Robin Washington, the Forward’s editor-at-large, shares his thoughts on the largest-ever study of Jews of color and about that time he was mistaken for Rod Carew at his own Twin Cities synagogue. American Jews of color say their racial and ethnic identities shape their Jewishness in important, positive ways, but that they also face bigotry…
(JTA) — After a series of high-profile revelations about sexual misconduct within its ranks, the world’s largest Jewish denomination has initiated three separate independent investigations into how it deals with allegations of abuse. In an unprecedented move, the Reform movement’s seminary, rabbinical association and synagogue network have each hired different expert law firms to investigate…
A crumbling synagogue in a neighborhood long ago abandoned by the Jewish community just received millions of dollars from the State of California. At a time when the state faces urgent needs for affordable housing, homeless services and drought relief, you might ask: “A synagogue?” On Aug. 10, the Breed Street Shul Project announced that…
(JTA) — The Israeli TV show “Srugim,” which brought the lives of Modern Orthodox Jewish singles in Jerusalem to the screen, was a hit in its native country. It later found a large new audience in the United States after streaming on Hulu and Amazon. But now its creator, Laizy Shapira, is having major trouble…
(JTA) — (New York Jewish Week via JTA) — Kathy Hochul, who will succeed Andrew Cuomo as governor of New York, is no stranger to the New York Jewish community. Cuomo resigned Tuesday, a week after a state investigation concluded that he sexually harassed 11 women. He had faced intense pressure to step aside, including…
The end of days for Orlando’s Bible-based theme park, the Holy Land Experience.was widely foretold. What no one expected was the form its afterlife would take. Consider: Holy Land was the vision of a Jew who converted to Christianity and became a Baptist minister. When low ticket sales and runaway operating expenses led to huge…
(JTA) — Few Jews know Turkey like Mendy Chitrik, a rabbi who oversees kosher certification in dozens of factories across the country. Over the past 20 years, Chitrik, a Chabad emissary who was born in Israel, has been logging thousands of miles annually across that country, which is larger than Texas and whose 12,000 Jews…
At a typical American shiva, the seven-day period of mourning following a death in the family, a series of traditions are observed — doors are left unlocked, food is brought by community members and lots of time is spent remembering loved ones lost. Jewish texts and historic traditions have given mourners a guide to all…
(JTA) — Are yeshiva students being denied the solid secular education guaranteed them under the law, or should New York City yeshivas have the freedom to set their own religious curricula free from government oversight? Since a complaint by activists for better secular education in yeshivas in 2015, it’s been a perennial issue in the…
Each week, Forward editors pick highlights from our coverage to savor over Shabbat and Sunday. You can download and print a PDF of those stories by clicking here, or click on any of the headlines below. Have a great weekend!
This is an adaptation of Looking Forward, a weekly email from our editor-in-chief sent on Friday afternoons. Sign up here to get the Forward’s free newsletters delivered to your inbox. And click here for a PDF of stories to savor over Shabbat and Sunday that you can download and print. It happened at Traquair House,…
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