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 What’s An Igbo ‘Jewish High Priest’ Doing At Center Of Political Drama In Nigeria?
A jailed political leader in Nigeria was released on bail last week — with the help of a man described in local papers as a “Jewish Chief High Priest.” Nnamdi Kanu, the high profile head of the Indigenous People of Biafra, a group calling for independence of the Igbo people of Nigeria, was formally released…
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Fast Forward Rapper J. Cole’s Latest Video Features A Hebrew Prayer Shawl
A new music video from rapper J. Cole features a scene set in a Pentecostal church — and features a cleric delivering a sermon with a Hebrew prayer shawl over her shoulders. The speaker is unnamed but the congregation is called the Eastside Christian Communtiy Pentecostal Church and is located in the Atlanta, Georgia, neighborhood…
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Fast Forward Neo-Nazi Publisher Mourns Gorka’s Possible Departure
The publisher of the country’s leading neo-Nazi website lamented the apparent ouster of Sebastian Gorka from the White House and saw the move as part of a “Jew agenda.” “Looking like another one of our guys is out,” Andrew Anglin wrote in a May 1 post on his website the Daily Stormer. Anglin’s website has…
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News Facing Anti-Semitic Trolling Lawsuit, Neo-Nazis Raise 57K For Defense
The publisher of the country’s leading neo-Nazi website has raised tens of thousands of dollars toward his legal defense in a lawsuit involving the anti-Semitic harassment of a Jewish woman in Montana. “The Daily Stormer is being sued by Jewish terrorists,” reads a promotional post on the website of that name, run by Andrew Anglin….
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Fast Forward White Nationalist Richard Spencer: Gorka’s Departure ‘Not Good News’
White nationalist Richard Spencer called Sebastian Gorka’s apparent departure from the White House “not good news,” viewing the move as part of broader tensions between globalists and nationalist in the Trump administration. “Gorka (however imperfect) was on Team Bannon (however imperfect). It indicates a shift towards the Kushnercons,” Spencer wrote on Twitter. “Team Bannon” is…
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News Are Kendrick Lamar’s Hebrew Israelite Lyrics Inspirational — Or ‘Ugly Turn’?
Rapper Kendrick Lamar’s recent lyrics referencing Hebrew Israelite doctrines were widely celebrated by members of that community as a sign that their movement is growing — but decried by some listeners as offensive and even “heretical” to Christians. “It’s a brother returning back to his nationality,” said a member of Israel United in Christ in…
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Fast Forward New ‘Alt-Right’ Gang Vows To Protect Free Speech—With Violence If Necessary
Members of the “alt-right” claim to be forming a fraternal gang in order to better defend their free-speech rights — with violence if necessary — when police fail to do so. “Our emphasis will be on street activism, preparation, defense and confrontation,” Kyle Chapman, a California activist known online as “Based Stickman,” wrote on Facebook…
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Fast Forward ‘Alt-Right’ Leader Promises Berkeley Speech After Ann Coulter Pulls Out
Right-wing commentator Ann Coulter pulled out of a controversial speech at the University of California, Berkeley, earlier this week after losing the backing of conservative groups that had sponsored her appearance — a move that disappointed those on the “alt-right” who saw it as a sign of weakness. “It’s a sad day for free speech,”…
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