JTA
By JTA
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The Schmooze Before Ali G and Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen Played a Sweaty Hasidic Jew
British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen revealed that before he became famous for Ali G, he performed a sweaty Hasidic character at Jewish retirement homes. In an unusually candid Jewish-themed interview on Monday’s nearly two-hour “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast, Baron Cohen, 45, said he and his older brother as teenagers did a routine that he…
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Fast Forward Hungary Jews Will Rebury Remains of Nazi-Era Victims
Hungary’s Jewish community received government permission to bury human remains from the Holocaust that were found in the Danube River. The bones, which were discovered five years ago during construction work on the Margaret Bridge, belong to several people who were murdered either by being shot on the banks of the river and dumped into…
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Fast Forward Abe Foxman Wins Germany’s Highest Civilian Honor
Abraham Foxman received Germany’s highest civilian honor. Foxman, the national director emeritus of the Anti-Defamation League, was presented with the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit earlier this week by German Ambassador to the United States Peter Wittig, at the German Ambassador’s residence in Washington DC. “Your voice has been a voice of tolerance…
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Fast Forward Israel Imposes ‘Loyalty’ Test for Arts Funding
Israel’s Justice Ministry approved legislation that would make government cultural funding contingent on the recipient’s “loyalty” to the Jewish state. The ministry, headed by Jewish Home party member Ayelet Shaked, green-lighted the legislation, which has not yet been brought to the Knesset for a vote, on Wednesday, the Times of Israel reported. The “loyalty in…
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Fast Forward Georgetown Plans Holocaust Program With $10M Gift
Georgetown University will create a permanent program on the forensic study of the Holocaust using a new $10 million gift. The donation to the Washington, D.C., school is from Norman and Irma Braman, a Florida couple who have made large gifts to other universities and hospitals. Norman Braman is founding chairman of the Holocaust Memorial…
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Fast Forward President Obama Signs Anti-BDS Bill — Won’t Apply to Settlements
President Barack Obama signed a bill that punishes the BDS campaign against Israel, but said he will not apply a segment that extends protections to West Bank settlements. The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, aimed at removing unfair barriers to competitive U.S. trade, passed the U.S. House of Representatives in December and…
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Fast Forward ‘Sauna Rabbi’ Jonathan Rosenblatt Quits Post at Riverdale Jewish Center
The Riverdale Jewish Center’s Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, who has been under fire for having sauna chats with boys from the synagogue, reportedly has resigned from his position at the synagogue. Rosenblatt told the Riverdale Jewish Center on Wednesday that he will step down from his position as Senior Rabbi of the congregation, the Times of…
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Fast Forward Oberlin Students Push Back Against Jewish Alumni on BDS
Jewish student leaders at Oberlin College in Ohio pushed back against an alumni effort to “defeat” the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment movement against Israel. “We as students want to have meaningful, nuanced conversations about Israel,” Oberlin students Eli Hovland, Emily Isaacson and Sarah Keller wrote in an Op-Ed published this week on the website of…
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