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Fast Forward Congregation Beit Simchat Torah Opens New Sanctuary
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah officially opened its modern new sanctuary on Manhattan’s West Side on April 3. Jubilant congregants blew a shofar and Mayor Bill de Blasio and Sen. Chuck Schumer spoke at the dedication of the new space on West 30th Street. CBST bills itself as a home for progressive Jews and is considered…
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Opinion In Response to North Carolina’s Law, a Jewish Case for Intersectionality
North Carolina has once again made reactionary history, this time rolling back anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people by means of a complete fabrication: that transgender women are, in fact, male sexual predators. There is not a shred of data to support this conclusion — none. On the contrary, by forcing transgender men to shower, urinate…
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Fast Forward Transgender Activist Janet Mock Cancels Talk at Brown U. Hillel After ‘Pinkwashing’ Campaign
A prominent African-American transgender activist canceled her scheduled appearance at the Brown University Hillel after facing criticism for allegedly supporting the Jewish group’s “pinkwashing” of Israeli treatment of the Palestinians. Janet Mock announced Wednesday that she had cancelled her talk scheduled for March 21 at the Providence, Rhode Island Ivy League school, The Brown Daily…
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News Jewish Transgender Woman Named White House LGBT Liaison
President Obama has promoted the first openly transgender person to work in the West Wing to be the White House’s top liaison to the LGBT community. Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, who is Jewish, has been serving as the Outreach and Recruitment Director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel since last year. Mara Keisling, executive director…
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Fast Forward Israel Touts Gay Friendly Climate — but Religious Leaders Block Progress
(JTA) — It felt like Israel’s gay community had taken a major step forward. On Feb. 23, eight separate Israeli parliamentary committees convened to discuss a broad set of issues facing the country’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Lawmakers from a range of parties talked about protecting LGBT Israelis in the classroom, at home, in…
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Opinion Coming Out as a Gay Orthodox Talmud Teacher
“What is it like to be a Soloveichik?” This question about my well-known rabbinic family name has accompanied me for much of my life. My grandfather was Ahron Soloveichik and my great-uncle was Joseph B. Soloveitchik. The questions about my identity became even more complex when, three years ago, I came out as gay in…
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Fast Forward Gay ‘Conversion Therapy’ Group Banned In Jersey Is Operating in Israel
The Orthodox Jewish nonprofit JONAH, which purports to help gay men become heterosexual, is operating in Israel after it was ordered closed by a court in New Jersey. Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing has referred patients in Israel to some of the estimated 20 to 30 licensed psychologists and social workers and 50 non-licensed…
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Opinion Yes, Our Anti-Israel Protest Disrupted LGBT Conference — That’s the Point!
The debate over pinkwashing at the Creating Change conference in Chicago this past weekend was agitational. It was uncomfortable. It brought out tensions in our relationships, our values and our communities. That’s a good thing. I was always taught that Shabbat is a time to imagine the world to come. So, when I learned that…
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Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
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Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
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Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
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Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
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Fast Forward Protesters clash in Crown Heights as Ben-Gvir visits Chabad headquarters
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Yiddish ווידעאָ: היסטאָריקער שמואל קאַסאָוו דערציילט מעשׂיות פֿון זײַן משפּחה־געשיכטעVIDEO: Historian Samuel Kassow shares stories about his family history
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Culture I have seen the future of America — in a pastrami sandwich in Queens
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Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
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