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 Kendrick Lamar Hebrew Israelite On ‘Damn’
Kendrick Lamar became the first rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music on Monday. Lamar also has a fascinating connection to the Hebrew Israelites, a mostly black group that claims Jewish roots. On the latest album from Grammy Award winning rapper Kendrick Lamar, the artist appears to declare himself a Hebrew Israelite — or,…
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Fast Forward Billionaire Stephen Schwarzman Urged Trump To Keep The Dreamers Program
Billionaire Stephen Schwarzman has become much closer to the president in recent days and played a critical role in Trump keeping the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as the Dreamers program, which gives the children of illegal immigrants two-year green cards. Schwarzman, the CEO of Blackstone Group and longtime acquaintance of President…
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Fast Forward Huma Abedin Contemplating $2 Million Post-Campaign Book Deal
Huma Abedin, the estranged wife of former Congressman Anthony Weiner and longtime aide to Hillary Clinton has begun meeting with literary agents about a new book project. The book could show her side of the sexting scandal and also her role in Hillary Clinton’s presidential run, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Abedin might forgo a…
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Fast Forward ‘Alt-Right’ White Nationalist Richard Spencer To Speak At Alabama University
“Alt-right” figurehead and white nationalist Richard Spencer plans to speak at Auburn University in Alabama next week. In an online announcement, Spencer said that he will be speaking about President Trump, Syria and the “alt-right.” “If this event is anything like my other ones, it is going to be wild. So, I hope to see…
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Fast Forward WATCH: Rabbinical Student Urges Black-Jewish Unity In Chicago Seder
At a Passover Seder held on a street corner on the South Side of Chicago, a well known black rabbinical student urged African-Americans and Jews in Chicago to come together to prevent gun violence, during what many feel is a larger moment of national uncertainty. “Two peoples, African Americans and Jews, whose collective histories are…
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Fast Forward Televangelist Who ‘Laid Hands’ On Trump Is Hosting A Special Passover Seder
A popular televangelist who “laid hands” on Donald Trump leading up the election — praying for the candidate’s success and evoking Jesus Christ — will be hosting a “Messianic Seder” on the second night of Passover. “I’m going to show you the different elements, beloved ones, of the Passover and show you the application for…
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News The ‘Alt-Right’ Is Blaming The Jews For Trump’s Syria Airstrike
President Trump’s Thursday airstrike against Syria may strip him of the support and adoration of his “alt-right” and white nationalist fans — some of whom are describe the move as part of a “Jewish coup” of Trump’s White House. “I am ready to condemn Donald Trump,” white nationalist Richard Spencer who popularized the term “alt-right,”…
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Fast Forward Will The ‘Alt-Right’ Break Up With Trump Over Syria?
President Trump’s airstrike against Syria may cause him to lose his “alt-right” support. “I am ready to condemn Donald Trump,” white nationalist Richard Spencer said in a YouTube video to his followers, but stopped just short of doing so. “I certainly condemn these actions just taken in Syria.” The video, posted Friday morning, was titled…
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