You probably know this one: Yankel the beggar goes to the rabbi and pleads for a handout. “Please, Rabbi,” he says, “I haven’t eaten in days.” “Poor fellow,” the rabbi replies. “Here’s a ruble. Go buy yourself a meal.” An hour later, the rabbi is walking past the tavern and sees Yankel eating a big…
And now Haiti. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 — an earthquake under the ocean, generating a tidal wave that in some places was a hundred feet high — left 226,000 dead. In Haiti, it is too soon to know the final tally; too many bodies are still buried under the rubble. Current estimates are…
Septuagenarian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen recently wrapped up a triumphant world tour (though he’ll be back on the road in March,) including a much-praised show in Tel Aviv in September. But apparently not everyone is a fan. In a recent review of “Leonard Cohen: Live at the Isle of Wight” for The Atlantic, former New York…
On Sunday, I saw a shocking segment on CNN about the earthquake in Haiti. First, the program recounted the story of a three-year-old girl who was critically injured in the earthquake and needed immediate surgery to survive. Later, the program reported about a minister in Haiti who preached to survivors that God sent the earthquake…
Mounting the buses and trucks near the Jimani border crossing, the young rescue workers from the Dominican Republic’s civil defense corps were excited, even cheerful. They’ve been preparing at their staging point for over a day and now, equipped with helmets, flashlights and face masks they are ready for action. But as the bus advances…
The crowd broke out in cheers as an ambulance pulled out of what was once Haiti’s main tax administration office, carrying a survivor rescued from the wreckage by an Israeli team four days after this city’s devastating earthquake. “Bravo!” the onlookers shouted. “We love you, Israel.” It was a picture-perfect moment for Israeli public diplomacy….
Each year on Yom Kippur, Rudolph Dana locks himself in his Pétionville, Haiti, home — protected by guard dogs and security personnel — and passes the Day of Atonement fasting, praying and reciting the traditional liturgy of repentance and forgiveness. Up until about 10 years ago, Haiti’s tiny Jewish community would gather in a home…
For American Jews who give generously to charity, there is often an inner struggle: How much should they support other Jews, and how much should they give to causes in the wider world? The response to the tragedy befalling Haiti demonstrates the wisdom of turning that binary dilemma from an “either/or” question to a “both/and”…
צוליב דעם וואָס ס׳רובֿ פּאַריזער אַשכּנזים שטאַמען פֿון פּוילן, קומט די ליטוויש־ייִדישע קולטור נישט אָפֿט צו רייד
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