Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Ashkenazi Jews, a major Jewish diasporic ethnic group native to Europe.
Ashkenazi Jews
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Fast Forward Angelina Jolie Has Double Mastectomy Over ‘Jewish’ Gene Breast Cancer Fear
Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie has had a double mastectomy to reduce her chances of getting breast cancer and says she hopes her story will inspire other women fighting the life-threatening disease. Jolie wrote in the New York Times on Tuesday the operation has made it easier for her to reassure her six children that she…
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Israel News ‘Jews a Race’ Genetic Theory Comes Under Fierce Attack by DNA Expert
Scientists usually don’t call each other “liars” and “frauds.” But that’s how Johns Hopkins University post-doctoral researcher Eran Elhaik describes a group of widely respected geneticists, including Harry Ostrer, professor of pathology and genetics at Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine and author of the 2012 book “Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish…
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Fast Forward Fierce Dissent Erupts Over Israel Chief Rabbi Post
Members of Habayit Hayehudi are split over who to support in the race for Chief Rabbinate, with party leader Naftali Bennett strongly in favor of Rabbi David Stav, a founder of the religious Zionist organization, Tzohar. On Sunday Bennett denied reports about “deals of one sort or another with Shas or other parties” concerning the…
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Fast Forward Israeli Banknotes All Feature Ashkenazi Jews
Israel’s Cabinet authorized newly designed bank notes to be issued at the end of this year, despite concerns that all of the bills will feature Ashkenazi Jews. The personalities who will grace the new notes are Rachel the Poetess on the 20 shekel note, Shaul Tchernichovsky on the 50 shekel note, Leah Goldberg on the…
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Fast Forward Polish Museum Eyes Life Not Death of Centuries-Old Jewish Community
A new museum of Jewish history opens in Poland this week to refocus attention on a vibrant community that has lived in the country for centuries but whose history, for many, has been eclipsed by the Nazi death camps that nearly wiped them out. Every year some 1.5 million people visit Auschwitz, the Nazi death…
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News Jewish Ethics and Biotech Innovation Clash in Supreme Court’s BRCA Gene Case
Lisa Schlager waited with hundreds of other women outside the Supreme Court in Washington on April 15, hoping to hear arguments over a private company’s effort to patent a human gene that is linked to breast cancer, especially in Ashkenazi women. Schlager, 46, has a huge stake in the controversial case, as do thousands of…
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News David Stav Aims To Oust Haredim From Israeli Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Post
Israel’s Haredim may be on the cusp of losing even more of their power following their exclusion from the new government. If David Stav gets his way, they will no longer control the rabbinate. The self-styled iconoclast is standing in the election for Ashkenazi chief rabbi this summer, and already has the support of several…
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News Dazzling Torah Bells Spark Legal Battle for Touro Synagogue and Shearith Israel
Within a matter of months, the congregation at Touro Synagogue will celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s oldest Jewish house of worship. But the members of Congregation Jeshuat Israel, who have prayed at the Newport, R.I., building for generations, may have to celebrate outside. That’s because an argument over a dazzling pair of silver Torah…
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Fast Forward Suspected arsonist intended to beat Gov. Josh Shapiro with a sledgehammer, investigators say
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Opinion What Jewish university presidents say: Trump is exploiting campus antisemitism, not fighting it
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Culture How this Marc Chagall painting explains Pope Francis’ soul
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Opinion He’s one of Israel’s worst extremists. So why is Yale legitimizing him?
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Fast Forward FSU shooting suspect used neo-Nazi imagery on social media, ADL finds
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