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Will Economic Crisis Hurt Russia Jews More Than Anti-Semitism?
(JTA) — In the basement of one of Europe’s largest synagogues, 100 Jews are waiting to meet local film star Boris Smolkin. The crowd applauds enthusiastically as the 66-year-old funnyman, who gave his voice to Master Yoda in the Russian-language version of the “Star Wars” trilogy, sucks daintily on an electronic cigarette during a public interview…
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The Last Jewish Lox Slicer at Zabar’s
Lox Me Tender from Jewish Daily Forward on Vimeo. Anne Rothstein stared through the counter glass, transfixed, as the knife slid through the fleshy pink salmon. “Amazing,” Rothstein said to herself. “You are amazing.” The subject of Rothstein’s praise, Len Berk, kept his eyes on the knife as it slid through the fish. Berk, 84,…
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Will Chrismukkah Ruin My Nice Jewish Kids?
The Seesaw is a new kind of advice column in which a broad range of columnists will address the real life issues faced by interfaith couples and families. Read the discussion and vote below for what you think is the best response to this particular quandary. You can email your own questions, which will remain…
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With Elections Looming, Tunisia Is an Arab Spring Success Story — For Now
For an old Moscow hand who had the privilege to cover the last days of the Soviet Union for the Forward 25 years ago, Tunis feels a bit like perestroika. From every restaurant and hotel lobby, television screens blare commentators of all persuasions arguing passionately about politics with raised voices and rapid-fire gesticulations as the…
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‘Homely’ Ancient Rock Boost King David’s Claim to Existence
(JTA) — Dimly lit, the stone slab, or stele, doesn’t look particularly noteworthy, especially when compared to the more lavish sphinxes, jewelry and cauldrons one encounters en route to the room where it is installed. Indeed, in a Twitter post this fall, art journalist Lee Rosenbaum described the nearly 13-by-16 inch c. 830 BCE rock,…
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Tampa Jewish Agency Chief Slain in Murder-Suicide
A Jewish agency head who had been deeply involved with caring for migrant children was found dead with her longtime partner in what police are calling an apparent murder-suicide. Rochelle Tatrai, the president and CEO of Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, and partner Sean Ray were both found dead of gunshot wounds on…
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For Older Cuban Jews, Opening To Havana Is Bad Idea
(JTA) — For many Cuban Jews – the majority of whom now live in the United States – it has been a bittersweet week. Like countless Jews around the world, they cheered the release of Alan Gross, the American Jewish telecommunications contractor who had been held in a Cuban prison for the last five years. But…
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End of Cuba Freeze Revives Memories of Jewish Havana — and Hopes for Future
On December 17, President Obama announced a thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations and the release of Alan Gross, an American-Jewish contractor who had been held in a Cuban jail for five years. Here’s what a few Cuban-American Jews make of the announcement, both for themselves and for Cuban Jews in general. Rosa Perelmuter What took place…
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U.S. Won’t Back ‘Palestine’ State Measure at U.N.
The United States would not support a new Palestinian-proposed U.N. Security Council draft resolution, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Thursday. “It is not something we would support,” Psaki told reporters. Earlier, Israel’s foreign minister described a draft resolution that calls for a peace deal within a year and ending the occupation of…
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Rabbi Wesley Gardenswartz Backs Off Controversial Plan for Intermarriages
(JTA) — Within days of floating a proposal that woud have allowed Conservative rabbis to perform interfaith marriages, Rabbi Wesley Gardenswartz of Temple Emanuel in Newton, Mass., backed away from the controversial plan. In a recent email, Gardenswartz asked congregants to consider a proposal for a new shul policy that would enable him to officiate at…
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Rabbi Harold Schulweis, Pathbreaking Thinker, Dies at 89
(JTA) — As a pathbreaking thinker, innovator and activist, Rabbi Harold Schulweis’ role extended far beyond his base as the spiritual leader of his Los Angeles-area congregation. “Harold Schulweis was widely regarded as the most successful and influential synagogue leader in his generation, a public intellectual who redefined what it is to be a Jew, an…
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