of being fruitful and multiplying. This fosters respect and appreciation for the lives of our ancestors, the trials and tribulations they faced, the obstacles they overcame, and the sacrifices they made that eve

Previously we discussed Arthur Kurzweil’s genealogical research into his father's side of the family. Now we will continue on his journey to uncover his mother's family history. The story of Kurzweil's investigation into his mother's ancestors is far more intense than his father's. It evolves from research to becoming a question of identity. We hope to emulate the sense of adventure, those perplexing and puzzling moments in our escape room - where there is never a guarantee

Any genealogist researching their family history essentially becomes a detective, only without the official title. They must research, analyze that information, and search for clues hidden in seemingly inconsequential places. Answered questions only open up the possibility for yet more questions to be asked because the web of ancestry grows larger and more obscure the father back one goes. Arthur Kurzweil in his book “From Generation to Generation”, which is a guide to tracin

Just a few days ago, the 19th of Shvat, marked an important day for thousands of people. The common thread between them is their shared lineage, as all of them are descendants of the Tzaddik, The Shpoler Zeide. A Fateful Bris In the year 1793, the Shpoler Zayde was in the town of Boguslav, about half-way between Shpole and Kiev. The river Ros divides the town of Boguslav. In this town, on the other side of the river, a son was born to one of the villagers and the Bris (circum

“ For man is a tree of the field” -Deutoronomy 20:19 Tonight we are celebrating the New Year for Trees, Tu BShvat. As we learn from the intriguing verse above, man and tree are connected, and trees have valuable lessons to teach us all. A tree itself is made up of different parts. There are the roots, the trunk, the branches, and the fruits that are produced. While the trunk, branches, and fruit are all integral to the makeup of trees, it is the roots that they are all most

“It always takes twice as long and costs twice as much as you think it will“ This well known expression deftly addresses the common occurrence of human miscalculation. We see this going back to as early as the Jewish People themselves, waiting for Moses to return with the tablets from G-D. 40 days they are told to wait for this magnificent occasion. However the Jewish People miscalculate the 40 days and, thinking that Moses should be back already, they panic and create the go

(Based on Gamliel Beyderman's guest post previously published on Matzav.com) Over his Chanukah break, my 14-year old yeshiva bochur went to an unusual entertainment venue called “Escape Room” in Manhattan along with his whole class. He felt thrust into an extraordinary situation (“You have on hour to break out of the sinking sub before you run out of oxygen!”), an actor in an interactive movie. The classmates were briefly told the story outline and then the door was locked be