Chuck Freilich, Israel’s Former Deputy National Security Adviser for Foreign Affairs, Sounds Off at American Jewish Committee Session “Israel’s Situation in the Light of the Turmoil in the East,” a February 16 lecture by Chuck Freilich, Senior Fellow at the International Security Program Belfer Center for Sciences & International Affairs at Harvard, held the nearly…
Not that I miss them, but whatever happened to JAP jokes? In the 1970s and ’80s, my high school and college days, the JAP — that is, the idea of the Jewish American Princess — was just a part of the pop culture landscape. There were jokes about her accent, her nose, her materialism, her…
When my elder daughter, Ella, was about 11, she worked up the courage to join our summer swimming pool’s diving team, despite being a carrier of the family gene for aquaphobia. The first dive meet of the year was at another pool, to which most of Ella’s friends belonged. They were all veritable flying fish…
The irony of the election of the first Jewish mayor in the nation’s third largest city is that his religion seemed not to matter much at all. Rahm Emanuel made history by winning 55% of the vote February 22 to become Chicago’s next mayor, obviating the need for a run-off by blowing away the opposition….
Laura Rozen at Politico has the scoop: Dan Shapiro is President Obama’s pick for the next U.S. ambassador to Israel. There is still no official confirmation from the White House or State Department, but if nominated (and confirmed by the Senate), Shapiro would make a sensible choice for the post. He is deeply involved in…
For a list of events commemorating the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, click here. Max Florin, whose young visage was published on the inside pages of the Forverts in the aftermath of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, has been named in an HBO Films video as one of the six unknowns who were buried in a…
It’s finally happened. Earlier this afternoon the House voted 240 to 185 to deny all federal funding to Planned Parenthood. Even worse, this was a vote to end all Title X funding — that’s the funding that is devoted to providing preventive health and comprehensive family planning services to low-income families. Planned Parenthood currently receives…
The rise of independent minyanim, and the Conservative movement’s efforts to reach out to them, and the response of the organized Jewish community to legislation that would further limit abortion rights are the subjects of this week’s Reporters’ Roundtable. Forward editor Jane Eisner and Forward Fellow Joy Resmovits join host Josh Nathan-Kazis. Subscribe to Forward…
“I was born in a shtetl called Brooklyn… I thought everyone was Jewish,” journalist Ruth Gruber said. Author of 19 books, Gruber was presented with The Common Good’s American Spirit Award on February 3 by Ann Curry, news anchor of the NBC-TV show “Today,” at a screening of the Gruber documentary “Ahead of Time,” held…
Here’s a look at what else is going on in politics, culture and media. Could Obama cut Jewish funds? President Obama’s budget-cut proposal could put some national and local Jewish groups at risk, according to JTA, if they rely so heavily on government money. We should have “all vulnerable Americans” in mind when fighting for…
The Egyptian revolution has kicked open the door to a vast Arab population that, for the first time, is poised to influence the course of its country’s policies directly. For Israel’s supporters, this could mean a new frontier for public diplomacy and a chance to reach out to Arab masses. But the new reality emerging…
דאָס בוך איז גרונטיק געפֿאָרשט, לעבעדיק אָנגעשריבן — אָבער אידעאָלאָגיש באַפֿאַרבט
