Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its affect on Jewish communities around the world.
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Fast Forward Texas Jewish day camp closes following COVID-19 outbreak
(JTA) — A Jewish day camp in suburban Dallas has closed after at least two campers and two counselors tested positive for COVID-19. The closing of Gan Israel of Plano, Texas, on Tuesday night serves as a cautionary tale as schools look to reopen this fall. The camp, which according to its website serves kids…
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News Jewish day schools still don’t know if they’ll reopen in the fall. Why is it taking so long?
Doron Wesly, 45, has two children, six and two, who are supposed to be taking the summer off from their Jewish day school in New York City. But on a muggy Monday in July, he was taking time out of the older child’s vacation to practice reading. After months of distance learning necessitated by the…
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Community When a meditation is Zoom bombed
Why would anyone Zoom-bomb my online meditation class with racist slurs, genitalia references and anti-Semitic links? I had been looking forward to teaching Mindfulness Meditation for Changing Times for Silver Spring Town Center, my first foray into teaching online. After covering the mechanics of how to meditate, I led a visualization to relax the body…
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Life I’m worried my toddler will fail Zoom preschool
From its start in 1906, A Bintel Brief was a pillar of the Forward, helping generations of Jewish immigrants learn how to be American. Now our columnists are helping people navigate the complexities of being Jewish in 2020. Send questions to [email protected]. Less screen time is more Dear Bintel, How do I work on video…
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Community When the ideal bar mitzvah is a Zoom Mitzvah
When the world shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic and we were forced to have my twins’ b’nai mitzvah on Zoom, it ended up being a blessing in disguise. Truly, I believe that we would not have had the same level of success in person. Why? Because one of my twins is autistic. How…
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News What it’s like to start a job as a rabbi mid-pandemic
(JTA) — This is how Jason Nevarez thought starting his new job as senior rabbi of San Diego’s Congregation Beth Israel would go: He and his wife would fly out this spring from their home in suburban New York to house hunt. He’d spend the summer holding face-to-face meetings with colleagues and congregants. Then he’d…
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Fast Forward Netanyahu admits Israel reopened ‘too soon’ after surge of COVID diagnoses
(JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the reopening of the economy amid the coronavirus occurred “too soon” Facing a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, Netanyahu took responsibility for the decision to reopen the country a month ago after severe early restrictions were put in place to halt its spread. “We…
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Community Is this Shabbat prayer non-binary?
The liturgical poem (piyyut) Yedid Nefesh, sung as part of the Friday night kabbalat shabbat (welcoming the sabbath) service, is incredibly powerful. The melodies are beautiful. The memories of so many Friday nights – at camp; in ad-hoc minyanim (prayer quorums) in people’s houses; in synagogues around the world — are resonant. The cue to…
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Fast Forward ‘Modern-day Mein Kampf’: NYC Mayor Adams under fire for Hitler reference as calls for his resignation mount
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Fast Forward ADL criticizes Steve Bannon following gesture resembling Nazi salute
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Fast Forward U.S., Israel vote against U.N. resolution condemning Russian invasion of Ukraine
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Fast Forward Jeers for Israel and a top award for a doc about hostages at Berlin film festival
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Fast Forward 3 years into war, Jewish life in Ukraine gets boost from NY Jewry
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Fast Forward New FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino has a lot to say about George Soros
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