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
-
Fast Forward Are Jews Part Of Steve King’s ‘Western Civilization’?
Comments made by Congressman Steve King over the weekend — including his statement that he’s a “champion of Western civilization” — echo ideology espoused by prominent white nationalists or supremacists across the country. And for most of them, Jews are decidedly not part of that civilization — and are viewed as a distinct threat. King…
-
News African ‘Lost Tribe’ Debates DNA Testing For Jewish Roots
A “lost tribe” in Nigeria is turning to genetics to determine whether members have an ancestral connection to the Land of Israel. “In this modern day of scientific advancement, one of the ways we can ascertain whether we are or not related to Jews is by doing DNA matching,” said Dozie Ikedife, an 86-year-old Igbo…
-
Fast Forward For Purim, Right-Wing Preacher Fasting And Praying For Trump — Against The ‘Mind Control’ Media
Right-wing preacher Lance Wallnau is calling on his followers to engage in a Purim fast for President Trump this Purim — against the, media, progressives and the “sabotaging, sniping and snarling” forces that Wallnau sees as aligned against the president. Like Esther, the heroine of the Purim tale, Wallnau hopes that Trump can turn the…
-
Fast Forward What Does The ‘Alt-Right’ Want? The ADL Explains In A Handy Graphic
What does the “alt-right” really want? Last month the white nationalist Counter-Currents editor John Morgan laid out the movement’s principles at a talk in Stolkholm. A slick infographic of nine core demands of the “alt-right” was later posted online. At first glance, the demands and language appear surprisingly tame. So Mark Pitcavage, a researcher for…
-
Fast Forward Jewish Hindu Sings Songs About Islam For Kids — To Protest Trump
A Jewish-raised Hindu named Ben Lee is protesting Donald Trump’s travel ban — with a new album of songs for children. It’s titled, plainly, “Ben Lee Sings Songs About Islam for the Whole Family.” Lee, an Australian musician living in Los Angeles, told the Guardian that he is wanted to spread information about Islam at…
-
Fast Forward POLL: Some New York Jews Would Still Vote For Trump
More than half of Jewish respondents said they would vote for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton if the election were held again in a poll conducted by a New York paper. The poll targeted voters from neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Nassau County and other locations including the Bronx and Albany — areas where the…
-
Fast Forward Which Middle Eastern Airlines Scrub Israel From Their Maps?
Some popular Middle Eastern airlines completely erase Israel’s name off otherwise comprehensive world maps, regardless of if they fly there or not. Why is this? For example, Qatar Airways and Saudia and Kuwait Airways all omit Israel, the Economist reported. Still other airlines take another approach. Egypt Air does include Israel on its map —…
-
Fast Forward White Nationalist Richard Spencer Doubles Down On ‘Hail Trump’ Salute
White nationalist and “alt-right” leader Richard Spencer is doubling down on his controversial “Hail Trump” salute in a “video tribute” of the speech on his new website Altright.com. “I guess I forgot to apologize for saying ‘Hail Trump! Hail Our People! Hail Victory!’ and offending some people,” Spencer wrote on Twitter. “My bad.” “Hail Trump!…
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward ‘Rabbi rebellion’: 33 Orthodox rabbis endorse Harris
- 2
Opinion Almost all voting groups shifted toward Trump, except American Jews. Why?
- 3
Opinion I was a Bernie supporter. This year, I’m voting Trump. Here’s why liberal Jews like me made the switch
- 4
Opinion Here’s why Orthodox Jews are loyal to Trump — even if they don’t love him
In Case You Missed It
-
News Dutch Jews grapple with ‘weaponization’ of their fear following attack on Israelis
-
Looking Forward How the Amsterdam pogrom is—and isn’t—like Europe in the 1930s
-
Opinion Letter to a young poll worker: Why you must stay hopeful when the world threatens to break you
-
Opinion Trump’s election proves it: The idea of an ‘American Jewish community’ is a myth
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism