From the publication Forward comes this revelation: Marshmallow Peeps are Jewish!
Just as ironic as the fact that "White Christmas" was written by a Jewish composer named Irving Berlin, Peeps, those famously neon-colored marshmallow Easter treats, are also produced by Jews. Based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Just Born Quality Confections has been churning out these decidedly non-kosher sugary sweets since 1953 when it purchased the Rodda Candy Company. While Roscoe Rodda had come up with the original concept of "3D marshmallows," Jewish immigrant Sam Born developed the Peeps we know today.
Educated at rabbinical school in the Ukraine, Sam Born learned the candy business as a teenager when his family fled to France. In 1910, he arrived in the United States and just six years later was awarded the key to the city of San Francisco for his invention of a machine that inserts sticks into lollipops. Joined by his brother-in-law Jack Shaffer and Jack's brother Irv, Sam Born opened candy stores that emphasized freshness with the tag line, "Just Born."
Read the rest.
[H/t Steve Silberman]
Image: Public Domain
