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The Schmooze Brooklyn Rabbi’s Son Dies in Sukkot Fire
The 8-year-old son of a Brooklyn rabbi died in a Midwood house fire last night as his family celebrated the end of Sukkot and Simchat Torah’s start outside. Avigdor Krasny was the only one of six children who didn’t escape the blaze, according to an Associated Press report. His siblings were saved by their father,…
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The Schmooze Jon Stewart’s Shout-Outs to the Tribe
At the 92nd Street Y last night, Jon Stewart talked with Terry Gross about politics, the media and — of course — himself. In the meantime, he was sure to play to his core 92Y audience: the Jews. Here are some of the shout-outs he made to the tribe: “It’s a pleasure to be here…
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The Schmooze How Forward Staff Members Fared on Pew Religion Quiz
You may not be smarter than a fifth grader, but do you know more about religion than the average American? The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life recently published results from a survey on Americans’ religious knowledge, which found that Jews are among the smartest religious group. (We knew we were smart,…
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The Schmooze Initiative Gives Boston-Area Jewish Families Day School Tuition Aid
Boston-area Jewish day schools got a major boost this week — in the form of $2.1 million. For the next three years, Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston will use the funds to help Jewish families send their children to one of 10 local day schools, including the Maimonides School in Brookline and the MetroWest Jewish…
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The Schmooze Conservative Machzor Makes Room for Gay Jews
“His/her death left me with a legacy of unhealed wounds, of anger and dismay.” This emotional phrase describes a “parent who was hurtful.” Now it appears in a groundbreaking new High Holidays machzor whose prayers aim to include lesbian and gay Jews, for whom the words might carry even more of an emotional charge. The…
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The Schmooze A ‘Kvetchy’ Take on Jewish Cartoons
Imagine that the numbers on your watch have been replaced by a daunting list of words, including “obsess,” “worry,” “repress” and “panic.” Would you ever check the time again? I wouldn’t either, but cartoonist Ken Krimstein strikes at the heart of Jewish identity with this cartoon, which appears in his upcoming book, Kvetch as Kvetch…
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The Schmooze Why It’s Always Fun To Talk Judaism With Woody Allen
It’s no secret that Woody Allen has a deep disaffection for organized religion. And it definitely ain’t a secret that Judaism, the filmmaker’s born religion, is the most frequent target of his jokes. (Here’s my personal favorite, from “Zelig”: “I’m 12 years old. I run into a synagogue. I ask the rabbi the meaning of…
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The Schmooze Israel Buys Twitter Handle From Porn Entrepreneur
Twitter users following @israel were, until last month, not getting news from the Jewish State. Nor were they getting updates from the West Bank or Gaza Strip. They were, however, reading about a totally different kind of strip…as in striptease. The owner of the handle since Twitter’s infancy, Israel Melendez told the New York Times…
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News Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s selection as JTS commencement speaker roils graduating class
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Opinion How Israel became a country where teenagers murder each other in cold blood
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Sports NBA coach Steve Kerr: ‘Israel sought revenge for Oct. 7 and now 72,000 Palestinians have been killed’
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Film & TV A new documentary challenges stereotypes about Orthodox Jewish women — and their wigs
In Case You Missed It
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Fast Forward A new Hebrew press in Berlin argues that Israel doesn’t own the language
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Fast Forward Jewish library and Chabad near Buenos Aires attacked, Argentine Jewish advocates say
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Fast Forward Cornell’s Jewish president clashes with students following on-campus debate about Israel
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Fast Forward U of Michigan apologizes after faculty chair praises pro-Palestinian students during commencement speech