Matt A. Hanson
By Matt A. Hanson
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Life Why This Turkish Fashion Designer Chose A Former Synagogue For Her Runway Backdrop
This Istanbul synagogue is named after the “bangs of a bride’s hair”: “Zulf-u arus”, a classic Ottoman Turkish turn of phrase, combining both Persian and Arabic words. It’s a fitting name, perhaps, for the building of a former synagogue that was chosen to serve as the stage for a fashion show as part of Istanbul…
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News Meet Moses Elisaf, The First Jewish Mayor In Greece, The Cradle Of Democracy
The municipal elections of a small city may seem like an unlikely way to make history after 2,300 years of history, but that’s what happened in June when the Greek city of Ioannina elected a Jew as mayor — the first ever in Greece, despite widespread anti-Semitism. The mayor-elect of Ioannina, from a region subject…
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News Gravestones Are Mockingly Vandalized, And Those Left Behind Mourn A Second Time
Four pebbles balance on the headstone of Rose Gitlin, signs of a Jewish rite so ancient its origins are unknown. The Talmud says stones root departed souls to the earth. They also last longer than flowers. The superstitious offer them as a protection against demons and golems. Above Rose Gitlin’s name, below the stones, an…
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