Jason Alexander, meets with Israeli President Shimon Peres at Peres' residence in Jerusalem, Oct. 25, 2011. (Yossi Zamir/Flash90/JTA) (JTA) — To those who know him as the lovably neurotic and lazy George Costanza from TV’s “Seinfeld,” there was something comic — if not downright ridiculous — in seeing actor Jason Alexander being asked by an elder statesman of Middle East diplomacy about making peace between Israelis and… Read more »
(Jewish Ideas Daily) — America’s relations with the Arab world have been strained for decades, but the Arab world is not all of a piece. The pre-eminent enemies of Israel and the West, Syria and Iran, are totalitarian. Egypt, since the 1970 death of the nationalist hero-tyrant Gamal Abdel… Read more »
Ava Sarah Keyrallah was born in Paris on Oct. 31, 2011, the day the United Nations celebrated the 7 billionth child being born. (Courtesy Celine Abisror) NEW YORK (JTA) — Could the 7 billionth person on the planet be Jewish? According to the United Nations Population Fund, the Earth welcomed its 7 billionth resident on Oct. 31. Statistically, the newborn was most likely a boy in India or China. The symbolic title was given to Danica… Read more »
Many parents savor memories of cozy nights reading to their young children, looking at beautiful illustrations, and appreciating the cadence of a story told well. Those moments connect children not only to their parents, but also to a love of reading so vital to literate, inquisitive young minds. The… Read more »
WASHINGTON (JTA) — They may have scored a victory at UNESCO, but the Palestinians are running into new obstacles on their push for statehood recognition at the United Nations. The effort to pursue the issue at the U.N. Security Council has encountered a stumbling block in Bosnia, where the… Read more »
NEW YORK (Forward) — When a recent online expose revealed that women on a New York City-franchised bus were required to sit in the back, those who seemed to be least outraged were the women who actually ride the bus and live in the two heavily Orthodox Brooklyn neighborhoods… Read more »
A destroyed Jewish clothing store in Magdeburg, Germany, after Kristallnacht, Nov. 11, 1938. (H. Frederick, Hanover) NEW YORK (JTA) — Before it was called Kristallnacht, it was known simply as “the pogrom.” Designated “the night of broken glass,” the 14-hour wave of Nazi violence on Nov. 9-10, 1938 left hundreds of Jewish storefronts and synagogues across Germany and parts of Austria in shards and splinters,… Read more »
Joshua Knobel, shown at Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan in 2007, says he wanted to "help people figure out how to live their lives with purpose and intent." (Joshua Knobel) BALTIMORE, Md. (JTA) — When West Point’s Jewish chaplain left the academy during Joshua Knobel’s freshman year, Knobel filled in for him, running Jewish prayer services at the military school’s chapel. In the years following his 2001 graduation, Knobel led services more than 6,000 miles east while deployed in… Read more »
The late philanthropist Mendel Kaplan showing former South Africa President Nelson Mandela around the South African Jewish Museum, which was opened by Mandela in 2000. (Shawn Benjamin/Ark Images) CAPE TOWN, South Africa (JTA) – When anti-apartheid activist Lorna Levy first became involved in politics as a student in the late 1950s, she remembers being the target of hostility from the Jewish community in her native South Africa. In the 1960s, she and her husband, Leon, made their… Read more »
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) is determined to return to Congress. Giffords, who is recovering from being shot in the head in January, reveals in a book she co-writes with her husband, Mark Kelly, that she plans to keep her job, according to a report Friday by… Read more »
This is the 73rd anniversary of Kristallnacht, and the first one I will mark without my father. Kristallnacht is referred to as the “night of broken glass.” But it was much more. It was the beginning of the end of most of European Jewry. It was two days of… Read more »
Danny Danon, a Knesset member and a leader of the settlement movement, making a point to Herman Cain after leading the Republican presidential candidate on a tour of the tunnels beneath Jerusalem's Western Wall, August 2011. (George Lange Studios) WASHINGTON (JTA) — Call Herman Cain the crash-course pro-Israel candidate. Since stumbling in May on a question about Palestinians and the right of return, the one-time pizza executive who recently rocketed to the top of GOP presidential polls has visited Israel and read up about the Jewish state. “Mr.… Read more »
UNESCO designated Tel Aviv's "White City" -- its 4,000 Bauhaus buildings -- a heritage site in 2003, facilitating funds for rehabilitation projects. (David Lisbona via Creative Commons.) WASHINGTON (JTA) — The immediate consequence of UNESCO’s vote to grant the Palestinians membership is clear: A cutoff of American funding for the U.N. agency governing the protection of cultures and sharing of scientific knowledge, which stands to lose roughly a fifth of its budget. What’s less certain is… Read more »
A daughter, CELIA BEA SINGER, was born Aug. 19, 2011 to Sarah and Keith Singer of Tucson. Grandparents are Michael and Barbara Heisler and Daniel and Paula Singer, all of Tucson.… Read more »
THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA has promoted MARLYNE FREEDMAN to senior vice president. Freedman joined the Federation in 2002 as director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, after serving as executive director at Temple Chai in Phoenix. She became the Federation’s director of Women’s Philanthropy in 2004 and… Read more »
RABBI SHAFIR LOBB recently published High Holy Day prayer books for care facilities. The “To Life!” series includes Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and a combined edition.… Read more »
SAGAN WEBSTER, son of Nancy Tepper and Patrick Webster, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Friday, Nov. 11 at Congregation Chaverim. He is the grandson of Sheila and Jack Tepper of Tucson, and the late Bob Webster of Green Valley. Sagan attends Basis Middle School. He plays baseball… Read more »
ANDREW JORDAN KLEIN, son of Stacy and Adam Klein, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Congregation Anshei Israel. He is the grandson of Arlene and Alan Klein of Tucson, Lee Geckman of Indio, Calif., the late Ronald Geckman of La Palma, Calif., and Sandy… Read more »
DRAKE LEON BUSBY, son of Christina Ryberg and Justin Busby, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Congregation Or Chadash. He is the grandson of Monique Steinberg Busby, Jack Busby and Richard and the late Deborah Anderson, all of Tucson. Drake attends St. Gregory College… Read more »
JOSHUA BENJAMIN ARDEN, son of Susan Brish and Scott Arden, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Temple Emanu-El. He is the grandson of Dr. Adam and Patricia Brish of Marquette, Mich., and Eleanor and the late Frederic Arden of Salem, N.H. Joshua attends Orange… Read more »
