The 2018 mid-term elections may be far away, but in Ohio’s Senate race, one Jewish Republican candidate is already moving forward. Josh Mandel, the state treasurer who failed in his 2012 Senate bid, has all but secured his place as his party’s candidate for the seat in 2018. Mandel’s main potential challenger in the Republican…
(JTA) — A former staff attorney for Butler County in southern Ohio filed a lawsuit alleging that she had to use vacation time to observe Jewish holidays. Kimberly Edelstein in a lawsuit filed against Butler County, and its judge, prosecutor and assistant prosecutor, said she was not able to use official holiday time off in…
Mark Zuckerberg paid a surprise visit last week to one Ohio family, dropping in on them as part of his New Year’s resolution to meet people in every state of the country. “His staff people said, ‘I work for a very wealthy philanthropist in California and 90 percent of Americans use his product,’” Daniel Moore…
(JTA) — A swastika was carved onto the door frame of a synagogue in northeastern Ohio. The swastika was carved at the Agudath B’nai Israel Synagogue in Lorain, Ohio, a suburb located on the West Side of Cleveland. In addition to the swastika, the words “We will rise and gas you,” followed by an expletive,…
Visiting home in upstate New York on break from school, I hear my mother bellow from downstairs: “Lauren! Why is the puppy dragging around a menorah?” “Uh, no idea, Mom!” I reply. My heart drops. Sabre has stolen the menorah from my backpack and, in typical golden retriever fashion, begun parading it around. I take…
— Ohio Governor John Kasich signed into law a bill targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. The legislation, which prohibits the state from contracting with companies that engage in boycotts of Israel, including firms located outside of the state, and also requires companies to explicitly state in contracts that they are not…
Perched high atop a hill, the old Jewish cemetery looked well maintained, so I smiled. In Eastern and Central Europe, I’ve found that to be rare. We had just entered Rybnitsa – crossing the de facto border between the former Soviet republic of Moldova and separatist, quasi-independent Transnistria – when the translator pointed it out….
— The Ohio Senate approved a bill targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, all but assuring it will become law. The bill passed Thursday by a vote of 26-5 and now awaits Gov. John Kasich’s signature. The state’s House of Representatives passed the measure last month. The legislation prohibits the state from…
