I’m pretty sure I’ve missed a turn on the winding, bougainvillea-filled backstreets of Buyukada, an idyllic island about an hour’s ferry ride from Istanbul. A horse-drawn carriage filled with vacationers — some wearing headscarves — whips by. Suddenly, an older man in an immaculately pressed suit and silk tie appears in front of me. Next,…
In the mid 2000s, an Orthodox Jewish couple in Israel sought to conceive a child with the help of a sperm donor. But they had one important caveat: it had to be a girl. The Orthodox husband was a Kohen, a priestly designation that has been passed down from father to son since biblical times….
Helga Weiss-Hoskova, a short woman with closely cropped gray hair and sparkling blue eyes, stood in the doorway of her fourth-floor walkup in Prague. “I climb these stairs once or twice each day,” she said as my wife and I, out of breath, approached the fourth-floor landing. The 85-year-old artist and Holocaust survivor has received…
On the surface, Asher Ehrman had a great childhood in Monsey, New York. Growing up in an Orthodox family, his parents loved him and his sister. It had its ups and downs, but until he was about 13 or 14, he really couldn’t complain. But then he came home wearing a blue shirt instead of…
The rift between President Obama and many leaders of the organized Jewish community over the Iranian nuclear deal is out in the open. Beyond policy differences, both sides carry personal grievances. This became evident during Obama’s White House meeting August 4 with Jewish leaders, where much of the two-hour session was devoted to mutual accusations…
A coalition of politicians from both sides of the aisle are deeply concerned about new recommendations for breast cancer screening. They, along with patient advocates, say the new guidelines from the United States Preventive Services Task Force will fail to protect populations with a hereditary predisposition, including Ashkenazim, one of the groups at higher risk…
The State Department has doubled down on its policy of defining delegitimization of Israel as a form of anti-Semitism, but is seeking to stay out of a raging debate over whether the definition should be used in the U.S. In a response to Jewish Voice for Peace, a Jewish organization which supports boycott, divestment and…
It may look like Jared Rosenthal is cruising around New York City in an oversized ice cream truck, but the 45-year-old entrepreneur is selling a commodity far more precious than a frozen treat: He’s offering DNA tests to confirm paternity and other biological connections to anyone willing to shell out $350 for the information. With…
Pasagardae, Iran —— In the heart of Fars Province on Iran’s high desert plateau in the South, a stark and bare large limestone tomb juts out of the landscape. It’s in the middle of nowhere. But the understated burial place of Cyrus the Great still draws Iranians on pilgrimage. Mohammad Parvi, a retired sugarcane factory worker,…
While many in the Jewish community are celebrating the upcoming release of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, some are still reflecting bitterly on his case. For many in sensitive government security positions, and for those working as defense contractors, Pollard’s espionage for Israel represents not only a moral lapse, but also a practical problem they still…
(JTA) This seaside community situated 125 miles west of Paris boasts windswept beaches, turquoise-water marinas, a grand casino, a race track and an Olympic-size swimming pool. Deauville, spanning 2.2 square miles, also has five kosher restaurants, three main synagogues and more than 20 smaller Jewish congregations. The picturesque Lower Normandy township emerged decades ago as…
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