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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What Would Vashti Wear?
From women’s perspectives, there are more layers to be unpacked from the Purim story than there are seeds in a poppy hamantasch. My current favorites are the themes of covering and uncovering as they relate to power and powerlessness — experiences I’ll be tasting in my own Purim costume this year as a totally covered…
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Offbeat Israel: This Purim, a Monkey Costume Would Be Unwise
Oh dear. Two monkeys have escaped from Jerusalem’s Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, better known as the Biblical Zoo — the same zoo at which Rabbi Marc, an Asian lion, resides. The monkeys broke free yesterday morning, and at time of writing one has been found but the other is still on the loose. It’s hard…
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Should We Invite My Alzheimer’s-Stricken Mother to Our Son’s Upcoming Bar Mitzvah?
Dear Bintel Brief: Our son’s bar mitzvah is rapidly approaching, and we still are not sure what to do. My mother, who lives in a far away state, has Alzheimer’s and it will be very discombobulating for her and her aide to travel to us. Moreover, my mom won’t remember the event even a few…
The Latest
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The Second Temple for Lilliputians
The Romans destroyed Herod’s Temple more than 2,000 years ago. Now Alex Garrard, a 78-year-old British farmer, is hand-crafting a replica. At 20 feet by 12 feet, the mock-up is 1/100 of the size of the original. “I have been working on it for decades but it will never be finished as I’m always finding…
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Seinfeld Stars To Reunite in Primetime
Television viewers will get a fresh dose of that distinctly Seinfeldian brand of kvetching this fall, when the four series’ stars reunite in “a multiple-episode story arc” on the HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Entertainment Weekly’s Hollywood Insider blog reports: The cameos will mark the first time that all four actors have appeared together in…
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Israeli Designs: From Tel Aviv Via the Web
If you can’t go shopping on Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Street, Coolil (as in Cool Israel) may be the next best thing. The recently launched Web site features the wares of 10 Israeli jewelry and leather goods designers. There are tote bags by Efika, clutches by Daniella Lehavi, and etched silver and gold necklaces by Augusta….
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Arrest in Chandra Levy Case, Slain Intern’s Mother Quotes Bialik
Federal prosecutors Tuesday charged a Salvadoran laborer with the first-degree murder of Washington intern Chandra Levy. The 27-year-old Levy, whose romantic relationship with former Rep. Gary Condit effectively ended the congressman’s career, disappeared while jogging in 2001; her remains were found a year later in the city’s Rock Creek Park. A U.S. Attorney, Jeffrey Taylor,…
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Orszag and Cantor: Separated by Policy (and at Birth)?
Peter Orszag, the White House budget director, has been touting President Obama’s proposed 2010 budget as a plan that would set America on a path to economic recovery. Meanwhile, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has been deriding the proposal as attempt to “redistribute wealth,” a plan that would create neither wealth nor jobs. So when it…
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U2: From ‘The Joshua Tree’ to ‘Cedars of Lebanon’
Two decades after releasing “The Joshua Tree,” U2 has turned its attention to “Cedars of Lebanon.” Mentioned in the books of Isaiah, Ezekiel and Psalms, among others, the trees are now also being referenced by the singer Bono, in the final song on U2’s latest album. The Irish band’s “No Line on the Horizon,” which…
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Offbeat Israel: Women Chanting and Camels Traveling Via Subaru
One of Israel’s most influential Orthodox rabbis has ruled that women may read — and write — the Scroll of Esther. In a Torah class on Saturday night, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef challenged the mainstream Orthodox view that the Scroll of Esther, which both genders are obliged to listen to on the upcoming festival of Purim,…
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From LiLo to LeahLo?
You might think Lindsay Lohan’s Monday morning Facebook status update would make light of some raucous weekend parties. Instead, it’s where the freckled star announced that she intends to convert to Judaism. After attending the Saturday bar mitzvah of girlfriend Samantha Ronson’s half-brother Saturday, the 22-year-old star of “Mean Girls” and “Herbie Fully Loaded” told…
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