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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Opinion Fewer barriers, more intimacy
Previous Article Next Article It was during the first weekend of the lockdown that I attended my first online bat mitzvah. I happened to be at my computer during Shacharit services when Facebook notified me that my congregation was going live. As I watched, notifications popped up as my friends and contacts tuned in. As…
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Opinion Some koved for covid
Previous Article Next Article Like a favorite bra or gentlemen’s truss, Yiddishland during the pandemic continues to offer this Yiddish-head the greatest uplift, providing some virtual koved during covid. Given shelter at home rules, you’d think a Yiddish svive (reading group) might be the first casualty. We usually gear up with a nice selection of…
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Opinion Russian Jews have been preparing for this crisis our whole lives
Previous Article Next Article It’s hard to resist employing the kind of cynical Jewish humor that Russian-speaking Jews know so well when speaking with Americans. If you’re asked a question you don’t want to answer, well, be a clever Jew and respond back with your own question. I successfully resisted the urge when my editor…
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News Defying the governor but heeding the President, a Los Angeles synagogue opens its doors
Mere hours after President Donald Trump called on governors to open places of worship, calling the institutions “essential,” one Los Angeles congregation pounced on the opportunity. In defiance of a California state ban on religious gatherings due to the potential spread of coronavirus, it opened for Friday night services. Members of Congregation Etz Chaim, an…
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Community A paean to camp: ‘I was a NFTY kid’
I am watching faded, ghostly but joyously animated images on my screen — a screen larger than that of any TV we might have owned in the summer of 1966 when my father shot this film with his new Super 8mm movie camera. There are boys in crisp white shirts and pressed trousers, many of…
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Fast Forward Trump says he’ll open houses of worship as ‘essential’ — but he can’t do that
In a surprise announcement Friday afternoon President Donald Trump said he was deeming houses of worship “essential,” and said he would “override” governors if they push back on the designation — echoing a prior claim about his “total authority” over states that he abandoned. Trump can try to use political persuasion to sway the states,…
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Life How my grandfather prepared me to lose him
On May 21, my beloved grandfather, Morris Silberstein, passed away at 100. His favorite activities included carpentry, listening to the opera, and periodically informing the German government he was still alive and that his bank account deposit information was up to date. As far as I know, he was not infected with the coronavirus that…
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Community I’m donating my paycheck — you should too
My mom, Debbie Schleien was always someone I could depend on. But aside from me, many people relied on her. She became a certified yoga instructor and taught people with severe mental illness. It was the first time they experienced stillness. She led the Larchmont Temple support of Hope Soup Kitchen in New Rochelle, donating…
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Opinion Outrage over Nicholas Kristof’s op-ed on sexual assault of Palestinians is missing the point
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News They texted about Torah and mitzvahs. Feds say they were insider trading
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Culture At Eurovision, Israel’s near triumph shows the limits of tolerance
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Opinion I run The Jewish Theological Seminary. Here’s the real story about President Isaac Herzog speaking at our commencement
In Case You Missed It
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Culture The Israeli song that almost won Eurovision was about far more than the breakup of a love affair
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Yiddish אַ ייִדישער כאָר אין סאַאָ־פּאַולאָ, בראַזיל געפֿינט זײַן קול פֿון דאָס נײַA Yiddish chorus in Sao Paulo, Brazil finds its voice again
דער נײַער אַלבאָם „שמשׂ“ פֿאַרבינדט די ייִדישע מוזיק מיט אַנדערע דיאַספּאָרישע טראַדיציעס.
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News Israeli flag attack ad prompts antisemitism charge in PA state race — yet boosts the Jewish candidate
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Fast Forward Spain defends soccer star Lamine Yamal over Israel’s criticism of Palestinian flag display