As COVID-19 cases hit the 14 million mark nationwide, notable mask skeptics like several Republican governors are being won over. Not Judi Franco, though. The adored New Jersey radio host, who’s also a grandmother and an observant Syrian Jew, still doesn’t “believe” they prevent the virus. That’s why she spent a recent flight to Florida…
When I saw the news that Jeff Zients had been named as President-elect Joe Biden’s COVID-19 “czar” I couldn’t help but wonder what this would mean for my favorite bagel shop in D.C. Zients, who made his fortune in corporate management, served as an economic advisor to President Barack Obama and helped fix the healthcare.gov…
(JTA) — EAST POULTNEY, Vt. (Bennington Banner via JTA) — The autumn leaves crunched underfoot as Netanel Crispe walked uphill toward the northwest corner of the small cemetery. He stopped and examined a toppled headstone. “The last time I was here this was standing up,” he said, regarding the weathered, gray stone. “At least it…
President-elect Joe Biden said Wednesday that he wants to revive the nuclear deal with Iran passed during the Obama administration, when he was vice-president. Yet the same day Biden said he wanted to revive the deal, the Iranian parliament passed a law demanding that he, well, revive the deal. In other words, they demanded angrily…
Under President Donald Trump, Orthodox Jews, who have long sought government funding for one of their highest priorities, their schools, loved what they heard from the administration. Education Secretary Betsy Devos, a mega-donor to conservative education reform efforts, championed private and religious schools at every turn, and federal lawmakers paid them renewed attention. “School choice…
When Cheyenne, Wyoming’s only synagogue began its nationwide search for a religious leader to replace its beloved rabbi, Larry Moldo, who passed away last year, some of the applications that came in were…interesting. In addition to the 22 or so resumes from qualified rabbis, rabbinical students and cantors, came resumes from a forklift operator, a…
The coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on the White House’s annual Hanukkah party. “I’m not going. I’m not traveling. I’m 82 years old,” said Harvard Law Professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz, who has been an unofficial advisor to Trump and attended last year’s party. “I would go, if not for the virus.” Jewish leaders have…
Under the rosiest of circumstances, the job of U.S. ambassador to Israel is no walk in the park. Living up to high expectations on both sides for a warm and solid alliance with “no sunlight” between the two nations – despite decades-long policy differences – is a tricky tightrope that ambassadors have walked with varying…
Since astronaut Jessica Meir returned to Earth in April from the International Space Station, she — like all of us — has spent a lot of time indoors and cooped up. While many of us have spent our confinement dreaming of future trips, Meir is working on her own travel plans to a singular destination:…
Members and allies of the far-right group the Proud Boys, some wearing bulletproof vests and armed with knives, marched through the streets of Sacramento on Saturday in a show of force, blasting loud music and chanting while attempting to provoke counterprotesters. The day of political demonstrations began in the morning and stretched late into the…
To start a vigorous political argument just say, “Rahm Emanuel.” Whether you’re in Chicago, where he was a mayor and congressman and investment banker, or in Washington, where he worked with Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, the diminutive middle son of the three Emanuel brothers is trending upwards — for this week at least…
