This article is part of our morning briefing. Click here to get it delivered to your inbox each weekday. She’s on track to be Mexico’s first Jewish president. So why did she wear a crucifix at a campaign event?
What to make of presidential frontrunner Claudia Sheinbaum, the most prominent Jew in Latin America, wearing a rosary-like necklace with a cross on it? As it turns out the answer depends on who you ask. Our editorial fellow Sam Lin-Sommer, who has lived in Mexico City, starts us off this morning with a deep dive into the controversy. Cultural symbol: While political opponents pounced, some experts saw it as a fairly normal political gesture of embrace in a country where Catholics make up 77% of the population. (About 0.1% identify as Jewish.) “Catholicism and Catholic symbols can convey Mexican nationalism,” said historian Julia Young. “She’s saying, ‘I’m Mexican.’” Religious prejudice: All of which is especially important for Sheinbaum, who has faced conspiratorial accusations of being “foreign,” akin to the racist “birther” attacks on former President Barack Obama. Mexico’s former president, Vincente Fox, referred to her as a “Bulgarian Jew.” Sheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City, recently tweeted two images of her Mexican birth certificate and released a campaign song called “Claudia the Mexican.” Politics as usual: One political analyst told Sam that wearing a cross is a typical political move, perhaps akin to President Biden, a Catholic, donning a yarmulke at a Jewish event. “It doesn’t tell us much about her,” the analyst said, adding that Sheinbaum is “just playing the part, doing what candidates do. But it does tell us something about the people reacting to it in such a way.” |
Marcel Marceau in 1972 in New York. (Getty) |
One of the most important Jewish artists of his generation was born 100 years ago — can you recognize him? Marcel Marceau was the consummate practitioner of his art, although his famous penchant for remaining mute meant the mime’s Yiddishkeit often seemed elusive. But, as Benjamin Ivry notes in a piece for Marceau’s centenary, it was there if you just scratched the surface, along with many other qualities. “Marceau may best be commemorated by recalling the words of former Grand Rabbi of France René-Samuel Sirat, who read the Kaddish at his burial,” Ivry writes. “Marceau ‘always defined himself as a citizen of the world, with Jewish roots.’” Read the story ➤ Opinion | I’ve been a Jewish day school teacher for 20 years. I make less money than I did in my 20s: “I tell my students all the time that I have the best job in the world,” writes Jessica Lissy, who lives in Brooklyn. “But I cannot encourage the next generation of prospective teachers to enter the field, unless they already have a trust fund.” She makes ends meet because she was hit by a truck and got $800,000 in compensation for her pain and suffering. But she does have an idea for a “straightforward solution.” Read her essay ➤ My life in delis: An elegy to Jewish eateries of yesteryear: For Michael Barrie, a former writer for Johnny Carson and David Letterman, a delicatessen has been far more than just a place for matzo balls and bite-sized chunks of salami that cost “a nickel a shtickle.” It was a spot for first dates, a place for Jewish comedians to perform, and where Michael could have deep conversations with his son. Read the story ➤ Plus… |
Hadassah is elevating Zionist voices, now and always. Inspire Zionism: Tech, Trailblazers and Tattoos, hosted by the Unorthodox podcast’s Stephanie Butnick, will feature Zionist innovators having bold conversations about identity, history and culture. Join us virtually on October 25 and 26. |
WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY |
A member of the Bnei Menashe community in northeastern India constructs a sukkah. (Courtesy) |
? Large numbers of Bnei Menashe, the Jewish community of Northeast India, have fled their homes since ethnic unrest broke out in early May. Some are staying at government shelters and other ad hoc housing — and still managed to construct sukkahs. (JTA) ? Work began Monday on turning Hitler’s birth house in Austria into a police station, a project meant to make it unattractive as a site of pilgrimage for people who glorify the Nazi dictator. (AP) ? German officials returned ownership of the site of a 1,200-seat synagogue, burned during Kristallnacht 85 years ago, to the local Jewish community of Hamburg, which plans on rebuilding the shul. (JTA) ? Newly discovered Jewish graves in suburban Los Angeles backyards could delay construction on a proposed light rail extension. (L.A. Times) ? A student athlete at the University of Michigan was removed from the hockey team after he allegedly spray painted swastikas and homophobic messages on the sidewalk in front of the campus’ Jewish Resource Center. (Algemeiner) ? A candidate running for a local school board in Minnesota operates an antisemitic blog, where he publicly posts “that people should brand Jews, sterilize Jews, segregate Jews, impoverish Jews.” (CBS News) ?️ And speaking of school boards: An Arizona school board member was told to stop quoting Bible verses during board meetings. Now she’s filed a federal lawsuit against her district, alleging her free exercise of religion had been violated. (Religion News Service) ✈️ Brett Ratner, the disgraced Hollywood director accused of multiple counts of rape, has immigrated to Israel. He follows Bryan Singer, another director accused of rape, who also currently lives in Israel. (Haaretz) ? The United States Postal Service released a new series of stamps honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the iconic Jewish Supreme Court justice who died in 2020. (JTA)
What else we’re reading ➤ How a pastor parted with Jesus and led his congregation to Judaism … Why society is still catching up with Alice Shalvi, the pioneering Israeli feminist who died Monday … How an Israeli TV producer launched DogTV in America. |
On this day in history (1970): The original Broadway run of the musical Coco, an adaptation of the life of Coco Chanel with book and lyrics by the Jewish songwriter Alan Jay Lerner and music by the Jewish composer André Previn, closed. The musical, which starred Katharine Hepburn as Chanel, who was a Nazi informant in France during World War II, won two Tony Awards. But the show was poorly reviewed, and has been little seen after a national tour in the early ’70s. |
On this episode of our Yiddish cooking show (with subtitles), Eve Jochnowitz, a food scholar, and Rukhl Schaechter, our Yiddish editor, show you how to make sweet and sour stuffed cabbage, a popular Sukkot dish.
Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m.: Join Rukhl and her guests on Zoom for a discussion about how today’s chefs are reimagining Yiddish cooking. Reserve your spot here ➤ — Thanks to Zach Golden, PJ Grisar, Sam Lin-Sommer, Angelie Zaslavsky and Talya Zax for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Beth Harpaz for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at editorial@forward.com. Hope you have a wonderful day. |
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