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Lee Harvey Oswald’s Killer ‘Jack Ruby’ Came From Strong Jewish Background
(JTA) — We were sharing a pastrami sandwich and pickles at the Los Angeles landmark Canter’s Deli. I was 24. She was nearly 50 years older, with a piercing voice as loud as her flaming red wig. Her name was Eva Rubenstein Grant, and she was a little-known nightclub manager the morning of Nov. 24,…
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Delving Into Jewish Roots for Source of Her Epilepsy
When I started having seizures at the age of 7, no one ever suggested an exorcism. No one sent me to discuss with a rabbi what was going on inside my writhing body, or to try incantations, or amulet prayers, or minyan circles, for the sake of extricating the spirits. My motor seizure disorder was…
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Avigdor Lieberman’s Acquittal Stirs Doubts About Israel’s Anti-Corruption Fight
It was to be the misconduct case of the century and trumpet a message that the highest of ethical standards is expected in Israeli public life. But when proceedings against Avigdor Lieberman ended with his acquittal on November 6, Israel was left more cynical than ever about the state’s ability to fight corruption. The saga…
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Last Generation of Holocaust Survivors Face Higher Costs, Even as Numbers Dwindle
The number of living Holocaust survivors will shrink rapidly over the next 13 years, but the costs of caring for the remaining survivors will rise, according to a new report by Selfhelp Community Services. Selfhelp, a social service provider for seniors, estimates that 65,000 survivors currently live in the New York metropolitan area. By the…
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Gay Israeli Fathers-to-Be Find Unexpected Community in Minnesota’s Twin Cities
A new father stands up to his waist in water and accepts his tiny, naked, newborn daughter from his husband, who crouches on the tiled floor just outside the mikveh. A beit din, or Jewish court, of three rabbis, plus some new friends of the couple, fills the resounding space with song, inviting the Divine…
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‘Christmas Tree Rabbis’ Take Place in Faith as Intermarriage Grows
(JTA) — When Eric Woodward started rabbinical school at the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary, he assumed he would be be the only student who grew up celebrating Christmas along with Hanukkah. But midway through his training, when Woodward started a discussion group for students of interfaith families, more than 20 people showed up. Not all…
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For Conservative Jews, Few Inches Raise Vexing Questions on Interfaith Families
(JTA) — To an outsider, the battles might seem to be over trifles — in some cases, just a few feet. Where may a non-Jewish parent stand in the synagogue during his child’s bar mitzvah? Can a non-Jew open the holy ark? Should non-Jewish synagogue members have voting rights? Such questions have been pushed to…
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Sam Kellner’s Tangled Hasidic Tale of Child Sex Abuse, Extortion and Faith
This is a story about religion, sex abuse, power, extortion, bungled prosecutions and the pitfalls of pursuing justice in an insular Orthodox community where disputes are solved internally and mistrust of outsiders reigns. It involves a convicted sex offender; a Hasidic multimillionaire oil and diamond dealer; a drug addict; a New York assemblyman; a supporting…
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Saul Kagan, Claims Conference Founder, Was Too Humble To Speak of Achievement
When Judge Edward R. Korman asked us to assist him, as special master and deputy special master, with the allocation and oversight of the $1.25 billion Swiss Banks Settlement, we knew that there were lessons we needed to learn from those who had devised and administered earlier Holocaust compensation programs. We remain ever grateful that…
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What If Disney Princesses Weren’t So Perfect
(Haaretz) — In a new series of illustrations entitled “The Trials of Disney Princessdom,” illustrator Rayut Siman Tov depicts Disney’s perfect princesses in human settings, complete with bodily defects and the ravages of the beauty industry. To become human, the little mermaid in Hans Christian Anderson’s iconic story had to give up her tail for…
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Who Is Hungary’s Real Holocaust Hero?
(Haaretz) — Two Jews set out from Budapest: One was Hannah (Anna) Szenes, a native of the city, pioneer and poet, who left at age 18 and immigrated to Mandatory Palestine but returned to her hometown under unusual circumstances during World War II. The other was Israel (Rudolf) Kastner, a native of Cluj in Transylvania…
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