Sam Kestenbaum is a contributing editor and former staff writer for the Forward. Before this, he worked for The New York Times and newsrooms in Sana, Ramallah and Beijing. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum and on Instagram at @skestenbaum.
Sam Kestenbaum
By Sam Kestenbaum
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Fast Forward REPORT: White Supremacist Murders Doubled In 2017
Murders committed by American white supremacists more than doubled in 2017 over the previous year, according to a new Anti-Defamation League report. White supremacists were responsible for 18 of the total 34 extremist-related killings in the country, the ADL repoted. The report, “Murder and Extremism in the United States in 2017,” was released Wednesday by…
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Fast Forward People Who Say They Aren’t Religious Still Pray — And Think God Hears Them
Just over half of all adults in the United Kingdom pray, even those who say they’re not religious, a new poll shows. One in five adults who say they’re not religious still pray — and half of those say they think God hears their prayers. A poll done by Christian aid agency, Tearfund, found that…
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Fast Forward Neo-Nazi: My Holocaust Threats Are OK, Because I Don’t Think It Happened
Andrew Anglin, the neo-Nazi website publisher who called for an online “troll storm” against a Jewish woman in Montana, is arguing in court that the barrage of phone calls and anti-Semitic messages were not a threat — and she could simply have ignored them. Many of the messagers were anti-Semitic and Holocaust-related. Anglin is also…
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News This Jew-Hater Has A Twitter Army. Will It Help Him Win A Real-Life Election?
After President Trump’s upset win in the 2016 election, the “alt-right” boasted that their enthusiastic online embrace propelled the reality TV star-turned-politician into office. And yet, since Trump’s election they haven’t enjoyed any significant political success, and were especially disappointed by the defeat of Roy Moore in Alabama. Now, as the country looks toward the…
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Fast Forward Some Say The Messiah Is Coming — On Israel’s New High-Speed Train
A new high-speed train nearing completion in Jerusalem is being celebrated as a sign that the Messiah is on the way. Breaking Israel News, a website that caters to prophetically-minded readers, declared that “many esoteric hints indicate the road to the Third Temple will be paved with train tracks.” There is, the website writes, a…
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News Jews Gather To Eat Bacon With A Rabbi’s Blessing — And Celebrate Their History
At an event hall in early January, some 80 Californian foodies gathered to indulge in artisanal food prepared by Jewish chefs from the area. The dishes were locally sourced and carefully presented. An organizer lauded the spread as food made “mindfully,” and a Jewish rabbi offered a reverential prayer. No rubber chicken here — but…
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Fast Forward In Sitcom Reboot, Roseanne Barr’s Family Will Be Pro-Trump
Roseanne Barr — comedian, onetime political hopeful, and overall outsize character — is rebooting her hit 1990s sitcom this spring, and said that the family at the center of the show will be supporters of Donald Trump. “In The Roseanne Show, I’ve always tried to have it be a true reflection of the society we…
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Fast Forward Paul Nehlen Calls On ‘Alt-Right’ Trolls To Fight ‘Jewish Media’
Paul Nehlen, the political newcomer aiming to unseat Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in a Republican primary, has been capitalizing on the online culture wars and flirting with the hardcore white nationalist elements online in a bid for their support. He even solicits the help of online trolls to go after his political adversaries…
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