(JTA) — A Cincinnati-area man was indicted on a federal hate crimes charge for attacking a man he thought was Jewish. Izmir Koch, 32, beat a man who was smoking a cigarette outside a local restaurant. He was arrested Wednesday. According to the indictment, Koch in February 2017 asked people standing outside the restaurant if…
Rabbi Robert Barr set out in October to become America’s first rabbi in Congress. This week, he ended his race. In a statement issued Tuesday, the Reform rabbi from Cincinnati announced his withdrawal from the race, claiming that he is doing so in order to make room for Aftab Pureval, an up-and-coming local Democrat considered…
A swastika and the words “Kill Them All. 2/1/18. For the motherland,” were found written on a boys’ bathroom wall at Wooster High School in Ohio, The Daily Record reported Tuesday. School superintendent Michael Tefs said the threat “seems to have very little credibility,” but would still “take this very seriously.” Security measures include placing…
Welcome to the Forward’s series on unsolved Jewish murders. The cases run across continents and class divides and have rocked Jewish communities around the world. To access the series, click here. Aliza Sherman stayed in what was by many accounts a failed marriage. Her children later spoke of constant fighting between her and her husband….
Josh Mandel, largely considered the Republican frontrunner for the 2018 Ohio Senate seat, announced Friday he is ending his race. Mandel cited health issues his wife is dealing with as the reason for dropping out. “After recent discussions with our family and healthcare professionals, it has become clear to us that it’s no longer possible…
When the Senate took on immigration reform in 2006, it was a Jewish Republican who led the way to approving a comprehensive bill that would provide millions of undocumented immigrants with a path to citizenship. The late Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania explained that his decision was guided by his own experience, as the son of…
(JTA) — The booking agent for white nationalist Richard Spencer has filed a federal lawsuit against The Ohio State University for refusing a request to rent space on campus for a speech by the controversial far-right figure. The lawsuit, filed on Sunday, comes after the university on Friday informed Cameron Padgett, a graduate student at…
Rabbi Robert Barr has spent the past 37 years as a pulpit rabbi. In fact, he is the longest-serving rabbi in Cincinnati. But now he’s ready for the next phase in his life, one that could take him to Washington and, along the way, have him make history as the first rabbi ever to serve…
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