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The Schmooze That Time James Joyce Was Mistaken for His Jewish Character
It is widely known that James Joyce’s novel “Ulysses” was not autobiographical. For one thing, the book’s protagonist Leopold Bloom was Jewish, and Joyce was raised as an Irish Catholic. However, in 1940, when Joyce attempted to flee Vichy France to Switzerland during World War II, the Swiss government thought that he was Jewish. More…
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Fast Forward Delta Flight Delayed After Haredim Refuse to Sit Next to Opposite Sex
A Delta Airlines flight to Israel was delayed after haredi Orthodox men and women deplaned rather than sit next to members of the opposite sex. The flight Monday night from New York’s Kennedy Airport arrived more than an hour late on Tuesday afternoon due to the incident, Haaretz reported. After the haredi passengers decided to…
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Fast Forward NBC Photographer With Jewish Roots Recovers From Ebola Virus
The NBC photographer with a biological Jewish father who was diagnosed with Ebola is free of the virus. Ashoka Mukpo is expected to leave the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha on Wednesday, Reuters reported. He arrived there from Liberia on Oct. 6. Mukpo was the first U.S. journalist known to have contracted Ebola. He is…
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Fast Forward Rabbi Freundel Conversions Are Valid, Israeli Chief Rabbinate Says
The Israeli Chief Rabbinate said it will recognize all past conversions performed by Rabbi Barry Freundel, the Washington rabbi charged with voyeurism. On Tuesday, the Rabbinate clarified that it was joining the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America in affirming the validity of the conversions, a day after the Rabbinate said it would be examining their…
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Fast Forward Palestinian Protesters Firebomb Jewish-Owned Building in East Jerusalem
Palestinian protesters threw firebombs at an apartment building in the eastern Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of Silwan after Jews moved in. No one was injured in the incident, which occurred late Monday, hours after nine Jewish families moved into the two buildings, Israel Police said, the French news agency AFP reported. No arrests were made. The…
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Fast Forward Jack the Ripper Likely Not Jewish After All
(JTA) — You can rest easy. Turns out Jack the Ripper might not have been Jewish after all. “Naming Jack the Ripper,” a book published in September, identified the 19th-century London serial killer as Aaron Kosminski, a 23-year-old Jewish immigrant barber. Authored by Russell Edwards, an amateur Jack the Ripper sleuth, the book based its…
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Fast Forward Heirs to German Jews Sue UBS To Recover Art Collection Stolen by Nazis
The relatives of German Jews whose art collection was seized by the Nazis have sued UBS, claiming the Swiss bank cheated them out of their inheritance. The family of Ludwig and Margret Kainer — the children of their cousins — filed lawsuits in New York and Switzerland contending that the bank never made an effort…
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The Schmooze Ruth Bader Ginsburg Collects ‘Notorious RBG’ T-Shirts
Ruth Bader Ginsburg knows she’s badass. She’s got the t-shirts to prove it. At an event held at the 92nd Street Y on Sunday night, the Supreme Court justice explained that she has “quite a large supply” of t-shirts showing her face and the slogan “Notorious RBG,” referencing rapper Biggie Smalls, also known as The…
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Culture ‘My mayor Muslim, my bagel Jewish’ — the Knicks chant capturing New York’s soul
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Books In ‘Something We Said,’ Richard Pryor’s daughter finds words to discuss the unspeakable
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Opinion It’s time for Jews who love Israel to give up on Zionism
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Sports Memes, mashiach and ‘Torah-cyclopedias’ put a Jewish twist on the Knicks’ title chase
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Opinion Cultural boycotts of Israel just reached peak absurdity
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