American Girl Doll — or Arsonist
Step away from your daughter’s doll collection — one of them could be an arsonist. Last month, American Girl revealed that its newest character, Rebecca Rubin, would be based on a young Jewish girl.
Unfortunately, young Rebecca shares the same name with real life fugitive Rebecca J. Rubin, who is currently wanted by the F.B.I. for arson. The similarity was pointed out on Heeb magazine’s blog this past week.
In an article in Monday’s New York Times, Julie Parks, a spokeswoman for American Girl, said, “Rebecca was one of the most popular names for Jewish girls in 1905, when Rebecca would have been born.” Parks added that, according to their research, Rubin was an appropriate name for a Russian-Jewish family during that particular time period
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
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