(JTA) — Lev Parnas tried to leverage aid to Ukraine to get President Joe Biden investigated. His son is racking up millions of TikTok views by praising Biden for giving Ukraine aid without conditions. Aaron Parnas, who is 22, has emerged as a leading pro-Ukraine voice on the video app. He posts videos of himself updating…
(New York Jewish Week via JTA) – The New York State Education Department released long-awaited guidelines Thursday on teaching secular subjects in parochial schools. They were met with immediate pushback from Orthodox Jewish leaders. The new proposals offer several options for schools to prove their instruction is “substantially equivalent” to public schools, and will take…
(JTA) — The United States’ negotiations to reenter the Iran nuclear deal were put on hold on Friday after a last-minute Russian maneuver to try to alleviate sanctions on its trade with Iran. The months-long negotiations in Vienna were so close to coming to a climax that a podium had been set up at the…
(JTA) — A year after photos of Jewish children dressed in blackface during Purim drew widespread condemnation, several leading Jewish groups in the New York area have issued stern guidance in advance of next week’s holiday. Refrain from using blackface. Don’t choose costumes that appropriate other cultures. And avoid reenacting the hanging of Haman, the…
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Madison Cawthorn, the North Carolina Republican congressman with a knack for controversy, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug” whose government pushes “woke” ideologies. “Remember that Zelenskyy is a thug,” Cawthorn said in a video posted Thursday by WRAL, the NBC affiliate in Raleigh. “Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt…
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul received the endorsement of about a dozen leaders of Jewish communities Thursday in heavily Orthodox neighborhoods in the Five Towns in Nassau County and Far Rockaway, Queens. The endorsement comes as Hochul seeks to solidify her standing in the polls and lock up more support from the state’s 1.8 million…
(JTA) – When it comes to antisemitism on social media, the algorithms governing the major platforms shoulder some of the blame for their reach. But the Anti-Defamation League hopes to fight the spread — by creating an algorithm of its own. The Jewish civil rights group announced Tuesday that it has built a system called…
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Miriam Adelson, the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and a Republican kingmaker in her own right, loaned former Vice President Mike Pence a plane this week — affording him the kind of photo-ops that presidential contenders cherish. Pence met in Israel with its prime minister and president, toured a settler enclave…
(JTA) – Eight women have accused Éric Zemmour, a Jewish candidate in France’s presidential elections, of sexual misconduct, dating as far back as 1999. The women spoke on camera to Mediapart, a left-leaning news channel, about Zemmour, a far-right politician, with some saying he groped and kissed them against their will. Seven of the interviewees…
ANN ARBOR, Michigan (JTA) — Like many American universities today, the University of Michigan wants its community to know that it is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, known as DEI. But for Jews, an email its chief diversity officer sent today inadvertently communicated the opposite effect. In a letter to all students, staff and…
(New York Jewish Week via JTA) — After two years of Covid restrictions, Jews across the city are preparing for crowded Purim events, ranging from synagogue services and rock shows to queer Megillah readings and dance parties. While Purim is traditionally celebrated inside of a synagogue, the holiday — with its themes of masquerade and…
