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Alby Kass, 89, Klezmer Musician Who Built Northern California Jewish Community
(JTA) — BERKELEY, Calif. (J. Weekly via JTA) — Alby Kass, one of the founders of the Russian River Jewish Community some four decades ago, has died March 31 of complications from COVID-19. He was 89. After spending the past year battling a number of other illnesses, he succumbed in a San Leandro hospital bed…
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Israeli Airline Brings Precious COVID Cargo to Detroit
It was around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 12, when the wheels of an El Al jet touched down at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The plane, void of passengers, flew to Detroit from China on what could be considered a humanitarian aid mission. Inside the Israeli jet were 3.5 million surgical and KN95 protective masks, face…
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For a family that faced a medical crisis before the country’s, a lesson in radical kindness
On the Friday after my daughter, Orli, received a new liver, in a new city, a doctor appeared in the doorway bearing a small sack. He was, it turned out, the husband of one my 8th grade Camp Ramah counselors—and also the head of the medical ICU. In the bag was… Shabbat, a vegetarian soup,…
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Letter from San Luis Obispo: COVID-19 hits “One of America’s Happiest Cities”
Way back in February, when my beloved younger brother invited my family to celebrate Passover with his wife and two kids, I politely declined. I couldn’t fathom making the 300-mile drive from San Diego after my husband and I returned from visiting our 20-year-old study abroad daughter in Australia the night before. That was then…
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Moroccan Jewish community hit hard by coronavirus deaths
The COVID-19 pandemic has ripped through Morocco’s close-knit Jewish community, claiming at least 14 lives. Though less than 1 percent of Morocco’s total population, Jews represent more than 10 percent of the country’s total coronavirus deaths. “It’s a huge number when it comes to a community of 2,000 people,” said community member Abdou Ladino. Community…
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Amid coronavirus, Brazilian Jews face rising anti-Semitism
A conspiracy theory linking the novel coronavirus outbreak to Jews has been tied to a succession of anti-Semitic incidents over the past few months in Brazil. The cases have prompted a swift and concerted response from Jewish activists there. On March 14, a Facebook page dedicated to the work of Sigmund Freud posted a small…
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Letter from Mexico City: ‘We barely recognize one another’
At first, things were very calm. Nobody seemed to be worried. The crisis was happening at the other side of the planet, very far away, in China, and starting to hit Italy, but in Mexico City we were safe. There were 7 people sick with coronavirus. Mexicans were special and would not to be harmed….
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From grizzly bear slayer to former Federation head: Eight Jewish candidates to watch
Now that the Democratic presidential primary is over, close observers of American politics will be broadening the number of races to pay attention to ahead of November — not just the presidential election, but also the 479 simultaneous races for the House of Representatives, the Senate and governorships. Studies have long shown that Jews are…
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Rabbis gave this mental health hotline special dispensation. Hundreds have called it.
A single mother, laid off because of coronavirus, asks how to manage her anxiety. A domestic violence victim wonders how to protect herself in quarantine. A father working at home seeks anger management tips. These are just a sample of calls to a recently-created hotline for Jews struggling with mental health issues during the coronavirus…
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Letter from Huntsville: ‘Our souls have been assaulted’
I am the rabbi of Huntsville’s Temple B’nai Sholom, Alabama’s oldest synagogue in continuous use. Over the first two nights of Passover, vandals defaced two congregations in Huntsville, The Etz Chayim Congregation and Chabad of Huntsville, with anti-Semitic graffiti. Although my temple was not attacked, our souls have been assaulted. As one of my congregants…
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Zoom adds new security features to stop anti-Semitic trolls
The videoconferencing company Zoom has made security changes to prevent outsiders from hijacking users’ chats, according to a webinar Thursday featuring staff from Zoom and the Anti-Defamation League, which collaborated on the update. The new development came after the ADL received more than 100 reports of “Zoombombing,” when unwelcome participants shared anti-Semitic, pornographic and racist…
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