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Discussing Madoff
SPOTLIGHT ON MADOFF (“THE MOMSER”) AT YIVO PANEL DISCUSSION When I mentioned to someone that I’d be attending the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research’s January 15 panel discussion, “Madoff: A Jewish Reckoning,” the snap retort was: “That momser! They should hang him like in the Wild West.” At the Center for Jewish History, no one…
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Obama’s Presidency Renews Activists’ Memories
As Barack Obama took the oath of office as the 44th president — and first black president — of the United States on January 20, there was, across the country, a scattered group of Jews whose perspective on the unprecedented event was deeply personal. The significance of disproportionate Jewish involvement in the civil rights movement…
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Jewish Domestic Agenda Begins With the Economy, Doesn’t End There
Washington — Jewish communal activists are preparing to push a domestic agenda in the new Obama administration that seeks funding for health care and energy independence, support for toughened hate crimes legislation and stem-cell research, and some sort of compromise on government-funded faith-based initiatives. While veteran activists know that their goals might have to give…
The Latest
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Gazan Doctor’s Tragedy Opens Israelis’ Eyes to Palestinian Pain
Haifa, Israel — Just after 5 p.m. on January 16, Israeli Channel 10 News correspondent Shlomi Eldar answered his cell phone during a live broadcast — a phone ringing so incessantly, he suspected the call was urgent. It was Izzeldin Abuelaish, a Gaza physician well known throughout Israel’s medical community. Abuelaish had been providing many…
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Orthodox Rabbis Rally Around Rubashkin as He Sits in Jail
During past presidential transitions, when pardons were in the air, many Orthodox Jewish activists set their sights on securing a pardon for Jonathan Pollard, imprisoned since 1987 on charges of spying for Israel. This year, though, members of the Orthodox community had another jailed cause célèbre to focus on: Sholom Rubashkin. Rubashkin, former CEO of…
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Antisemitic Incidents Rise in France as Worry Increases About Ethnic Divisions
Paris — For two weekends in a row, as Israel’s operation in Gaza raged, the flags of Hezbollah and Hamas flew in street demonstrations in Paris and other French cities. During the recent violence, antisemitic incidents rose to levels that have not been seen in France since the second Intifadah in 2000 and again when…
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Fighting in Gaza Pauses, but Campaign for Captured Soldier Continues
Tel Aviv, Israel — At first glance, the scene in central Tel Aviv the morning after Israel announced it was halting its military drive against Hamas in Gaza looked like one of celebration. Young men were stopping traffic to sell flags for drivers to clip on to their windows — an annual ritual that is…
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Axelrod Kvells, Debra Winger Glitters at Jewish Community’s Inaugural Party
Washington — The 2009 Jewish Community Inaugural Reception wasn’t a black-tie event. There was no dancing, and only a few traditional boldfaced names were spotted in the crowd. On the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration, Jewish communal professionals and politicians celebrated the historic transfer of power by talking politics. For organizational activists and those commonly…
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Crisper, More Colorful and a Day Earlier
Last winter, the Forward adjusted its printing schedule to try to better serve our readers. Now we are able to further upgrade our service while providing a newspaper that is even fresher, more lively and always original. Beginning with this issue, the Forward moves up its publication schedule by one day, closing late afternoon on…
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Yid Vid: Michelle Obama’s Rabbi Cousin Has Some Advice for the President
Rabbi Capers Funnye, Jr., a cousin of First Lady Michelle Obama, is calling on President Obama to make Middle East peace “a top priority” of his administration. Funnye appears with a handful of other rabbis in a five-minute video, created before the inauguration by the organization Brit Tzedek v’Shalom – Jewish Alliance for Justice &…
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Laugh Out Loud
The recipe for a documentary on the history of 20th-century American humor is simple. Begin with such Jewish pioneers as the Marx Brothers, Gertrude Berg and Lenny Bruce. Mix in the Three Stooges, Jerry Lewis and Jon Stewart. Add a dollop of Billy Crystal as the host. Then sprinkle in a few non-Jewish greats: Charlie…
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Fast Forward A whites-only, no-Jews community says it’s found a legal loophole. A Jewish lawmaker in Pennsylvania wants to close it.
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Film & TV So, what’s the deal with the honey scene in ‘Marty Supreme?’
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Culture Why do Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas?
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Opinion What if Donald Trump puts his name on the US Holocaust Memorial Museum?
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