This is the Forward’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its affect on Jewish communities around the world.
COVID-19
The Latest
-
Community Camp is a safe haven, and right now, we really need one
The first Jewish summer camps were founded at the turn of the 19th century as a youthful escape from squalid urban living. Out in the country, children could grow in little pockets of bliss separated from worldly ill. There was dancing, playing, swimming and very little worry. As time passed, camps of all sorts emerged,…
-
Life Is showering even worth it these days? Plus advice on kicking expensive habits
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]. Help! I’ve become a slob Dear Abbys, The other day in the shower…
-
Fast Forward New York Is allowing day camps to open. Some Jewish camps are still staying closed.
(JTA) — When Jewish camp directors explained their reasons for canceling camp this summer, state and local prohibitions were typically at the top of the list. We can’t even think about opening camp, they would say, because the government won’t let us. Now that’s changing. States across the country have told day camps, overnight camps…
-
Fast Forward For some small kosher food purveyors, the coronavirus era is boom time
(JTA) — Like many small business owners, Ian Yosef Hertzmark’s small flour operation saw a precipitous drop when the coronavirus pandemic hit the Unites States in March. Almost overnight, Hertzmark’s Migrash Farm, which produces certified kosher flour from grain grown in the Chesapeake Bay region, lost virtually his entire wholesale business after local restaurants and…
-
Fast Forward After dramatic rise In COVID-19 infections, Israel halts reopening plans
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel is hitting an “emergency brake” on its ongoing reopening of the economy due to a sharp rise in the rate of coronavirus infections in recent days. Some 800 new COVID-19 cases were identified in the past week, as opposed to a total of about 300 infections of the coronavirus confirmed in…
-
Community The return of keva
When the pandemic began about 10 weeks ago and the school closed its building, I did what many parents did – I came up with a schedule to help bring structure to my children’s days. It included time for school work, time for exercise, time for creating, time for play, and time for quiet. It…
-
Fast Forward Synagogues can reopen on limited scale in most of New York state
(JTA) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that houses of worship can reopen on a limited scale. Cuomo announced on Saturday that as New York’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis continues to move forward, the state can loosen some restrictions put into place to stem the pandemic. As part of the loosening, religious services…
-
Community What the Bible Can Teach Us About Quarantine
The word quarantine comes from quarantena, or “forty days,” in the Venetian language. It was first used during the Black Death epidemic in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to designate a period that ships were required to be isolated before passengers and crew could go ashore. As a rabbi and a student of religious history,…
Most Popular
- 1
Theater Why is everyone laughing at Anne Frank?
- 2
Opinion It’s time for the pro-Palestinian movement to make a radical change
- 3
Film & TV How a complete unknown created one of the most iconic music events of the 1970’s
- 4
News Should synagogues remove the Israeli flag from bimahs now? How a New York shul made the decision
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Prominent Jewish figures call for sanctions on Israel: ‘The ceasefire must be the beginning, not the end.’
-
Opinion I was a villain on ‘Love is Blind.’ The antisemitic backlash brought me back to Judaism
-
Fast Forward Every Friday for 26 years, this rabbi has circled Manhattan to inspect the eruv — even missing the birth of his 13th child. Now, he’s getting help
-
Fast Forward Northwestern can legally block enrollment for students who boycotted antisemitism training, federal judge says
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism