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A Year of Curses and Many Blessings
Sarah Hurwitz
The Voice of Michelle Obama As Michelle Obama prepares to leave the White House, where she made history as the country’s first African-American First Lady, she’s also consolidating her position as one of the nation’s most beloved public figures — thanks in part to speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz. In October, feeling angry after listening to the…
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A Year of Curses and Many Blessings Daniel Landes
The Rabbi Whose Ordination of Women Is Pushing the Envelope of Orthodoxy In 2016, Rabbi Daniel Landes pushed the envelope of Modern Orthodoxy in Israel by ordaining women rabbis in an Orthodox-style ceremony. The former head of the Pardes Institute — a coeducational beit midrash, or religious institution of Jewish study — Landes has been…
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A Year of Curses and Many Blessings Deborah Lipstadt
Holocaust Historian Reaches the Red Carpet Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt finally got to walk the red carpet this year. The painstaking scholarship on Holocaust denial that she’s pursued from her perch at Emory University for decades has garnered headlines in the past. Now, she’s being played by an Academy Award-winning actress (Rachel Weisz) in a…
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A Year of Curses and Many Blessings Jared Kushner
Not Just a New York Observer Anymore It was a shocking stunt: Two days after the release of a video of Donald Trump boasting about getting away with sexual assault, Trump’s campaign brought four women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual abuse to the third presidential debate. Trump officials wanted the women seated in…
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A Year of Curses and Many Blessings Sharon Weiss-Greenberg
Fighting for Jewish Feminism During the past year, Sharon Weiss-Greenberg, a public intellectual who writes for the Jewish press, has spoken out against rape in the Orthodox community, as well as the need for women to assume leadership roles in American Orthodox Judaism. The mainstream press also seeks her expertise: For a Washington Post story…
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A Year of Curses and Many Blessings Isaac Mizrahi
He Has Become a Jew of Stature, By Design Once teased by the other boys in his modern Orthodox Brooklyn day school, Isaac Mizrahi became a person of standing in the community this year, when the Jewish Museum dedicated an exhibit to the fashion designer’s work over the decades. Including costumes he created for several…
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A Year of Curses and Many Blessings Yael Lempert
Architect of Israel’s $38 billion Package With America On September 14, years of Yael Lempert’s arduous work came to fruition. On behalf of the Obama administration, she completed negotiations for a 10-year, $38 billion Memorandum of Understanding with Israel. The agreement, signed at the State Department, ends years of negotiations and provides Israel with the…
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A Year of Curses and Many Blessings Shmuly Yanklowitz
A Rabbi Leading by Example In 2016, Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz addressed the largest humanitarian crisis in recent memory: the conflict in Syria and the resulting displacement and death of unfathomable numbers of people. A co-founder of Jews for Human Rights in Syria, Yanklowitz has advocated for a more welcoming attitude toward Syrian refugees, both in…
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A Year of Curses and Many Blessings Natalie Portman
Black Swan Actress Comes of Age as a Director Israeli-American Natalie Portman, 35, has long been a darling of screens small and large. She’s also been a major Jewish icon, publicly celebrating her identity as a member of the tribe. This year, her exploration of what it means to be a Jew, as well as…
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A Year of Curses and Many Blessings Jona Rechnitz
An Elf Caught in a Scandal With the New York Mayor One Christmas Day a couple of years ago, two Orthodox businessmen in elf costumes delivered gifts to the home of a high-ranking official in the New York City police department: a video game system for his son, and jewelry for his wife. Prosecutors say…
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A Year of Curses and Many Blessings Thomas Frieden
The Man To Take on Zika As New York City’s health commissioner during the Bloomberg administration, Dr. Thomas Frieden imposed a controversial smoking ban in workplaces citywide that’s been credited with helping to reduce smoking among New York adults from 21.6% to 16.9%. To fight cardiovascular disease, he produced regulations eliminating trans fat from all…
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