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Backroom Battler for Rumsfeld and Bronfman Finds Himself Centerstage in High-stakes Struggle
Stephen Herbits has moved through many halls of power during the past decade: He worked at the side of secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon, then jumped into the fray of gay activism in Miami and finally ended up as head of the World Jewish Congress, one of the most storied and influential…
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Source of WJC Leak a Mystery
As the controversy over the firing of top officials at the World Jewish Congress entered its third week, much of the focus was on a topic that seems to riddle all national debates these days: the source of a leaked document. The document in question was a letter written March 14 by the president of…
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Bill To Expand Religious Freedom at Work Worries Liberals, Splits Jewish Groups
As gay rights activists and liberal interest groups gear up for a fight against a broad-based religious alliance over a bill to expand rights in the workplace, Jewish organizations are struggling to determine which side to line up on. At issue is a proposed bill, the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, aimed at strengthening a federal…
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In Minor Breakthrough, Rice Coaxes Olmert, Abbas Toward Bargaining Table
Jerusalem – Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to meet every other week for talks that could include discussions about the formation of a Palestinian state, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said here this week. Rice’s statement came at the end of three days of shuttle diplomacy between the…
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Aipac Prosecutor Caught Up in Justice Department Scandal
The escalating controversy over the Bush administration’s dismissal of eight federal prosecutors has ensnared the high-ranking Justice Department official who brought charges against two pro-Israel advocates for allegedly leaking classified information. In recent weeks, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty has faced intense scrutiny for his role in the firing eight U.S. attorneys last year. Among…
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Lawmakers Sign Protest on Palestinian Aid
Washington – Two congressional letters strongly supported by the pro-Israel lobby have attracted a great deal of support in recent days. Seventy-nine senators signed a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging the Bush administration to maintain its policy of denying financial aid and refusing to meet with the Palestinian government until it recognizes…
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Nobody Ever Hearkens!
Three gentlemen have gathered on the terrace of an outdoor café. Two enjoy thimble-size cups of thick, sweet coffee. The third, a wild-eyed, raggedy-bearded fellow, stalks around among the tables, barely limiting his exhortations to his companions, which may explain why the café across the boulevard is having a particularly busy afternoon. Nachmanides: Please, my…
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Playing a New Role
I have a confession. I really, really love leading the Seder. I was initially resistant to taking on the role. It meant that Zayde was gone; it meant that I was a grownup, an authority figure, instead of a metaphorical kid throwing spitballs from the back row. It meant, to me, that I was usurping…
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Leavened or Unleavened: A History
Everyone knows that food is a serious part of the Passover Seder. But very few people take Seder food seriously. Though everyone who attends a Seder is aware that certain foods are central to the Seder ritual, and most — at least by the end of the Seder — will be aware of the conventional…
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A Parisian Seder
Preparations are under way at Paris’s Congregation Juive Libèrale for a Seder with special significance. This week, 300 members and friends will gather for the first Passover feast in the new spiritual home that the Reform congregation dedicated last May. “The Seder brings together all that is important about the Jewish faith and traditions, reminding…
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Take Back The (Seder) Night
Pesach for the Rest of Us: Making the Passover Seder Your Own By Marge Piercy Schocken, 304 pages, $22.95. It’s well known that Passover is the most widely observed of Jewish holidays, and there’s no shortage of explanations as to why. Its themes are universally relevant — freedom is much easier to relate to than,…
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