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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This Passover, Check Out The Exodus Secrets In The Met’s Egyptian Wing
NEW YORK (JTA) — I have roamed the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Egyptian wing many times, marveling at sarcophagi, statues of Horus and Ra, and portraits of young men on ancient panels who gaze back at visitors, looking shockingly familiar and contemporary. But on a Sunday just before Passover, I viewed the artifacts as I’d…
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A Secret Seder in Qatar
During my eight years teaching at Georgetown University’s branch in Doha, Qatar, my wife Ann and I tried to hold a Seder in our home on Passover. While not banned, Passover was not exactly a cause for public celebration in the Wahhabi Arab Gulf state, with many, many Muslims and very, very few Jews. I…
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How to Host A Passover Seder Even Your Non-Jewish Friends Will Enjoy
Passover is one of my favorite times of the year, and not just because of the rich tradition that celebrates our ancestors’ freedom from Egyptian slavery. My family has always used this time to introduce our non-Jewish friends to the culture and heritage that fills us with pride. With over 20 years in the event…
The Latest
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Why Bubbe Always Ate Alone In The Kitchen
When Bubbe, my plump, good-natured, maternal grandmother came to my parent’s house for Passover, she never ate with us in the dining room. Instead, Mom served her in the kitchen before we sat down. I sensed that this arrangement was somehow for my grandmother’s comfort, but I never fully understood. Was it because Bubbe came…
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Historic Lower East Side Streit’s Matzo Bakery Has Found A New Home — In Rockland County
For a century, the Streit’s matzo bakery was a Lower East Side landmark, operating inside converted tenements on Rivington Street since 1916. The last family-owned and run matzo company in America, Streit’s recently sacrificed tradition for efficiency and made its exodus to the suburbs – up north to Rockland County. Their once state-of-the-art machinery, paled…
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A New Guide To The Mikveh — For Those Facing Infertility
Immersing in the mikveh is often portrayed by its advocates as a woman’s rebirth — not merely a religious commandment, but a spiritual experience that sustains marital harmony. Jewish tradition holds that couples are forbidden to have sex during menstruation and for a week after, until the woman immerses in a ritual bath, or mikveh,…
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How I Got Enslaved By A Holiday Of Freedom
The holiday of Pesach is a dance, the ritual choreography of the Jewish people reenacting their flight from bondage in ancient Egypt. But for those of us who bear the burden of the holiday preparations, it often feels like we’re dancing in the wrong direction. It is spring here when we tell our slavery-to-freedom story…
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Rebecca Minkoff And Cosmo Magazine Collab To Get Readers To #VoteTwice
Rebecca Minkoff — who not only helms her eponymous fashion empire, but also recently gave birth to her third child (a boy named Nico) — just added to her already bloated list of responsibilities: civic advocate. In other words, she’s partnering with Cosmopolitan Magazine on a line of T-shirts to encourage young women to vote….
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Why Are Modern Orthodox Millennials Like Me Looking For A Different Path?
We sat in wicker chairs at a cafe overlooking Jerusalem’s Old City. We both sipped lattes and laughed easily, silently appreciating how the sun peaked through the umbrellas covering the outdoor seating area, soaking the Jerusalem stone all around us. The amaryllis were in bloom, adding a pop of pink to the otherwise sand colored…
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How to Choose The Perfect Wines For Your Passover Seder
Choosing a wine to accompany any meal can be a stressful experience. And choosing wines for a meal that requires four glasses of wine per guest — that can be downright anxiety-inducing. But it doesn’t have that way. You can choose delicious and crowd-pleasing wines to accompany your Passover Seder without breaking a sweat —…
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For Israeli Women, Political Representation Doesn’t Mean Political Power
The National Council of Jewish Women and the Dafna Fund released a report about the state of women’s empowerment in Israel today, in honor of International Women’s Day. The report, conducted by Hebrew University’s Dr. Nancy Strichman, was based on a participatory action research process, engaging over 300 women activists, organizational representatives, funders, journalists and…
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