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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Israeli Coffee Chain Expands Into Borat’s Homeland
Aroma Espresso Bar, the rapidly expanding Israeli coffee chain — so popular on its home turf that it is credited with putting Starbucks in Israel out of business — announced that it will bring its aromatic coffee, pastries and sandwiches to Borat’s homeland: Kazakhstan. The chain, which has already spent $7 million expanding to the…
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Impressed by Israel, Not Sold on the Holocaust?
Earlier this month, the Bintel Blog reported that Israeli Arabs were overwhelmingly impressed by the achievements of the State of Israel and keen to continue living here. It’s indicative of the increasingly complex identity of Israeli Arabs that new research out shows that the percentages who are prepared to recognize Israel as a Jewish state…
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Did Michelle Obama Snub Sara Netanyahu?
Today’s papers are full of photos of First Lady Michelle Obama in New York, rubbing shoulders with the rich and powerful at the reopening yesterday of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American wing and at last night’s gala for the American Ballet Theatre. But Mrs. O’s New York trip left Sara Netanyahu — in Washington…
The Latest
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Offbeat Israel: Posh Tel Aviv Residents Protest Haredi Influx
When the people of Ramat Aviv are taking to the streets in protest, you know the end really must be nigh. The high-life-living residents of this exceedingly wealthy Tel Aviv neighborhood are more likely to be seen corking a fine bottle of wine than waving a banner. So what has happened in the past couple…
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Black Female Rabbi To Ascend to North Carolina Pulpit
Alysa Stanton, a black female who will be ordained next month at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, has been hired to lead Congregation Bayt Shalom in Greenville, N.C. According to its Web site, the congregation is affiliated with both the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Union for Reform Judaism. Stanton,…
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Help! I’m Superstitious About My Jewish Friend’s Baby Shower
Dear Bintel Brief, My friend, who is Jewish, is pregnant — and has decided to have a baby shower. She is not superstitious about such events, and is fine with receiving gifts more than a month before her due date. I, however, believe strongly in the Jewish tradition of withholding gifts until the baby arrives….
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Parsing Maxim’s ‘Hot 100’
I don’t keep abreast of the latest celebrity polls, but I do have a finely honed sense of ethnic pride so I was chuffed for my Landsmen when I heard that Bar Refaeli came in third in the Maxim Hot 100 this year. Out of a professional journalistic obligation, I clicked through all 100 women…
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American Girl To Unveil Jewish Doll
The pre-tween set is abuzz with the rumor that the newest American Girl doll is Jewish. Officials at the Wisconsin-based company confirm that she is, indeed, a Jewish character, calling her “a lively girl from New York City,” but have embargoed her name and most other story details until May 29th. American Girl dolls, for…
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Offbeat Israel: She ‘Stole’ What?
In the most remarkable of court cases, an Israeli man yesterday claimed he has been a victim of “sperm theft.” The woman who “stole” his sperm and became pregnant as a result should be forced to have an abortion, he demanded. The 21-year-old man who brought the case claimed that the 26-year-old woman carrying his…
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Where Serious Torah Study for Women Is a Top Priority
There were a couple of notable things about the annual dinner held on Mother’s Day by the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education. The dinner celebrated the 30th anniversary of Drisha — a small but influential center for women’s advanced Torah study where I’m concluding a year of learning as an Arts Fellow. Drisha’s currently most…
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On the Eve of Bibi’s U.S. Visit, Jewish Groups Fight it Out
There are only a few days left until Benjamin Netanyahu descends on Washington, and preparations within the Jewish community are in high gear. That means, of course, that it’s time for some inter-organizational fighting. The first question is who will get to meet Bibi. The Israeli embassy is putting together a list of 40 communal…
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