As the Republican Party coalesces behind presidential contender John McCain, Jewish bigwigs in the party are vying for influence in the campaign. Currently leading the way is the House’s only Jewish Republican, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia — a rising party star who currently serves as chief deputy whip — who is raising funds for…
An Israeli television program broadcast on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day has drawn the main organization that distributes Holocaust restitution funds into ongoing battles about the financial condition of Israeli Holocaust survivors. “Reparations Ethics: The War Continues,” aired on Israeli television April 27 and again April 30. The film criticized the Conference on Jewish…
Washington – An unfolding corruption investigation against Israel’s prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has lowered already limited expectations for President Bush’s upcoming trip to the Jewish state. On May 14, Bush will embark on his second trip this year to Israel, where he will attend events marking the 60th anniversary of its independence. While the Bush…
I first met the amazing Paskowitz family in 1978, when I was a writer and producer for “Two on the Town,” a CBS magazine show in Los Angeles. It sounded like the perfect upbeat, if slightly wacky, Southern California story: Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz was a Stanford medical school grad who had rejected the world of Mercedes-Benz…
In “Rapture Ready: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture” (Scribner, 2008), Daniel Radosh presents a delightfully varied compendium of Christian items known among many actual Christians as “Jesus junk.” These include candy conversation hearts imprinted with “John 3:16” and “He Lives” instead of “Kiss Me” and “Sweet Talk.” There are Faith Pops…
A group of young artists, writers and musicians discuss their generation’s connection to its Sephardic roots in an event titled Young Artists Exploring Our Heritage: A Journey Where Art Meets History. The panel discussion, moderated by the Forward’s art and culture editor, Alana Newhouse, features Michael Jay Cohen, Michelle Ishay-Cohen, Vanessa Hidary and Galeet Dardashti….
Can anyone hear fava beans and not think of Anthony Hopkins? “I ate his liver with fava beans and a nice chianti.” (The movie is Silence of the Lambs, in case you missed it, and the infamous line was said by Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter.) But references to cannibalism aside, our Tuv Ha’Aretz has started…
As late as three weeks before Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, no draft of an Israeli Declaration of Independence had yet been written. Cobbled together by legal draftsmen, attorneys and politicians, the final version reflected the influence of multiple authors and texts, including a draft of an Israeli constitution (written in January 1948),…
Haifa, Israel – The organizers of Israel’s annual state-run Bible Quiz are used to asking tough questions. But as this year’s contest approached, the tables were turned as they were forced to answer one: Who is a Jew? The Bible Quiz is a popular highlight of the country’s yearly Independence Day celebrations, introduced by the…
Several months ago, The Jew & The Carrot featured the recipe for my mom’s amazing chocolate cake – the one that my brother and I begged for every birthday – mostly for the thrill of eating sweet, homemade frosting directly off the beaters. Then yesterday, a reader sent me the following email: “Long ago you…
Washington — After nine days of meetings, The United Methodist Church rejected five proposed resolutions urging divestment from companies doing business with Israel. The church’s National Conference, which convened in Fort Worth, Texas, last week, overwhelmingly turned down anti-Israel measures, though it included a statement declaring that “Israel continues to violate the international law” by building…
