(JTA) - There's no sugarcoating it: 2020 was a difficult, trying, tragic year.

But just because COVID-19 dominated the headlines and our personal lives, that doesn't mean there weren't any Jewish bright spots. Plenty of history was made, from a march of tens of thousands against anti-Semitism to a new kind of vaccine that Jewish doctors helped create, to a Jewish vice-presidential spouse.

Here are some of the Jewish stories that helped distract us from the pain of the past year.

The Jews involved with the vaccine

Several Jewish scientists have been at the forefront of the rush to produce an...