(JTA) — In late April, police in London and Chicago broke up splashy Jewish weddings that far exceeded the number of people allowed under social distancing rules. Since then, no weddings have made the Jewish news — but that could change in the next day. That’s because tonight begins Lag b’Omer, a holiday when observant Jews get…
(JTA) — A shopper at a suburban San Diego supermarket was asked to remove a face mask decorated with a swastika. It’s another incident of stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus crisis being conflated with Nazi Germany. .@kroger Looks like you have the opportunity to respond better @Vons to a customer signaling hatred in your #Santee…
(JTA) — The New York Health Department has sent a warning to the Brooklyn synagogue whose funeral for their spiritual leader two weeks ago led Mayor Bill de Blasio to lash out at the entire Jewish community. A cease-and-desist order was served Friday as Congregation Kahal Tolaas Yaakov, located in the Williamsburg neighborhood, continued to…
The health guidelines issued by one of the country’s biggest Orthodox Jewish organizations proclaim that the first stage of opening synagogues safely will prevent women from attending. Agudath Israel of America, which represents Haredi Jews (sometimes called ultra-Orthodox Jews), released their plan on Friday advising member synagogues on how to safely reopen their synagogues once…
(JTA) — Jerry Stiller, the longtime Jewish comic who became best known for playing the belligerent character Frank Costanza on “Seinfeld,” has died. Stiller died of natural causes, his son, the comic actor Ben Stiller, announced in a tweet Monday. He was 92. Jerry Stiller was a classically trained actor who met and married Anne…
(JTA) — Two people were arrested for allegedly ripping face masks off of identifiably Jewish people in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. The suspects have not yet been identified or been charged, NBC New York reported Monday morning. Video posted on Twitter by Belaaz shows police and crowds gathering late Sunday…
After three weeks in a coma and more than a month of recovering, Lawrence Garbuz — the New Rochelle, N.Y., lawyer who was New York’s ‘patient zero’ for coronavirus — is talking about his ordeal and recuperating at home with his wife and children. “I feel glad I’m alive to be honest with you,” Garbuz…
A member of Vice President Mike Pence’s staff has tested positive for coronavirus, President Trump said on Friday. He referred to the infected person as a “press person” named Katie; Pence’s press secretary is Katie Miller. Two people with knowledge of Miller’s diagnosis also confirmed to Politico that it is coronavirus. Miller, who is Jewish,…
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Those tuning in this week for just the second day of live Supreme Court broadcasts were treated to a surprise: In a case about NGOs, HIV-AIDS funding and prostitution, the discussion unexpectedly turned toward U.S. support for Israel’s right to exist. The case features a group of NGOs that are resisting the…
A New York Times article published Thursday about the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli military contractors’ efforts to devise a cure for the novel coronavirus attracted criticism on social media for pointing out that many of their prior developments had deadly capabilities. “The Israeli Defense Ministry’s research-and-development arm is best known for pioneering cutting-edge ways…
(JTA) — After several weeks at a London mortuary, the unclaimed body of 95-year-old Herbert Max Fraenkel was slated to be buried in a shared grave at a pauper’s funeral. Fraenkel, who was born in 1924 in Berlin, died alone at his home in January. City workers were unable to locate or identify any of…
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