This is the Forward’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its affect on Jewish communities around the world.
COVID-19
The Latest
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Fast Forward Kosher cream cheese shortage may cramp Shavuot celebrations
A cream cheese shortage that struck at the worst possible time has been resolved, said a prominent kosher dairy company — but not all customers are reassured. Kosher cream cheese is the latest in a list of consumer goods, from toilet paper to meat, made scarce by coronavirus. The dairy spread has become an increasingly…
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Life The Book of Ruth: A story about famine offers a powerful lesson for a pandemic
As a public service during this pandemic, the Forward is providing free, unlimited access to all coronavirus articles. If you’d like to support our independent Jewish journalism, click here. The story of Ruth at the heart of Shavuot has a striking relevance to our global pandemic: it begins with a natural disaster. Human drama is…
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Community ‘When mashgiach is applied to the Zoom experience, it becomes a symbolic metaphor of guidance and support’
Mashgiach literally means supervisor in Hebrew. The word is usually used to describe an individual who supervises the standards of kashrut or Jewish dietary observance in a kitchen where kosher food is prepared and served. But today, it has another meaning: the Zoom supervisor. All institutions should consider creating a Zoom Mashgiach to sustain and…
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Fast Forward Rabbi, couple among 8 arrested at Jewish wedding in Buenos Aires
(JTA) — BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — A rabbi along with the bride and groom were among eight people arrested by Buenos Aires police for gathering at a wedding and violating the public coronavirus lockdown that bans public and religious events. It was the third Jewish wedding held in recent weeks in the Balvanera area…
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Opinion To my fellow Orthodox Jews: Don’t open shuls until you can open them to women
After two months of heavy restrictions on New Yorkers’ comings and goings, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that religious gatherings of up to ten people will now be permitted. My ears, like those of many religious Jews, perked up at the number ten. In Judaism, ten is the minimum number of people required to…
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Life The rush to return to our sanctuaries is misplaced
Last week, President Donald Trump called for churches, synagogues and mosques to reopen. In a press conference, the president said, “In America we need more prayer, not less.” As a congregational rabbi, I can affirm that so many in my community are missing the ability to sing together, catch up in our hallways, hug people…
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Fast Forward Etsy vendor who doesn’t know Yiddish accidentally sells ‘NYC crotch’ face mask
A vendor on the e-commerce site Etsy wanted to sell facemasks that said “NYC Strong” in Yiddish – but the final product said “NYC Crotch” instead. The vendor Tees Go Bling, based in Wyoming, offers dozens of glittery facemask designs for sale, including images of the American flag and the Disney logo, as well as…
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Community ‘The Jewish people may be called the People of the Book, but Jewish life revolves around being ‘people of the people’’
When my grandfather passed away from COVID-19 on April 24, I thought we might only have ten men, for an Orthodox Jewish prayer quorum, at his graveside funeral. I was wrong. Only his wife, his three sons and the synagogue’s rabbi could see him off. After 22 years of memories with him, I had to…
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Fast Forward Unarmed man who tackled Bondi Beach Hanukkah attacker identified as Ahmed al-Ahmed
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Fast Forward First Puka Nacua, now Mookie Betts: Why do sports stars keep getting antisemitic around a Jewish streamer?
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Fast Forward After MIT professor’s killing, Jewish influencers spread unverified antisemitism claim
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Opinion I grew up believing Australia was the best place to be Jewish. This Hanukkah shooting forces a reckoning I do not want.
In Case You Missed It
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Fast Forward Holocaust survivor event features a Rob Reiner video address — recorded just weeks before his death
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Fast Forward In Reykjavik, Hanukkah offers a chance for Iceland’s tiny, isolated Jewish community to come together
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Opinion When my children decorate for Hanukkah, I don’t just see pride. I see pluralism in action.
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Fast Forward ‘The most Australian name’: Matilda, the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach attack, embodies a nation’s grief
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