As the Bush administration finds itself under fire for its slow response to Hurricane Katrina, much of the criticism has focused on a favorite of the Jewish community: Michael Chertoff, head of the Department of Homeland Security. Political leaders, disaster preparedness experts and reporters are all pointing fingers at Chertoff’s leadership. The criticism became especially…
WASHINGTON — As the federal government rushes to fund hurricane-related recovery efforts, pro-Israel activists in Washington are worried that Congress will be reluctant to send Jerusalem the $2.1 billion of additional post- disengagement aid that it is requesting. With New Orleans destroyed and the surrounding region devastated, lawmakers will be hard pressed to explain to…
I am deeply saddened by the death last week of Rabbi Balfour Brickner. For two generations — as a pulpit rabbi in Washington, founding the staunchly liberal/progressive Temple Sinai, then on the national staff of the Reform movement, then as a pulpit rabbi again for New York City’s Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, and since his…
TEL AVIV — Thousands of people arrived in Jerusalem last week to accompany the coffins of 14 former residents of the Gush Katif settlement bloc in Gaza as they were reburied in the capital’s Mount of Olives cemetery. Yisrael Meir Lau, former chief rabbi of Israel, addressed the mourners. “We brought 14 of the Gush…
Protester Kills Himself An American-born Israeli who set himself on fire to protest Gaza withdrawal has died. Baruch Ben-Menachem, a recent American immigrant, doused himself in lighter fluid and then ignited himself at his Hebrew-language learning center in Jerusalem last week. He succumbed to his injuries Tuesday. Medics who arrived to treat Ben-Menachem quoted him…
As pundits and politicians from both parties decried the government’s slow response in wake of Hurricane Katrina, major Jewish organizations avoided any criticism of President Bush or his administration. When asked for comment, two leaders of the country’s largest synagogue movement, Rabbi Eric Yoffie and Rabbi David Ellenson, bemoaned the response and the country’s class…
A bicyclist zipped down Columbus Avenue silently. Her gaze caught mine. Tears filled her eyes. She turned away and continued down the strangely somber street. On the day of 9/11 and in the weeks following it, New York was marked by a silence unusual for the normally cacophonous city. The silence reminded me personally of…
As refugees from Hurricane Katrina fanned out across the country, Jewish communities nationwide began to feel the effect as evacuees arrived on their doorsteps. The Jewish communities closest to New Orleans have been most fully engaged in the relief work. It is estimated that half of the ruined city’s 10,000 Jews went to Houston. The…
‘Did you know that when you go out with a gentile he never tells you how much the meal costs?” comedian Cory Kahaney jokes in her stand-up act. “If I don’t know how much the meal costs, I don’t know how much to put out! At least with Jews you know where you stand.” The…
JACKSON, Miss. — Almost a third of New Orleans police officers walked off the job last week in the face of violent looters, fetid floodwaters and infernal heat — but Brian Weiss stayed at his post. Weiss, 43, a lieutenant with more than 22 years of service, survived day-to-day after Hurricane Katrina ripped through a…
Fortunately, Maxine is still young enough for her favorite toy to be the kitchen spatula. (Chew it! Bang it on the floor! Hurl it like a spinning ninja star in a Hong Kong action movie!) Josie, on the other hand, is becoming more discerning in her toy selection. We’re fortunate that she’s still pretty sheltered…
בײַ ייִדן איז פֿאַראַן אַן אַלטע טראַדיציע צו שרײַבן רײַסישע סגולות מיט ייִדישע אותיות.
