Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon The speaker invited then uninvited. The signature on the petition removed. The activity joined, then unjoined. The job threatened. Rabbis and Jewish professionals increasingly are being faced with a dilemma over discussing divisive topics — especially regarding Israel — central to how they see their Jewish missions without losing… Read more »
In Israel, restituting Holocaust-era assets isn’t just about getting European countries, banks and insurance companies to pay up. It’s also about finding the rightful heirs of thousands of pre-state assets in Israel whose original Jewish owners perished during the Holocaust. These include dormant bank accounts, real estate, bonds and… Read more »
The Kurt Lindenfeld store in Chemnitz, Germany, seen here in the 1920s, was one of thousands of German Jewish businesses that vanished during the Nazi era. (N.Y. Museum of Jewish Heritage) NEW YORK (JTA) — The Israeli government is firing a new salvo in the turf war over Holocaust restitution. Following years of complaints by survivors about opacity and unjust allocation decisions by the Claims Conference, and after two decades of what critics deride as scant tangible successes by the… Read more »
New Yorkers gather near Ground Zero to celebrate the news that Osama bin Laden has been killed. (Richard via Creative Commons) SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) -- When the news of Osama bin Laden’s death at U.S. hands hit the airwaves Sunday, America breathed a collective sigh of relief. Spontaneous celebrations broke out in front of the White House, as crowds gathered to wave the Stars and Stripes and chant their delight.… Read more »
Now that I am officially in my second quarter of my first calendar year making Aliyah, I imagine it’s time for an assessment; a performance reviews of sorts, particularly as it pertains to my acqusition of Hebrew. Conversationally, I’m proud to say, there has been a clear improvement. While… Read more »
Today, for the first time in the four months that I have lived in Israel, I went grocery shopping all by myself. Aren’t I a big girl? It sounds silly…I’m a grown up after all, but going to the grocery store when you live in the middle of nowhere… Read more »
The day before the official start of Passover, I jokingly posted on my Facebook status update, “For the first time in my life, I actually feel semi-comfortable saying the phrase ‘Chag Sameach.” Ha. Ha. Those were the days. Back when I had the long holiday (extended even longer for… Read more »
Dear Avi and Adele: My husband of 10 years looks at other women when we go out even though we have a loving relationship. I know it’s probably normal, but it annoys me. What should I do? – Jewishly Jealous Dear Jealous: Your brain is already saying that you… Read more »
Dear Avi and Adele: I’m a 45-year-old male who has been on three dates with a 35-year-old woman in the past month. I like her as a person, but I feel like I’ve given it enough time to know it’s not going to work out – I’m just not… Read more »
Kurt Gerron saw a chance to resume his career when he signed on as director of "The Fuehrer Gives the Jews a City." LOS ANGELES (JTA) — “The Fuehrer Gives the Jews a City” may rank as the oddest film fragment in cinematic history. The 23 minutes of raw, unedited footage is all that has been found of a Nazi propaganda project to prove that the “model” Theresienstadt camp was a veritable paradise… Read more »
(JTA) — Jewish and Israeli leaders welcomed the news that Osama bin Laden was killed in a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan. The body of bin Laden, head of the terrorist group al-Qaida and the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2011 attacks on New York and Washington, was… Read more »
Nazi defendants listen to testimony at the post-World War II Nuremberg trials, which set a precendent for prosecuting crimes agains humanity. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of John W. Mosenthal) WASHINGTON (JTA) — Sixty-five years ago at the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany, 22 defendants stood in the dock. They represented a cross-section of Nazi diplomatic, economic, political and military leadership, and became the first people in history to be indicted for crimes against humanity. A tribunal of… Read more »
LOS ANGELES (JTA) — For Ira Feinberg, what he calls the “pinnacle of my life’s experiences” took place 63 years ago. Feinberg was a 17-year-old New Yorker when he joined the elite troops of the Palmach force fighting in Israel’s War of Independence. “No other experience in my life… Read more »
Upon hearing the news of Osama bin Laden's death, jubilant crowds packed New York's Times Square in the wee hours of May 1, 2011. (Uri Fintzy) NEW YORK (JTA) – For years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, many Americans waited in fear for the next strike by al-Qaida on U.S. soil.… Read more »
Dear Avi and Adele: My mom, like most typical Jewish mothers, keeps trying to set me up when I haven’t asked her to. While I appreciate her efforts, I’m a little uncomfortable that my mother is out there shopping for me – she doesn’t really seem to know my… Read more »
Dear Avi and Adele: My girlfriend is in major debt, while my finances are in perfect shape. I see long-term potential in this relationship, but I’m really nervous about moving forward with someone whose finances are in sorry shape. What should I do? – Mr. Moneybags Dear Mr. Moneybags:… Read more »
CONGREGATION M’KOR HAYIM, led by Rabbi Helen Cohn, has moved to the campus of Tucson Hebrew Academy. M’kor Hayim will hold Shabbat evening services in the THA Beit Midrash on the second and fourth Fridays of each month at 7 p.m., beginning April 22. Torah study will be held… Read more »
A paper written by BRYAN DAVIS, youth and Holocaust education coordinator at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, and his advisor at the University of Arizona, ELIANE RUBINSTEIN-AVILA, “Holocaust Education: Global Controversies Shaping Curricula Integration and Implementation,” has been accepted for presentation at the International Journal of Arts &… Read more »
HUNTER AARON BYRD, son of Susan Byrd, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, May 7 at Congregation Or Chadash. He is the grandson of Linda and the late Alan Dym of Apache Junction, Ariz., and Emily Prim of Tucson. Hunter attends Tucson Hebrew Academy where he is… Read more »
MAX JACOB BYRD, son of Susan Byrd, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, May 7 at Congregation Or Chadash. He is the grandson of Linda and the late Alan Dym of Apache Junction, Ariz., and Emily Prim of Tucson. Max attends Tucson Hebrew Academy where he is… Read more »
