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Bess Soffer, 68, Jewish Community Leader Whose Last Words, By FaceTime, Were ‘Group Hug’
(JTA) — Over 1000 people logged in for Bess Soffer’s Zoom funeral. Her children knew she was beloved, but even they were surprised by the turnout. “I knew she was a good friend, but I didn’t know that depth of friendship that she had with so many people all over the country. Everyone felt important…
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Forward readers weigh in: To yarmulke or not to yarmulke?
When attorney David Schoen delivered his opening remarks at the recent impeachment trial of Donald Trump, he took a sip of water and awkwardly covered his head. Schoen, a Modern Orthodox Jew who normally wears a yarmulke, was not wearing one that day. Instead, he used his hand to cover his head to recite the…
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The ‘Super-gay, super-Jewish’ Ari Gold’s friends and family remember the late pop star who embraced both identities
When he died on Valentine’s Day 2021 after a battle with leukemia, pop singer and LGBTQ+ activist Ari Gold left behind a legacy of love and pride in both his gay and Jewish identity. “He was a gay icon from a frum background,” said producer Howard (Zvi) Rosenman, a longtime friend of the Gold family…
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New memoir captures the spirit of Purim and the American dream
Purim lore looms large in Esther Amini’s life story. Her recently published book, “Concealed: A Memoir of a Jewish-Iranian Daughter Caught Between the Chador and America,” is a beautifully conceived story about her parents—her larger-than-life mother, Hana, who was a role model of brilliance and survival, and her strict, crusty father, Nissan, whose love for…
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Nicole Malliotakis wants you to remember she voted against her party
During her run for Congress last year, Nicole Malliotakis repeatedly accused her opponent, first-term Rep. Max Rose, of voting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic caucus “95 percent of the time.” Now, a little over a month into her term, Malliotakis, a Republican from Staten Island, wants everyone to know that she cast…
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NYC medical chief apologizes to the Orthodox community for mishandling outreach during the pandemic
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration has learned from past mistakes and is seeking to improve outreach efforts to the Orthodox community in Brooklyn, two senior city officials said in a conference call with Jewish media representatives on Tuesday. The acknowledgment — as the city is looking to rebuild trust in the COVID-19 vaccination drive —…
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A virtual tour of Esther’s tomb? In L.A., one man’s lonely mission to archive Iranian Jewish culture
Celebrating Purim is bittersweet for Fariborz Moradzadeh, an Iranian Jewish businessman in Los Angeles. In the 43 years since arriving in L.A., he has been unable to return to his birth city of Hamedan in Iran and visit the burial site of Purim’s heroine Esther and hero Mordechai located nearby. The Iranian regime’s random arrests…
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Trump’s antisemitism envoy leaves a polarizing legacy as Biden prepares new pick
At the height of the debate over Israel’s possible annexation of the West Bank last summer, J Street, the liberal pro-Israel group, was urging followers on social media to write to Senators opposing the move. Elan Carr, the State Department’s envoy to combat antisemitism, jumped in to take exception to J Street’s use in a…
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Purim as a Jewish ‘National Coming Out Day’: What the holiday means for LGBTQ Jews
For many Jews, Purim may be the holiday when five-year-olds dress up like Queen Esther and 25-year-olds drink “until they can’t tell the difference between Mordechai and Haman,” but in recent years, the holiday has taken on a new meaning. For some, the story of Purim has come to embody the potential of the Jewish…
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Merrick Garland defends deputy AG pick amidst GOP claims of antisemitism
Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s nominee for attorney general, touted the integrity of Kristen Clarke, who was nominated for assistant attorney general, as he appeared before the Senate for his confirmation hearing on Monday. Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah brought up past comments made by Clarke, recently featured on conservative news websites, about…
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90-year-old Jewish woman walked six miles in snow to get vaccine
Earlier this month, when 90-year-old Fran Goldman walked six miles through the snow to get her vaccine, she didn’t think much of it. “I’m not an attention grabber,” Goldman, a member of Seattle’s Temple Beth Am, said in an interview this weekend. “I did not think it was a big deal.” But her story was…
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