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News Alabama Synagogue Survives Long Decline for Jews in Deep South
Temple Mishkan Israel sits on a busy four-lane road in Selma, Ala. On one side of the temple is a pink house with a bay window; a large white house is on the other side. The paint is peeling on both homes, which look like they’ve sat empty for decades. Across the street there’s a…
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News Jewish Waiter Beaten for Praising Adolf Hitler on Bronx Corner
1913 •100 years ago The Death of Elyokem Tsunzer One of the world’s most beloved Yiddish poets, Elyokem Tsunzer, has died at the age of 77. Renowned for his folksy poems, many of which were set to music and sung by millions of Jews, Tsunzer passed after laying ill for two weeks. On his deathbed,…
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Fast Forward Sukkot Pilgrims Head to Italy for Perfect Etrog
At dawn, before the summer heat starts baking the countryside, groups of bearded men with black kippas descend upon the citrus groves that dot the coast of Calabria, in southern Italy. The sight of Hasidim wandering the fields and villages in this relatively isolated Italian region could seem incongruous, since practically no Jews have lived…
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Opinion How David Ingber Got ‘God Intoxicated’
Rabbi David Ingber is the spiritual leader (and main draw) for Romemu, a fast-growing congregation on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Its quest for spiritual meaning can hardly be disassociated from Ingber’s personal journey. Born and raised in a Modern Orthodox family, Ingber, 44, was drawn to ultra-Orthodoxy while on a gap-year program in Israel in…
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News Romemu’s Popular Rabbi and New Age Prayer Brings Growth — and Challenges
A few moments before starting to say Neilah, the haunting prayers that conclude the Yom Kippur service, Rabbi David Ingber asked an unusual question of the members of his congregation. What were they praying for? As three volunteers passed microphones into the pews, the room fell silent. Then, one person stood up. And another. And…
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Fast Forward Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Criticizes Israel As ‘Occupier’
WASHINGTON – The White House said on Thursday that President Barack Obama may meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New York next week but called for “action” rather than words from the new leader, who has sent signals he’s looking for a thaw in relations with the United States. Obama and Rouhani will be…
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The Schmooze James Franco, Paparazzo
James Franco is channeling Perez Hilton on his Instagram feed this week. The “This Is The End” star has made a collage of pictures showing him doing fairly innocuous things, complete with scandalous headlines scrawled in MS Paint. One set, captioned “James Franco in love?” shows him cuddling with another man, addressing the many jokes/rumors/quips…
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The Schmooze Why Is Sarah Silverman Wearing a Cross?
Last week, Sarah Silverman made an appearance on comedian W. Kamau Bell’s talk show, “Totally Biased.” As usual, she was wonderful. But in between quips about the James Franco roast, and how she is actually genuinely hurt by jokes about her age, one couldn’t help but zoom in on the very unusual piece of jewelry…
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News Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s selection as JTS commencement speaker roils graduating class
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Film & TV A new documentary challenges stereotypes about Orthodox Jewish women — and their wigs
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News Analysis: As Democrats unite behind Platner, Schumer’s future as leader faces tests
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Sports NBA coach Steve Kerr: ‘Israel sought revenge for Oct. 7 and now 72,000 Palestinians have been killed’
In Case You Missed It
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News Protesters picket Manhattan synagogue over Israel real estate sale, testing Mamdani and new law
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Fast Forward A best-selling novelist identified a minor character as Israeli. Some fans are canceling their orders.
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Fast Forward Boulder hostage-march firebombing suspect to plead guilty to state charges
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News Her body has been unidentified for decades. Her Ashkenazi DNA may explain why