Four decades after Lincoln Square Synagogue moved into its rounded building near Lincoln Center, the iconic Modern Orthodox congregation on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is facing an uncertain future, following the decision to halt construction on its new building and the resignation of its president. LSS, the subject of public attention this year after former…
As Democrat Lee Fisher, Ohio’s Jewish lieutenant governor, struggles in the polls, he seems to need all the help he can get in his race for senator of the Buckeye State. Indeed, a new poll put him 22 points behind Rob Portman, his Republican opponent and former Bush official. Formerly, Fisher, who now polls at…
Ohio, Deep Red: Even the extra help from ‘Glee for Lee’ with Mr. Schu (or, as non-Gleeks know him, actor Matthew Morrison) isn’t doing much for Ohio Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, the Democratic candidate in the U.S. Senate race. The double-digit lead of Republican Rob Portman only continues to grow. (Cincinnati.com) Christ, Crist! Florida’s governor…
By the Numbers: Senatorial polls have been looking dismal for Democrats as they’ve slid downwards. But, as Nate Silver writes, recent numbers show a slight uptick. For example: In Illinois, “a Rasmussen Reports poll now shows the Democrat, Alexi Giannoulias, with a 1-point lead; he had trailed by 4 points in their previous survey of…
Last night, I attended my cousin’s wedding in Israel. The bride was glowing; the party was jubilant. The couple was clearly beshert (meant for one another); they had been together for years and travelled the world together. The evening was a beautiful celebration of their love. Only one element was conspicuously absent to me; they…
All eyes are on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the world awaits his final response to calls for a further settlement freeze. But what happens if he agrees – will he be able to push it through his cabinet and keep his coalition together? Since the final days of Netanyahu’s first settlement freeze in…
The American “oath of allegiance” demands that a new citizen promise to “bear arms on behalf of the United States” and ends with “so help me God.” New Canadians have to swear “to be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors.” Norwegian immigrants have…
Haredi Jews should vote according to their values, not their pocketbooks, thundered ultra-Orthodox political gadfly Rabbi Yehuda Levin in a fiery Brooklyn speech October 10 in support of New York Republican candidate for governor Carl Paladino. Levin had made headlines with his outspoken support for the Tea Party-affiliated Paladino, which he later withdrew. It’s an…
Jewish voters in several key states have been bombarded in recent weeks with ads, leaflets and phone calls trying to convince them that their local congressional candidate is not sufficiently strong in his or her support for Israel. Questioning candidates’ support for Israel is a well-known campaign tactic in districts that have many Jewish voters….
It’s a policy that has been around for so long that most Israelis and Americans cannot imagine a world without it. For the past four decades, Israel has adhered, almost religiously, to the idea of nuclear ambiguity, or opacity. It has refused to either confirm or deny it has the bomb, and it has repeated…
Magic and Music at Elem Gala, Honoring Its Founder, Ann Bialkin The September 28 ELEM/Youth in Distress benefit, held at the Harvard Club and honoring organization founder and chair Ann Bialkin, was an evening of music and magic. NBC’s chief legal analyst, Dan Abrams, hosted. Greetings by ELEM/Israel’s president, Nava Barak, and a video of…
