When she was growing up in Woodland Hills in Los Angeles’s suburban San Fernando Valley, Ora Yashar felt very American. But at home, her parents were preoccupied with their native Iran. “I always heard stories,” Yashar told the Forward. “My parents were always talking about life before the Revolution. They always talk about Iran.” The…
(JTA) — BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y. — David Harris grew up in a Russian-speaking home in New York and was raised to hate communism. In 1974, he was among a handful of Americans allowed to live and teach in the Soviet Union — an experience that left an indelible mark on his life. It set Harris…
(JTA) — Two tiny sects with Jewish roots have been dragged into yet another diplomatic fight between Russia and Ukraine. The few hundred Karaites who remain in Ukraine today are remnants of a sect that broke off from mainstream Judaism in eighth-century Iraq. They were was documented in Crimea in the 13th century and nearly…
Last summer, amid national protests against racism and police brutality following the murder of George Floyd, many Jewish organizations hosted their first Juneteenth events. This year, American Jews are making the holiday an annual tradition, and observing it in a myriad of ways — from organizing Shabbat services, to hosting virtual panels to scheduling time…
The vast majority of registered Democrats support requirements for secular education at religious yeshivas, according to a new poll commissioned by the advocacy group YAFFED that was released Wednesday. The poll, of 570 people reached from May 21 through June 6, found that more than 80% of New York City’s Democrats either strongly favor or…
(JTA) — Israel’s new prime minister is probably the first one who has stuck a wad of chewing gum to his head right before a public event. Naftali Bennett, who took office this week, is the first prime minister in the country’s history to regularly wear a kippah, or Jewish ritual head covering. Unlike his…
(JTA) — This article originally appeared on Kveller. If you’re in need of inspiration today, look no further than Orthodox mom of four Liba Yoffe, who is competing in the current season of “American Ninja Warrior.” Yoffe, 35, is the apparently first Orthodox Jewish woman to participate in the popular fitness competition — now in its…
Two Jewish mental health professionals at Stanford’s on-campus counseling clinic have filed workplace discrimination complaints after what they call “severe and persistent” anti-Jewish harassment from colleagues. Dr. Ronald Albucher, a psychiatrist and associate professor in the medical school, and Sheila Levin, a therapist specializing in eating disorders, describe being pressed into joining a “whiteness” affinity…
Amanda Beckenstein Mbuvi’s first day of teaching a biblical Hebrew intensive to Sudanese seminary students went great. The second, fairly well. But by the third day it was clear that her pupils were falling behind. “Nobody was studying,” Mbuvi said. “Because when it got dark they didn’t have electricity.” That 2005 trip helped form Mbuvi’s…
In Chicago’s large Orthodox Jewish community, Rabbi Ari Hart stands out. As a leader at Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob Synagogue in Skokie, Illinois, Hart focuses on the roles of women within their community, inclusion of LGBTQ individuals, and other accessibility issues as simple as welcoming different styles of worship. As an activist, he has embarked…
Most New York City Council candidates who responded to a Forward survey said that they would travel to Israel and the occupied West Bank if elected; oppose the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement; and believe that public schools do not properly educate students about the Holocaust. These were among the takeaways from 66 candidates across…
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