Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its affect on Jewish communities around the world.
COVID-19
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Fast Forward Houston brothers convert hundreds of yarmulkes into face masks for the homeless
After years of attending friends’ bar and bat mitzvahs, brothers Matthew, Jeremy, and Danny Jason had dozens of kippot stashed all over their Houston home, souvenirs they never thought they’d need again. But in the era of coronavirus, there’s a good use for any object that covers the nose and mouth. In the past several…
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News In 3 days, NYC handed out 30,000 free kosher meals. It still wasn’t enough.
New York City has handed out nearly 32,000 kosher meals since last Wednesday, but it underestimated the number of meals needed and encountered problems distributing them, including shortages in some locations, surpluses in others and several long lines. Politicians representing Jewish areas who fought for kosher meals to be added to the city’s free-meal program,…
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Fast Forward Hillel International lays off, furloughs 20% of staff due to coronavirus uncertainty
(JTA) – With many of its normal activities interrupted because of the coronavirus pandemic, Hillel International, the umbrella organization for centers for Jewish student life on college campuses around the world, has laid off or furloughed 30 positions at its Washington, D.C., headquarters — over 20 percent of its workforce. The cuts were made last…
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Opinion In an era of social distancing, Yom Ha’atzmaut is an opportunity for connecting across the divide
Two years ago, standing on a stage in the middle of Times Square, surrounded by a crowd gathered to celebrate Israel’s 70th anniversary, we watched a beautiful display about Israel on the enormous screens. This year, the screen will be slightly smaller; I will be watching the celebrations from my 15-inch laptop. 2020 has not…
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Fast Forward Infowars lawyer: Nazis ‘sold’ concentration camps as quarantine
Robert Barnes, the lawyer who represented conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in a case against parents of children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, likened the establishment of quarantine measures to Nazis rounding up Jews to bring them to concentration camps. “Know how the Nazis first sold concentration camps? They called it a quarantine. #ConstitutionOverCoronavirus” said…
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News As coronavirus closes borders, Jews in Asia ramp up community-building
Coronavirus has changed everything about life in Asia, including the lives of the Jews who live there. Case in point: for the first time, separate Jewish communities in China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore are coming together to co-host digital events. One of them, the upcoming Asian Limmud conference to be held online May 3-4,…
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Fast Forward Flatbush Jewish Journal publishes 50 pages of obituaries in most recent issue
The Flatbush Jewish Journal, a weekly Orthodox publication based in Brooklyn, published fifty pages of obituaries in its most recent issue. The obituaries painted a picture of a community devastated by coronavirus. Several pages were devoted to the Novominsker Rebbe and the Sasregener Rebbe, heads of two Hasidic dynasties who died of coronavirus in April….
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Community How I finally came to appreciate virtual Shabbat
Recently, I did two things I thought I would not ever be doing. I actually took time to read an article about why synagogues need to consider “virtual gatherings” during the current COVID-19 crisis, but at the same time the article emphasized that Jews should be sure to understand “what it means to come together…
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Film & TV Bonhoeffer biopic tells of a pastor turned would-be Hitler assassin — but is the story true?
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News What Mike Huckabee’s ‘Kids Guide to Israel’ says about his views
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Culture At 95, Shaindel Schreiber is still dispensing babka and advice on the Lower East Side
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Fast Forward Trump attorney general pick Pam Bondi: 5 things Jews should know
In Case You Missed It
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News Israel reached a ceasefire in Lebanon. Why does Gaza seem so hard?
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Culture Barbra Streisand recorded here — and so did Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, John Lennon and, uh, The Village People
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Fast Forward Lee Zeldin, Trump’s pick to helm EPA, says he received bomb threat with ‘pro-Palestinian themed message’
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Opinion We can be thankful this year — and Jewish wisdom can help
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