Forward.com

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.

Sy Syms, Retail Magnate and Y.U. Benefactor, Dies at 83

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:20:00 EST

Sy Syms, the founder of the discount retail clothing chain Syms and the founding board member of the Sy Syms School of Business at New York’s Yeshiva University, died November 17. He was 83, and the cause of death was heart failure.

Were Israelis Banned From Komen’s Egyptian Cancer Meeting?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:08:00 EST

When the international advocacy and fundraising organization Susan G. Komen for the Cure called two Israeli advocates to invite them to a breast cancer conference in Egypt, “we were very excited about it,” one of the women said. “This is a level we never dreamed of, breaking political barriers. This collaborative effort with Middle East women dealing with the same issues we are. This holds us together, this universal experience.”

Yuri Foreman: Future Rabbi, Present World Champion

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:59:00 EST

Boxing is a sport for immigrants, for tough young men looking to make a living. Which is why it used to be a sport for American Jews. Before World War II, there were a number of superior Jewish fighters, like Benny Leonard, Barney Ross and Maxie Rosenbloom. But these days, the Jews in boxing tend to be promoters.

It’s Off to the Races With a Jockey Named Cohen

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:05:00 EST

It’s the sixth race at New York’s Aqueduct Racetrack, and David Cohen is rounding into the home stretch on the back of a black filly named Beautiful Pear. He is crouched over her, the both of them gray from splattered dirt, his whip slapping furiously at the filly’s right shoulder as they battle toward the grandstand.

Amid Growing Crisis, U.S. Asks Israel for Action To Boost Abbas

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:21:00 EST

Facing a political crisis in the Palestinian Authority, the Obama administration has privately presented Israel with a list of measures it should take to bolster embattled leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Perfect Storm: Wide Gaps, Weak Leaders, Elusive Peace

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:20:00 EST

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s threat to withdraw from Palestinian Authority politics — an act that could have grave consequences should he make good on it — is only the tip of a large iceberg threatening to sink the very structure of Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.

The Life, Death and Judaica of a Russian Oligarch

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:19:00 EST

Like everything else about his colorful life — which ended abruptly and violently in a hail of bullets on a Moscow street in early November — Shabtai von Kalmanovic’s large collection of Judaica has been both shrouded in mystery and subject to exaggeration.

Tariq Ramadan Gets a Hero’s Welcome, and Cold Shoulders, at Religion Scholars Confab

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:18:00 EST

Swiss-born Muslim scholar and public intellectual Tariq Ramadan has for decades been a lightning rod for controversy. He was barred from entry to America by the Patriot Act’s “ideological exclusion provision,” and then on account of his financial contributions to two Hamas charities. Even so, he took center stage at the American Academy of Religion’s annual conference, this year held in Montreal — allowing him to attend.

Shalom Y’all: New Rabbi Lights Up Southern Town

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:16:00 EST

After her historic ordination and the swarm of press coverage it triggered, mainstream Judaism’s first black woman rabbi, Alysa Stanton, settles into her new role, leading a small congregation in Greenville, N.C

Visa Issues Lead to a Shortage of Religious Staffers

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:15:00 EST

A pathway used by many Jewish institutions to bring foreign religious and educational workers into the United States is tightening due to increased scrutiny from immigration authorities.

At Reform Biennial, Yoffie Pushes For Jewish Eating

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:13:00 EST

When Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, delivers his Saturday-morning sermon at the group’s biennial conference, he sets the movement’s priorities for the coming two years. His message in Toronto this month was: Let’s eat like Jews.

Be Your Own Investigative Journalist

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:19:00 EST

The Forward recently surveyed the 75 most prominent national American Jewish organizations and found that fewer than one in six is run by women, and those women are paid 61 cents for every dollar earned by men. How did the Forward arrive at this information? And how can you do your own due diligence to learn about the finances and salaries at your local Jewish organization?

With Federation Leaders, Obama Stresses Importance of Healthcare Reform

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:22:00 EST

After canceling his scheduled speech at the Jewish federations’ General Assembly in light of the massacre at Fort Hood, President Barack Obama hosted a group of 50 federation leaders for a Monday evening reception at the White House.

Bibi at GA: Restart Peace Talks Without Preconditions

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:27:00 EST

Hours before entering the White House for a meeting with President Barack Obama, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the podium at the General Assembly of Jewish federations to send a message to Obama, the Palestinians and the entire world.

In Mayoral Race, N.Y. Jews Back Bloomberg

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:13:00 EST

New York’s Jews overwhelmingly voted to re-elect Michael Bloomberg to a third term in the citywide elections for mayor on Tuesday.