Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the robust lives of American Jews. Here there’s a little of everything about the multifaceted world of Jewish life. There are light-hearted Jewish celebrity stories and shocking Jewish celebrity news. Food is also plentiful,…
Life
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Unsung Women | Asenath Barezani, a 16th-century female sage
Editor’s note: For Women’s History Month, the Forward presents “Unsung Women,” a special project showcasing Jewish women — from biblical times to our modern moment — whose stories have rarely been told. Who she was: Asenath Barzani Where and when: 16th-century Kurdistan What we know: Asenath Barzani was the daughter, wife, and mother of rabbinic…
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Unsung Women | Serah, keeper of secrets
Editor’s note: For Women’s History Month, the Forward presents “Unsung Women,” a special project showcasing Jewish women — from biblical times to our modern moment — whose stories have rarely been told. Who she was: Serah, daughter of Asher When: Ancient Egypt What we know: Serah isn’t one of the famous figures of the Passover…
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What we talk about when we talk about the Purim story
It’s very hard, I discovered while writing the Forward’s guide to celebrating Purim, to write a straightforward summary of the Purim story. Did the Persian king Ahasuerus command his wife, Vashti, to appear before his friends or dance for them naked (the text relates that he asked her to “display her beauty”)? Did she refuse…
The Latest
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How to do Purim at home with kids, in the shadow of the coronavirus
Our Purim plans are hanging in mid-air right now, thanks to coronavirus. Our school’s Purim carnival was canceled, and while services are still on and school is open — the anxiety is high. Definitely no bobbing for apples this year. With some New York-area Jewish day schools closing in recent days, there’s a lot of…
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The Hottest New York Purim Parties of 2020
In 2020 — ahem, 5780 — Purim falls on a very inconvenient Monday. That means all us responsible millennial Jews will attend a Megillah reading, toss down some hamentaschen with the kids and get some some sleep before work, right? WRONG. We will be celebrating the heck of out of this holiday, let the consequences…
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The abortion issue is back in the Supreme Court. What would my mother, and Jewish feminists of her generation, think?
Yesterday morning, I filed into the Supreme Court, took my seat, and watched history unfold: I was there to observe the oral argument for the first big abortion case of the high Trump era — June Medical Services, LLC v. Russo. This case has the potential, thanks to Trump appointees Neal Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh,…
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Can you save the environment while celebrating Purim? We’re giving it a try.
For many Jews, Purim is an opportunity to celebrate female protagonists, show off our costume design skills, and drink until we can’t distinguish between heroes and villains. But for others, it’s a holiday that pays homage to a plant-based diet. Richard Schwartz, President Emeritus of the Jewish Vegetarians of North America, points out that according…
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A very Forward guide to celebrating Purim
Bogged down by gray February days and March rains? Can’t wait until Passover to host a festive meal? Craving a cookie? Fortunately, there’s a Jewish holiday for that. Purim, an ancient but sometimes overlooked festival, is an celebration of Jewish survival, a centuries long-tradition of carnivals and festivity, and — like basically every Jewish holiday…
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Unsung women | Regina Jonas: The female rabbi you never knew about
Editor’s note: For Women’s History Month, the Forward presents “Unsung Women,” a special project showcasing Jewish women — from biblical times to our modern moment — whose stories have rarely been told. Who she was: Regina Jonas Where and when: Germany, 1902-1944 What we know: Regina Jonas grew up in a poor, largely Jewish neighborhood…
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Unsung women | Flora Sassoon: She “walked like a queen, talked like a sage”
Editor’s note: For Women’s History Month, the Forward presents “Unsung Women,” a special project showcasing Jewish women — from biblical times to our modern moment — whose stories have rarely been told. Who she was: Flora Sassoon Where and when: 19th-century India What we know: Born in Bombay to a wealthy Baghdadi Jewish family, Sassoon…
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Unsung Women | Grace Aguilar: “The moral governess to the Hebrew family”
Editor’s note: For Women’s History Month, the Forward presents “Unsung Women,” a special project showcasing Jewish women — from biblical times to our modern moment — whose stories have rarely been told. Who she was: Grace Aguilar Where and when: Victorian England What we know: Born to Portuguese Jewish parents who fled the Inquisition, Grace…
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