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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News After devastating fires, Wilshire Blvd. Temple camps now face pandemic
For nearly two weeks in late November 2018, wildfires ravaged parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, much of the damage in and around the oceanside city of Malibu. The fires burned nearly 100,000 acres, destroying 1,643 structures and killing three people. Also left in the ruins were Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s two summer camps, Hess…
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Community ‘Normal’ life is usually not easy to start with for people on the autism spectrum — and this pandemic is making it even worse
The global coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world has taken the lives of many. But in addition to the massive loss it’s left in its wake, it has also illuminated exacerbated many preexisting conditions. Mine is one of them. As a public service during this pandemic, the Forward is providing free, unlimited access to all coronavirus…
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Community Sitting shiva via Zoom, it turns out, has its upsides
Last week, we buried my father in the Long Island cemetery plot that had been waiting three decades for him to arrive. When I recall my mother’s 1990 funeral, in the pre-COVID era, I can still feel the love that came from the crowd surrounding us, and the support I drew from the Hebrew prayers…
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Opinion Israel is ready to reopen. I’m not.
Last night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an easing up of restrictions. No longer confined to 100 meters, we can go out for the first time in ages. National parks are reopening and even malls will open later in the week. Nearly one in four Israelis are unemployed, up from a record low of…
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Fast Forward Pa. lawmaker compares governor to Nazi Germany over coronavirus handling
(JTA) — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker has compared Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s refusal to release some coronavirus data and information to Nazi Germany. Republican State Rep. Cris Dush made the statement during a House State Government Committee hearing on Monday, local media reported. He reportedly apologized after the hearing. It is another incident of the…
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Opinion I’m a statistician. Closing camp because of corona is a huge mistake
When the Reform movement announced that it would be shutting its camps for the summer, a rabbi friend broadcast on Facebook that he thought the decision, while regrettable, was nevertheless “prudent.” I disagree. A considered, well thought out decision has to think through both risks and rewards. It must grapple not just with possibilities but…
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Fast Forward NYC mayor Bill de Blasio still apologizing for Hasidic funeral tweet, one week later
Nearly a week after his tweet about a Hasidic funeral drew ire from Jews across the religious spectrum, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is still apologizing for his words — and defending his actions. In a conference call with multiple Orthodox media outlets Monday, de Blasio called the tweet — which was directed…
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News How LA’s Orthodox Jews averted the worst of the pandemic
An outbreak at a synagogue in the Fairfax/La Brea early in the pandemic may ultimately have saved lives
Most Popular
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Culture RFK Jr.’s poems to Olivia Nuzzi are peak cringe — so were King Solomon’s
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News DNA test kits spark a surge of online conversions to Judaism in the U.S.
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Opinion What does Mamdani’s response to synagogue protests mean for Jews? No one will like the answer.
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Opinion More than 25% of Israelis want to leave the country. How did we get here?
In Case You Missed It
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Culture Now that Saul Zabar is gone, what will become of the ‘Over 95’ club at NYC’s leading appetizing store?
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Opinion Netanyahu’s pardon request is a staggering act of hypocrisy — and it should be granted, with one condition
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Fast Forward After drawing BDS backlash, progressive Jewish writer Peter Beinart apologizes for speaking at Tel Aviv U
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Culture The gift Tom Stoppard gave to me — and to all who adore him
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