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Uganda’s Century-Old Jewish Community Riven by Sectarian Divide
(JTA) — On Fridays at sundown, the Jewish residents of this village set amid the lush hills of eastern Uganda gather in the synagogue to greet Shabbat. The room is bare, the light is dim and the Conservative prayer books are worn. But the spare surroundings do little to diminish the enthusiasm of the men,…
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What’s a Jewish Town Doing in the Middle of ‘Madame Bovary?’
The other day, a French friend who lives in Israel used the expression quel capharnaüm to describe the state of her apartment after her small grandchildren had come for a visit. What she meant was, “What a mess,” but to my surprise, when I told her she had used a most appropriate word for Hebrew-speaking…
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Rena Arshinoff, Nurse and Rabbi, Guides Couple Through Delivery of Stillborn Child
In November 2012, Renan Levine and Mira Victoria Perry were eagerly awaiting the birth of their second child. Two days before the scheduled C-section, the Toronto couple received the news expectant parents dread most: their child had died in utero. With no family in the area and their synagogue rabbi out of town, the couple…
The Latest
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Norway Nurses Back Ban on Ritual Circumcision
The Norwegian Nurses Organization reported the plea in an interview with its director, Astrid Grydeland Ersvik, which was posted Tuesday on the organization’s website. “We need to gain acceptance for setting a minimum age limit of 15-16 years for circumcision, so that the boy himself can decide,” Grydeland Ersvik said, outlining a presentation she made…
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Shimon Peres Sends New Year’s Message to Iran
Israeli President Shimon Peres wished Jews and Iranians a “year of silence and peace” on the occasion of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. Peres in a video message posted by his office on Thursday struck a more conciliatory tone than in past greetings for the ancient holiday, when he would make the case that the…
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The Father-and-Son Rabbis Who Inspire One Another — and Grandma Too
Aaron Fink likes to tell an anecdote about his oldest son: When Eliyahu Fink was in grade school, he discovered an error in ‘The Little Midrash Says,’ a children’s book about weekly Torah portions. The precocious child sent a handwritten letter to the author, asking him why he apparently confused the dates on which God…
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America’s Top Atheist Aims To Build Jewish Support for Ungodly Agenda
David Silverman considers himself a conservative. Yet organizers of the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, a massive gathering held yearly in the nation’s capital, did all they could to make him feel unwelcome. They even took away his presenter’s booth. It was not just that Silverman was an atheist. As president of American Atheists, a…
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Sephardic Jews Won’t Face ‘Strict’ Spanish Citizenship Rules, Justice Minister Says
When Spain finally offers citizenship to Sephardic Jews, will you qualify? According to Spain’s Justice Minister, who spoke at the American Jewish Committee’s offices in New York on March 19, the requirements to prove Sephardic descent will be loose. “The government is not looking to be strict,” said Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, speaking with the Forward after…
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Many Crimea Jews Said To Back New Union With Russia
Crimea’s most prominent rabbi has fled to Kiev. But the Jewish community that remains is largely happy living in a fledgling Crimean republic under the control of the Russian Federation. Rabbi Misha Kapustin, who oversaw the region’s liberal Jewish congregations, moved to the Ukrainian capital ahead of Crimea’s March 16 referendum. Meanwhile, religious emissaries from…
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Toulouse Jewish Leader Urges Young Jews To Flee France
On the two-year anniversary of the murder of four Jews in Toulouse, the president of the local Jewish community encouraged young Jews to leave France. Arie Bensemhoun, the community’s president, said young Jews should leave Toulouse because they could not practice Judaism openly and without fear there. “I won’t deny that, yes, I encourage the…
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Prepping a Muslim for His First-Ever Seder
The Seesaw is a new kind of advice column in which a a broad range of columnists will address the real life issues faced by interfaith couples and families. Join the discussion by commenting on this post, sharing it on Facebook or following the Forward on Twitter. And keep the questions coming. You can email…
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