This is the Forward’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its affect on Jewish communities around the world.
COVID-19
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News Quarantined college kids find meetups, memes and flirting at Hillel on Facebook
With classes cancelled around the country, Jewish college students are unable to meet their Jewish friends at Hillel for Shabbat dinner, social justice projects or just to hang out. But in less than a week, a virtual community with nearly 8,000 members has emerged to fill that gap: a Facebook group called Zoom University Hillel….
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Opinion I’m an Orthodox man forced by coronavirus to pray at home. Will you join me?
Like most people with relatively normal lives, I enjoy being at home. My wife is there (at least when she’s not working), my bed is there, my chair, a well-stocked pantry, a kitchen that the missus sometimes lets me take over, a few adorable grandkids and their likewise adorable parents a few blocks away. But,…
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Fast Forward Grand rabbi of Satmar Hasidic dynasty tested for coronavirus
Editor’s Note: Due to inaccurate information provided by Ezra Friedlander, a Hasidic leader, a prior version of this article incorrectly reported that Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum of the Satmar dynasty had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. After publication, Friedlander said Teitelbaum’s grandson had told him the rabbi had not yet received results of his coronavirus…
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Life Coronavirus is a reminder: Bnei Mitzvah theme is ‘coming of age’
We have twins in seventh grade, so this pandemic hit at the height of Bnei Mitzvah season. My son’s wardrobe these days consists entirely of sweats emblazoned with names and dates: the blue hoodie, Charlie, 11-23-19; the black one, Hannah, 11-25-20; oversized gray pants, Carly, 12-21-19. We had three on the calendar this Saturday alone….
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Culture How people across the globe are discussing social distancing
Translators and lexicographers are working overtime as new virus-related words and phrases enter our daily vocabulary. One urgent problem: How to convey “social distancing” in a variety of languages, with all sorts of dizzying cultural contexts, so that everyone can understand how to save lives? As for what “social distancing” means in English, Chicago’s Commissioner…
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Life I’ve been leading virtual davening for years. Here are some tips for how to make it meaningful.
We have entered a new phase of Jewish history in which cyberspace has become the place to nurture our spiritual lives. Previous generations lived through the Black Plague, cholera and more. Ours is the first to face a pandemic with technology that allows us to create vital, connected, online communities. This is a moment of…
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Yiddish אַ ליד פֿון חיזוק בעת דער קאָראָנאַ־תּקופֿהLISTEN: A Yiddish song of hope during the coronavirus
הרבֿ יואל ראָטה באַשרײַבט די פּאַניק אויף די ברוקלינער גאַסן און ווי אַזוי ער האַלט, אַז דער קריזיס וועט זיך ענדיקן.
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News ‘I’m increasingly alone’: Coronavirus intensifies isolation for seniors
Six weeks ago, Judith West, who is in her 80s, lost her husband. For any adult, that kind of transition can be isolating and anxiety-inducing. But for West, the loss was exacerbated by the rapid escalation of coronavirus and its associated restrictions. “For me personally, it’s a double whammy,” she said in an interview. “Now,…
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News A pioneering Reform synagogue makes way for a booming Iranian Jewish community
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Opinion Who’s responsible for deadly antisemitism? Everyone will hate the answer
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Opinion Epstein and Iran are an antisemitism mega-crisis. Here’s what Jewish organizations should do about it.
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Film & TV Remembering Siskel and Ebert’s great debate: Mel Brooks or Woody Allen?
In Case You Missed It
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Fast Forward UCLA student government condemns campus Hillel for hosting former hostage
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Fast Forward Trump extends ceasefire with Iran, even after Iran balks at new round of negotiations
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Fast Forward Alan Dershowitz quits Democratic Party, calling it ‘most anti-Israel party in U.S. history’
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Fast Forward Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas says Zionists ‘talk like Black people during slavery’
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