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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Culture Artists confront the new plagues of Passover
Jews are uniquely equipped to ruminate on a year of plagues — from time immemorial, plagues have been our dinner conversation. But the pandemic is different. At your Seder, it may not be wise to sprinkle wine for the Makot Mitzrayim (those drips could themselves hold COVID droplets). God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm have…
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Culture Netanyahu’s embrace of ‘South Park’ proves the Michael Che dustup was political
There’s a lot going on in the new “South Park” special, but only a few seconds that seem to matter to Benjamin Netanyahu. On Thursday, the prime minister tweeted a clip from the episode that showed a passenger plane decked out with Magen Davids appearing in a burst of spangly sky diamonds. “It’s Air Israel…
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News No, they’re not named ‘Corona’: Meet 3 couples and their pandemic babies
When quarantine first began, back when some of us naively thought it would truly just be two weeks long, Twitter predicted a baby boom; so many couples were off work, locked in with each other and little to do. That, it turns out, was wrong; a study from the Brookings Institution predicts a long-lasting baby…
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News New CDC guidelines could make a family Passover possible
When Passover seders and the family gatherings that often accompany them were scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic last April, many assumed Jewish gatherings would be back in time for the High Holidays. Instead, coronavirus deaths continued to mount throughout 2020 and the pandemic continues, despite ongoing vaccination efforts. But new guidance from the Centers for…
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Opinion Yes, Israel should vaccinate all Palestinians. Here’s why.
Editor’s Note: Israel’s vaccination program for its citizens and residents does not discriminate based on ethnicity; Arab-Israelis and Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are eligible along with Jews, as we reported in this Feb. 16 article, There is debate over Israel’s responsibility to vaccinate Palestinians under the Geneva Convention and the Oslo Accords, as we…
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Opinion A year into COVID, we must send kids back to shul
On the first night of Hanukkah, I went to downtown D.C. to witness the menorah lighting on the National Mall with my four kids. I’ve never been one for such Jewish spectacles. I’ve never even been much of a synagogue-goer. But I’ve long known that when it comes to building their Jewish identity, my kids…
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News The outbreak started in a New Rochelle shul. A year later, a look at that community.
I forgot to go outside at 7 p.m. on Wednesday to clap. Honestly, until I got the email from New Rochelle City Hall a few days earlier outlining plans to mark the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 arriving in our town, I had forgotten about the clapping altogether. It feels like it was all so long…
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News After year of isolation, fully vaccinated grandparents head to in-person Passover seders
Ruth and Jerry Kirschner haven’t seen four of their grandchildren, ages 7 through 12, since January 2020. “This is the age when you want to see them,” Ruth said. “They’re young. They understand we can’t be with them, but they’re always like, ‘How much longer? How much longer?’” Thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine, the Kirschners…
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Fast Forward Why some Satmar Hasidic leaders endorsed Zohran Mamdani as mayor, stunning many Jewish voters
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Sports It’s so cool that Sandy Koufax was there for that
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Opinion I’m an Israeli who lives in New York. Here’s why I’m voting for Mamdani
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News Mamdani opposes Zionism, but wants New York public schools to teach about it
In Case You Missed It
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Fast Forward 2 of NYC’s 5 public pension funds are vulnerable to a mayor-backed Israel divestment push
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Fast Forward What to know about ‘Not On Our Dime,’ Zohran Mamdani’s bill targeting donations to Israeli settlements
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BINTEL BRIEF She just wants to be a good person. But she’s overwhelmed by the state of the world
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Fast Forward Why Jeremy Corbyn’s support for Zohran Mamdani is fueling antisemitism fears
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