He Went Viral For Mocking A Jewish Child’s Hair — But Will Be Remembered For His Heartfelt Apology

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
On Friday May 4, Yonkers resident Quai James posted a short video making fun of a Hasidic child’s haircut, filmed in a Hasidic community in Brooklyn. The film quickly went viral, and Jewish community members were outraged. Soon after, James issued a heartfelt video apology — and stopped by the Forward’s offices the next week to discuss the video and the aftermath with the Forward’s Laura E. Adkins, Crown Heights resident Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone, and Forward columnist Ben Faulding.
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Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
