On the morning of Yom Kippur a few weeks ago, I woke up in a hotel built during the reign of Tsar Nicholas II, marched past the tempting smells of blini and raspberry jam drifting from the dining room, crossed a bridge over the Moscow River, skirted a corner of the Kremlin wall, proceeded along…
When the new Congress debuts in January 2009, a record 45 Jews will take the oath of office: 32 in the House of Representatives and — regardless of the outcome in the still-contested Minnesota election — 13 Jews in the Senate. Among the three newcomers to the House are a young, gay, multimillionaire entrepreneur; a…
Washington – Joe Lieberman came out of his day of reckoning quite well. “This is the beginning of a new chapter,” the Connecticut senator said after a private Democratic caucus meeting held November 18 in the historic Old Senate Chamber. The meeting was held to decide what to do about the fact that Lieberman crossed…
ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL OPENING GALA HONORS AMERICAN FILM GIANTS AND SHOWCASES ISRAEL’S FILM TALENT At the opening night gala of the 23rd Israel Film Festival, held October 29 at the Ziegfeld Theatre, mistress of ceremonies Lanie Kazan credited the festival’s success to the “vision and chutzpah” of founder Meir Fenigstein. In an aside apropos Israel’s…
After months of predictions to the contrary, American Jews voted for president-elect Barack Obama in higher proportion than any demographic group besides African Americans. For many Jewish liberals, this was a watershed moment, marking a return to the days when blacks and Jews were thought to have a special relationship founded on a shared language…
Washington — In its first real-life test, the new dovish lobby J Street, which was greeted skeptically when it burst onto the crowded national lobbying scene last spring, proved on Election Day that it could raise significant funds and bring success to many of the congressional candidates it endorsed. J Street, through its political action…
Jerusalem — In one of the most sectarian election battles Israel has ever seen, Jerusalem chose a new secular mayor to replace the current ultra-Orthodox one. Nir Barkat, a secular businessman, won 52% of the vote November 11 after a campaign in which he promised to stop the exodus of Jerusalem’s nonreligious population. Barkat said…
Secaucus, N.J. — At first glance, the crowded exhibition hall of Kosherfest 2008 seemed to have everything a kosher consumer could want, from candy to blintzes to Jewish-themed toilet covers. But perhaps the most notable item at this year’s annual kosher food industry trade show was one that, on closer inspection, was distinctly lacking —…
Postville, Iowa — When Gabriel Calicio was released from prison, five months after being arrested on immigration charges at the nation’s largest kosher slaughterhouse, his only possession was the prison-issued blue jumpsuit he was wearing. Calicio, 23, was one of 389 people arrested during an immigration raid at the Agriprocessors slaughterhouse here six months ago….
Washington, D.C. — At a time when a record number of Jews will serve in the next Congress, two of the most prominent Jewish lawmakers on Capitol Hill find their careers and influence heading in opposite directions. At 45, Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia, the lone Jewish Republican in the House of Representatives, is at…
Haifa, Israel — The promise of marriage may not be the most conventional commitment to make during an election, but Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has decided that it will prove a winning formula in Israel. The Kadima party leader has pledged that if she wins in the February general election, she will enable 350,000 citizens…
