Naftali Hershtik, the cantor of the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem, has been the target of an entrapment scheme allegedly orchestrated by one of his former students, according to information obtained exclusively by the Forward. The rumors began weeks ago, when Israeli papers reported that an unnamed cantor had been lured by a young woman into…
ANTI-SMOKING LEGACY FOUNDATION HONORS AARP CEO NOVELLI Issur Danielovitch Demsky (aka Kirk Douglas) was presented with the American Legacy Foundation’s first Public Awareness Award at its 2003 dinner. The presenter was Betty Perske (aka Lauren Bacall), whom Douglas tried to seduce when she was 16. “My mother and father died of smoke-related illnesses,” Douglas said,…
In the same month that the debate over Israel-bashing at a California state university reached a fever pitch, the Board of Regents of the University of California announced the appointment of the second Jewish president in the system’s history. On March 27, Mark Yudof was unanimously elected by the California Board of Regents to serve…
When American Theatre Magazine asked a small group of theater artists to pen statements on their views of a proposed Israeli cultural boycott, representatives of the magazine thought they were asking a mere dozen or so people. But when one of the respondents took the survey a step further, circulating it to an e-mail list…
NEWS ITEM: New York’s new governor, David Paterson, admitted he indulged in extra-marital activity. The legally blind official succeeded Eliot Spitzer, who resigned as a consequence of sexual transgression. Dave Paterson’s a laid-back guy! Who knew he had a roving eye? His ocular deficiency Could not deter his jeu d’esprit Quite absent was the lustful…
Staffers from the British pro-Israel advocacy group Bicom took to the streets to find out what ordinary Britons know about Israel. They compiled some of the sillier responses into a YouTube highlight reel: I personally like how the woman in the kaffiyeh thought the capital of Israel was “Iran.” Of course, I’m sure one could…
MEL BROOKS LEAVES GUILD HALL GALA CROWD IN STITCHES Though the Forward is completing its 110th anniversary, Mel Brooks, the authenticated “2000 Year Old Man,” told me he grew up reading it as a youngster. Brooks, an honoree at the Guild Hall Academy of the Arts’ March 3 Achievement Awards gala at the Rainbow Room,…
In the wake of an ongoing funding crisis, the only Jewish nursing home in one of America’s largest Jewish communities is shutting its doors. The Kivel Campus of Care in Phoenix, a not-for-profit skilled nursing facility offering kosher meals and a staff rabbi to the Sun Belt city’s elderly residents, announced February 25 that ongoing…
Haifa, Israel – Israeli economic experts are worried that the country’s economy may face a rude shock in the months ahead as the American dollar’s plummeting position in world trading leaves the shekel dangerously overvalued. The dollar’s plunge is sending tremors around the globe, but Israel is expected to suffer more than most countries, according…
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has grabbed headlines in recent weeks as a staunch, if unscripted, supporter of Hillary Clinton. But just a decade ago, he found himself thrust into a critical media spotlight by what today might best be described as a Barack Obama moment. In the spring of 1997, Rendell, one of the country’s…
Jerusalem – The search for new ways to promote Jewish immigration to Israel has led policymakers in Jerusalem to target a new group of potential olim: Jewish millionaires. On March 13, the Finance Ministry rolled out a new plan promising financial incentives and a generous tax-benefit package for Jews seeking to take their fortune to…
