In the weeks leading up to Purim 2020, Evyatar Cohen built up his inventory at the Kos Shel Bracha Wine Shop, his Jerusalem liquor store. Then COVID-19 hit. Many Israelis canceled Purim celebrations and by Passover, Israel was under a strict nationwide lock down. Although the wine shop was technically open under the Israeli government’s…
David Mermelstein, a survivor of Auschwitz who devoted much of his life to helping fellow survivors and educating children about the Holocaust, died July 6 in Miami at the age of 92. Mermelstein regularly spoke to elementary, middle and high school students in Miami-Dade County. In addition, he participated in special mentor programs at Miami-Dade…
(JTA) — At first, Danny Mintz was excited to learn that lawmakers in his state, Louisiana, were considering mandating Holocaust education in public schools. A director at a good-government group called the Louisiana Budget Project, Mintz knew that the local Jewish federation was encouraging his synagogue’s board to back the bill. In a state where…
A few months ago, two men drove from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles to satisfy their craving for a good pastrami sandwich. The trip turned out to be life-changing. They bought their sandwiches — and decided to buy a famous Jewish bakery, too. “We came down to buy a pastrami sandwich and bought the most…
Max Solomon Lewis, a 20-year-old University of Chicago student, was commuting home from his summer internship last Thursday evening when a stray bullet pierced the window of his train car and hit him in the back of the neck. Lewis, a rising third year student, was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center and…
In March of last year, when for many Americans the COVID-19 virus still seemed a distant threat, Dr. Charles Schleien was already helping to coordinate the response for the illness. Then he got it himself, a serious case that hit him just seven months after he lost his wife to cancer. He wound up on…
Eric Adams was declared the winner in the race for mayor of New York City on Tuesday after an initial count of in-person, early voting and absentee ballots. The Associated Press made the call after the New York City Board of Elections released the preliminary results of the June 22 Democratic primaries. Adams, the Brooklyn…
For parents of young children, the death of a loved one might mean bringing a child to their first shiva visit. Regardless of whether children have talked to their parents about death, hearing about a death can spark a broad range of questions and emotional responses. As parents go through their own processes of grieving,…
(JTA) — This article originally appeared on The Nosher. Many home cooks this past year, in an Instagram-inspired spirit, upped their challah-baking game with new braiding patterns, interesting flavors and vibrant colors. Yet it was a more standard ingredient that unwittingly connected many to their roots. If you used Fleischmann’s yeast for your challah, you…
(JTA) — The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are finally happening, a full year after they were planned. And yes, they’re still being called the 2020 Olympics, even though they’re happening in 2021. The Jewish athletes competing this year — and there are many — are the products of inspiring journeys. There’s the fencer looking for redemption, Israel’s…
About 30 people packed into the living room and dining room of the white stucco house Saturday as a Torah scroll was laid on the bimah and the gabbai prepared to summon a kohein for the first aliyah. But there were no kohanim among them, because this congregation’s was in the rubble. “Ein kaan kohein,”…
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