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Rachel B. Gross

Rachel B. Gross

Rachel B. Gross is an assistant professor and the John and Marcia Goldman Chair of American Jewish Studies in the Department of Jewish Studies at San Francisco State University.

a ceramic plate with two latkes served with sour cream and apple sauce
Posted inLocal Voice

Potato latkes really aren’t that old. Here’s their true history.

Rachel B. Gross by Rachel B. Gross December 30, 2024December 30, 2024

Although we might think that the potato latke is timeless, Jews have been frying up potato pancakes for Hanukkah for a relatively short time. “The Maccabees never saw a potato, […]

Traditional Jewish religious practice is fading among new generations of American Jews, according to the Pew Research Center's 2021 study on American Jews. (Photo/JTA-Yochi Rappeport-Wikimedia Commons)
Posted inLocal Voice

Surveys asking American Jews if they’re religious miss the point

Rachel B. Gross by Rachel B. Gross and JTA May 11, 2021May 12, 2021
The cover of 1933's bilingual Yiddish-English cookbook “Crisco Recipes for the Jewish Housewife.”
Posted inHistory

Crisco and Jews: A story 4,000 years in the making

Rachel B. Gross by Rachel B. Gross March 2, 2020March 2, 2020
A Reuben at Katz's Deli in New York — a perfect example of very Jewish, but very un-kosher food (Photo/Flickr-BPPrice CC BY 2.0)
Posted inOpinion

Jewish food does not begin and end with kashrut

Rachel B. Gross by Rachel B. Gross February 15, 2018February 16, 2018
Mae Rockland Tupa’s "Hanukkah Lamp," 1974
Posted inLocal Voice, History, Opinion

Is the Statue of Liberty a Jewish woman?

Rachel B. Gross by Rachel B. Gross July 3, 2017July 3, 2019

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