U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, spoke by phone with the leadership of AIPAC this afternoon. According to Jewish leaders and campaign officials, Biden and AIPAC leaders had “a warm conversation” that lasted about 20 minutes. Biden, who was introduced by AIPAC President David Victor, spoke of his long relationship with the…
Is Israel the sole democracy or the soul one in the Middle East? Apparently Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama found the State of Israel is a really hip place during his recent visit. After a conference call with rabbis on Thursday, Obama’s campaign released a statement that included: “I think that it’s also important to…
No, the conservative commentator and former presidential candidate is not endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama as the headline of this post or a new ad by the Republican Jewish Coalition might suggest. But the latest ad from RJC could lead some people to conclude that Obama has or wants Buchanan’s backing. The ad [shown…
Rosh Hashanah is more than a week away, but Barack Obama drew upon the High Holy Days themes of renewal and rededication in a conference call with more than 900 rabbis. “I know that for rabbis this is the busiest time of the year as you prepare for the High Holy Days,” the Democratic presidential…
Of all the commandments in the Torah, the blowing of the shofar on the Jewish New Year is one of the most important. The ancient sound — signaling the beginning of the days of repentance — is heard on Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur, and has been used as a rallying…
My 6-year-old is officially obsessed with this election. She keeps exclaiming about how significant it was to have both a black man and a woman as serious candidates for highest office. (“I love history,” she breathed to me this morning. Please remind me of this when she’s in 10th grade, nodding out as a teacher…
The president of the United Nations General Assembly is expected to attend a dinner in New York organized by five American Christian organizations at which Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will be a featured guest. The G.A. president, Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, is a Catholic priest from Nicaragua who is a vocal critic of the United States….
Washington — The Bush White House is sending a mixed message regarding sanctions on Iran — pushing for international measures on the one hand, while on the other, promising to block congressional attempts to impose sanctions. The issue re-emerged on September 9, when the administration sent a letter to Congress threatening to veto the National…
Breathe in. Then breathe out. It’s an easy way to become aware of your body, more focused on the mundane. And if you breathe in and breathe out after eating a habenero-laced dish, you’re probably aware of every cell in your mouth, and focused on every nook and cranny of your sinuses. I first learned…
Los Angeles — Activists pushing for investors to pull their money out of Israel were dealt a significant blow in recent days when a Washington state judge struck down a proposed ballot initiative that could have made Seattle the first major American city to adopt a divestment policy. On September 10, Washington Superior Court Judge…
SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME HONORS COMPOSER ALAN MENKEN — FROM “A BINTEL BRIEF” TO OSCAR WINNER FOR “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” AND MORE So how did singer and songwriter-composer Alan Menken go from writing the music and lyrics for the 1960s musical “Dear Worthy Editor” (based on the Forverts’s A Bintel Brief column) to penning…
