This is the Forward’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its affect on Jewish communities around the world.
COVID-19
The Latest
-
Life Help – my naturopath sister doesn’t believe in corona!
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]. Growing up is hard to do Dear Abbys, I was raised in a…
-
Fast Forward Maryland county’s corona guidelines put the kibosh on communion — and kiddush
A Maryland county issued an executive order that permits synagogues to reopen but effectively prohibits kiddush receptions. As of May 29, houses of worship in Howard County may hold services with up to 10 people inside and 250 people outside. However, most forms of physical contact, from shaking hands to sharing food, are prohibited. “No…
-
Opinion Letter | We must attend shul whether or not women are present
Dear Editor, As an Orthodox rabbi and someone who takes the role of women in prayer extremely seriously, I was dismayed by Rabbi Dov Linzer’s recent article To my fellow Orthodox Jews: Don’t open shuls until you can open them to women, in which Rabbi Linzer contends that Orthodox shuls in New York State should…
-
Community You already know how to celebrate Shavuot at home: Make a Seder
For most communities, the coronavirus has cancelled Shavuot. That’s because the standard Shavuot celebration revolves around public, shared space events like all-night Jewish learning at a synagogue or JCC. But there is a way to bring this experience home and, in doing so, make it far better. The all-night Shavuot program is a flawed product….
-
Community ‘The goal is simply to see, hear and feel our lives in a new way’
I spent last Shavuot at a “walking, sitting, writing” retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Seven thousand feet above sea level, I planted my feet in the red-brown earth at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I held a pen between my fingers. I wrote on a page. When I signed up for…
-
Life ‘Many, many black-and-whites:’ these are the most popular Jewish eats during the pandemic
Customers at New York’s Russ and Daughters can no longer browse the counter, peek into the bakery, or drop in for an impromptu coffee and rugelach. New Yorkers in dire need of a schmear have to place orders by phone and wait outside until a masked and gloved employee hands their food over. But while…
-
News Kosher to treyf, and back again: all in a day for Fairway’s bakery
It was a baked goods bombshell. On Tuesday morning, kosher-keeping Manhattanites woke up to learn that bakery items at Fairway, a beloved and beleaguered supermarket chain under new ownership after filing for bankruptcy, were no longer kosher — effective immediately. “Oy…. the Rugelach there were the best. So sad,” posted one customer on Facebook. And…
-
Fast Forward California allowing up to 100 people in synagogues — just in time for Shavuot holiday
Guidelines issued by the state of California on Monday will allow up to 100 people to attend services at synagogues and other houses of worship. Synagogue attendance will be capped at 100 people or 25% capacity, whichever is smaller. All attendees not in an immediate family unit will have to maintain distancing of six feet,…
Explore
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
Opinion Trump drew Arab leaders into a historic peace agreement. Too bad about the one glaring caveat
In Case You Missed It
-
Books The Lakers were about to shock the NBA. But Shabbat had to end first.
-
Fast Forward As Greenpoint’s Jewish community grows, so does this shul’s Hebrew school
-
Fast Forward Prominent NYC rabbi urges congregants to vote against Zohran Mamdani in Shabbat sermon
-
Fast Forward Ro Khanna, Democratic critic of Israel, says he supports Zionism and the ‘right for Israel to exist’
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
