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Tribute to Disappearing Jews of Friesland
When Jacob Nathan de Leeuwe found himself returning nearly two decades ago from his home in a suburb of Amsterdam to this isolated idyll he calls “the end of the world,” it undoubtedly was the pull of his roots. De Leeuwe’s family had lived in this semi-autonomous region in the northern Netherlands known as Friesland…
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A Jewish Family’s ‘Mein Kampf’ Story
My great-uncle Eddie returned from World War II in 1945 with a shrapnel wound in his leg, a Purple Heart and four souvenirs from the Nazi regime he helped to defeat: a German bayonet, a helmet, a rifle, and a copy of “Mein Kampf.” He appointed his sister, Helen, my grandmother, as guardian of the…
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Jewish Democrats Ready Push for Obama
Democrats are preparing to use their party’s nominating convention as a springboard to shore up Jewish support for President Barack Obama’s reelection effort, especially in crucial swing states like Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Along with a string of Jewish speakers, activists at the convention are being urged to tout what they see as Obama’s strong…
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Dagestan’s ‘Mountain Jews’ Flee Chaos
Getting to Friday services in Makhachkala, the capital city of the Russian Republic of Dagestan, was complicated. Three giant bombs had earlier gone off down the road, and authorities had sealed off streets near the synagogue. En route soldiers seized our taxi on suspicion that we were aiding Islamic terrorists. They detained us until Sabbath…
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Soviet Yiddish Writers Remembered; ‘The Essence’ and More From the Yiddish Theater
Soviet Yiddish Writers Remembered on 60th Anniversary of Their Murder “Yiddish culture in the Soviet Union began with a flourish of trumpets and ended with a mute, strangled voice,” said Thomas Bird, a Queens College professor of European language and literature, at a memorial. held on August 12 , it was for the Soviet Yiddish…
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One Beating Is Front Page, Another Goes Unnoticed
As Jamal Julani recovered in a hospital after being beaten unconscious in an August 17 attack that monopolized Israeli headlines for days, another Palestinian man was beaten unconscious. But this second attack flew under the radar of most Israelis. The first attack dominated not only the media, but also the political discussion, with figures throughout…
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Jewish in the Bible Belt
Sometimes, Benjamin Rosenthal thinks about leaving the small town of Indianola, Miss., pop. 11,000, where he spent most of his life. He wants to go somewhere bigger, with more Jews. “It’s very easy to lose your identity in the Bible Belt in a town when you are the religious minority,” said Rosenthal, 25. In the…
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Mitt Romney Pushes Economy and Israel
Republicans spent three evenings at their convention hammering home their message: After four years of leadership failures, Mitt Romney will restore America to a position of strength, confidence and unity – at home and abroad. In his Thursday night speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Romney suggested that President Obama had shattered Americans’ sense of…
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Mementos of Lithuania’s Lost Jews
On the shiny glass table lay jewelry, coins and metal utensils – similar to those in a catalog of antiques. The years have left their mark on the items, but they are still in good shape. Some collector would probably pay a nice amount for them. But these items are not for sale. It is…
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Queens Polling Place Moved Out of Church
A polling site in a Queens, N.Y., neighborhood has been moved after some Jewish voters raised concerns about violating their religious beliefs by having to enter the building. Kew Gardens Hills residents will now not have to vote at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church because their voting venue is being switched to the Kew Gardens…
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Italian Fisherman Who Saved Jews Dies at 87
A fisherman who took part in the dramatic rescue of about 30 Jews during World War II died this week. Agostino Piazzesi, 87, was the last survivor of 15 fishermen who during the night of June 19-20, 1944 rescued the Jews, who were held by the Germans in a castle on Isola Maggiore in the…
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