As Israel attempts to stave off international pressure to put in place a United Nations investigation of its deadly flotilla raid, the credibility and transparency of its efforts have been called into question. The centerpiece of Israel’s strategy to avoid a U.N. Security Council–sponsored probe has been the creation of what the Israelis are calling…
“I’m fine,” I lied to my friend on the phone, but the truth is I’m burned out. I was seriously ill a few weeks ago. Thankfully my symptoms are gone now, but I have yet to recover the spring in my steps. My three-year-old daughter (who recently transitioned from a crib to a bed) woke…
The class begins with a bow to a picture on the wall of Imre “Imi” Lichtenfeld, a slight, balding man who looks more like a grandfather than a self-defense guru. Then the yelling begins. “Stand on the line!” “Everyone face forward!” “Don’t move!” “Don’t talk!” It’s Monday night and the onslaught of commands renders most…
SETH LIPSKY TOASTED AND ROASTED AT AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY AWARD DINNER You could almost smell the newsprint and hear the purr of printing presses at the Harvard Club on June 2, when Seth Lipsky, founding editor of the Forward and the New York Sun newspapers, was presented with the American Jewish Historical Society’s 2010…
Listen to Maya Beiser’s “Memories”: When Maya Beiser was growing up on Kibbutz Gazit in Northern Israel, her teachers expected that she would learn an instrument, maybe the violin. Instead, the aspiring musician decided she wanted to take on something bigger — literally. So she chose the cello. “They wanted me to play the violin,…
This week, reporter Josh Nathan-Kazis sits down with editor Jane Eisner and arts and culture editor Dan Friedman for a special sporting edition of the Reporters’ Roundtable. Topics include the recent Yankee Stadium slugfest featuring Jewish boxer (and rabbi-in-training) Yuri Foreman and the ongoing World Cup. Roundtable guests discuss whether boxing is permissible according to…
Right now, the dill is taking over my herb garden in its lovely, flavorful and feathery bloom. My attempts to use it don’t usually make a dent in the amount growing, even as I leave plenty to seed next year’s crop, or to share with the next interested gardener. Mostly, I have been cutting it…
The Quran itself, Islam’s holy book, recognizes the Jews’ historic ties to the land of Israel, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told a group of American Jewish leaders at a June 10 meeting in Washington. “He made clear that the Jews have a historic connection to the land and said the Quran is full of…
Rabbi Eric Yoffie has announced plans to step down from the top organizational post in Reform Judaism, effective in two years. Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, has headed the association of Reform congregations, previously known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, since 1996. In terms of members and synagogues, it is…
WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY HIGHLIGHTED AT UJA-FEDERATION OF NEW YORK EVENT As New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg looked on lovingly, his wife, Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg, and her sisters, Carol Weisman and Lois Robbins-Zaro, were awarded tzedakah boxes at the June 3 UJA-Federation of New York Women’s Philanthropy “In Her Footsteps” event at the New York Hyatt. Introduced…
The fallout from Israel’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla is the subject of this week’s Forward Reporters’ Roundtable. Reporter Josh-Nathan Kazis, staff writer Gal Beckerman and news editor Larry Cohler-Esses explore whether or not the American Jewish communal response to the incident proves Peter Beinart’s thesis. They also discuss J Street’s reaction to the…
