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 Israel’s health minister tests positive for coronavirus
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Health Minister Yaakov Litzman has been diagnosed with the coronavirus. The announcement that Litzman and his wife tested positive for the deadly virus came late Wednesday night. Litzman, 71, has mild symptoms, according to reports. He is continuing to work from home, his office told Israeli media. The entire Health Ministry…
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Fast Forward Mizzou Hillel offers Jewish celeb version of March Madness cancelled by coronavirus
With March Madness cancelled by coronavirus, Jewish basketball aficionados lost the chance to cheer underdog qualifier Yeshiva University through the championships. But you can still engage in Jewish bracket betting. On Thursday, homebound members of the University of Missouri Hillel took to Twitter to create a virtual tournament of famous Jews from all time periods…
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Opinion Letter | Sheldon Adelson’s supposed generosity
Dear Editor, The Forward recently published an article about billionaire Sheldon Adelson’s “generosity.” I felt compelled to respond. Tell me how much he is going to get from the recent emergency stimulus packages — and then let’s discuss how generous he is. Tell me how much he pays in federal and state taxes — and…
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News Ronald David Bayfield, 95, survived Normandy – then died alone in a hospital
(JTA) — In 1944, Ronald David Bayfield dragged himself out of a burning tank and, despite suffering severe burns, carried a wounded comrade on his shoulders back to Allied territory. That act of valor during the invasion of Normandy earned Bayfield the admiration not only of the man he saved, but also of the many…
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News The Humbling
The last time I spent Passover locked in a room I was 9 years old. My uncle refused to let me sit at the Seder table so long as I insisted on wearing a Mets cap instead of a yarmulke. To this day I’m not sure whether he exiled me because he was a stickler…
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News Efry Levy Azizoff, 66, didn’t want to worry his friends as he grew ill with coronavirus
(JTA) — Hours before he was rushed to hospital in Milan because of the coronavirus, Efry Levy Azizoff was chatting on the phone with his friend Amichai Lazarov. Azizoff was already feeling unwell, yet he didn’t even mention it, Lazarov recalled. “I felt that something was off, but you conveyed nothing about your discomfort,” Lazarov…
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Life One rabbi reports: here’s how our e-minyan found its groove
In the beginning of March, before the full impact of COVID-19 began to descend upon our country, and our consciousness, when it was still possible to speak about it seriously-but-also-lightly, I gave a sermon on Shabbat morning entitled “Intimacy without Touch.” In it, I valorized the Jewish instinct, honed over centuries and played out through…
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Opinion Thank you, Sheldon Adelson
If you had told me two weeks ago that Sheldon Adelson would emerge from the coronavirus crisis a hero, I would not have believed you. A casino mogul worth close to $40 billion, Adelson is most famous for funding Republican and right-wing political campaigns and movements; he was the largest single donor in both the…
Most Popular
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Opinion Is starvation in Gaza really Israel’s fault? The facts are clear
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Film & TV How Jon Stewart evolved on Israel — at least on ‘The Daily Show’
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Opinion I have the answer to Jon Stewart’s toughest question about Israel
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News That whites-only, no Jews allowed Arkansas community is legal, says state’s attorney general. How?
In Case You Missed It
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Opinion A beloved peace activist was killed in the West Bank. Can his death finally teach us empathy?
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Opinion As an Israeli political scientist, I resisted thinking this war was a genocide. Here’s what changed my mind
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Opinion Israelis want out of the Gaza war. But all the exit routes feel like traps
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Fast Forward Antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein are proliferating — and entering the mainstream
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