Forward.com – All

Summarizing 15 Years — and Millennia

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:45:00 EST

A college friend of mine recently found me on Facebook. We hadn’t spoken to each other since graduation, but I was happy to hear from him. Since we had been out of touch for so long, he began by summarizing the last 15 years of his life. In a few bullet-pointed sentences, he concisely explained how he had started a Ph.D. program, left to work in the corporate world and married and had a child. I was surprised how such a long period of time could be encapsulated so succinctly, and I did my best to describe my adulthood in a few brief sentences.

Darwin and Gods — for Kids

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:29:00 EST

Children’s book author Deborah Heiligman has been interested in religion since she was a teenager, majoring in religious studies in college. “When you look at a people and its religion, you’re looking at sociology, psychology, history, anthropology,” she said. “You really are studying every aspect of their society.” Meanwhile, her husband, science writer Jonathan Weiner, has always been fascinated by science. His 1994 book, “The Beak of the Finch,” about the ongoing process of evolution on the Galapagos Islands, won the Pulitzer Prize. Heiligman and Weiner’s marriage is, you could say, one of science and religion. Now, Heiligman has a new book about one of science and religion’s most formidable pairings; it was a finalist for this year’s National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

South African Jewish Leader Mendel Kaplan Dies at 73

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:36:00 EST

Prominent South African Jewish leader and philanthropist Mendel Kaplan has died at the age of 73.

Obama: New Sanctions on Iran Are Forthcoming

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:03:00 EST

President Obama said that within the next few weeks, the United States and other world powers would be formulating new sanctions on Iran.

Responding to Rocket Fire, Israel Hits Gaza Targets

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:21:00 EST

Israeli airstrikes hit targets in Gaza in response to a Kassam rocket fired into the Negev.

My Birth-dad on My Birthday

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:21:00 EST

Shira Dicker was adopted as an infant, and spent decades fantasizing about her phantom birth father, whom she met for the first time at age 48. On the eve of her 49th birthday, Dicker ponders whether or not her birth father would acknowledge her birthday — and the implications of such an acknowledgement.

Funding for Overseas Jews In Disarray as Agencies Duel

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:11:00 EST

Threatening to shake the fragile structure of the American Jewish federations’ umbrella organization, one of the key partners for overseas funding has turned down a proposed agreement on distribution of funds, putting the system in a state of disarray.

G.A.’s Savior Is the Russian Oligarch ‘Who Got Away’

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:08:00 EST

In his lively introduction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the recent General Assembly in Washington, Leonid Nevzlin reminded the audience just how unexpected and unusual a role this was for him.

Hasidic Village’s Neighbors Have Slaughterhouse Blues

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:56:00 EST

Evelyn Moses’s family has owned the unincorporated plot of land on which she lives, an hour drive north of New York City, for decades. When she inherited it in 1994, it was surrounded on all sides by trees, with a small dirt road running alongside it. “Nice country living,” she said.

Former Agriprocessors CEO Rubashkin Sent to Prison

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:55:00 EST

Sholom Rubashkin, a former executive at the Agriprocessors kosher meat company, was found guilty of 86 counts of bank fraud committed while managing the company’s finances — a verdict that could land him in prison for life.

Ethiopian Jews Celebrate a Festival, Gain Israeli Attention for Their Traditions

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:49:00 EST

It looked like a scene straight out of the Bible. The men at the front wore outfits based on those of the Priests of the Ancient Temple of Jerusalem, and sent out over the hills a wail that could be heard several miles away.

November 27, 2009

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:46:00 EST

The Gender Gap Isn’t Only at the Top: The information contained in the November 13 article “Jewish Women Lag Behind Men in Promotion and Pay,” regarding the large discrepancy in pay and promotion between Jewish women and men in Jewish communal organizations, is not new.

Rubashkin’s Crimes

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:45:00 EST

For the Jewish community, the response to the conviction of Sholom Rubashkin, former vice president of the now-defunct Agriprocessors kosher meat company, on 86 counts of felony fraud should be a of extreme embarrassment over yet another example — did we need any more this year? — of a Jewish businessman gone bad.

A Wall For Us All

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:41:00 EST

An Israeli woman was arrested by the Western Wall for wearing a prayer shawl, an act of devotion common in many American synagogues. The self-named rabbinic authorities claim such behavior is offensive. But for many women, the act of prayer is incomplete without a tallit.

An American Yom Tov

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:19:00 EST

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite national holiday. In fact, although I am a religious Jew (or rather, because I am a religious Jew), it rivals my favorite Jewish holidays for my affection.

The Wages of Liberal Guilt

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:18:00 EST

‘Should” may be the most dangerous word in modern politics, because on its wings do some bad ideas fly.

Trying Terrorists

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:18:00 EST

If Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his cronies wanted to undermine America’s democratic faith, they couldn’t have found a better plan than to get themselves arrested and force us to figure out what to do with them. Where to put these guys is one of those questions, like the ancient riddle of the Sphinx, that has no answer and exists only to drive us mad. And it will if we let it.

A Time for Counting

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:17:00 EST

The end of a decade provides a good opportunity for taking stock. The American Jewish community has had a tradition of conducting a decennial population survey that looks at its aggregate numbers but also beyond to paint a detailed portrait of Jewish demography and identity. Unfortunately, with the first decade of the 21st century nearing its end, there are currently no plans for such a survey for 2010.

A New Yad for the Bar-Mitzvah Set

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST

A ceremonial yad, or Torah pointer, is a traditional gift for a bar or bat mitzvah. But a new technological innovation aimed at helping children learn their Torah and Haftarah portions represents a new kind of competition for this classic ritual item.

Vienna Event Misplaces the ‘Hatikvah’

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:42:00 EST

Talk about “Hope”-less. Organizers of an international fencing competition outside Vienna claim to have misplaced a recording of Israel’s national anthem — nearly preventing the piece, “Hatikvah,” from sounding during an awards ceremony.