Actress Mayim bialik reflects on what it means to be Jewish today and is grateful for the existence of Israel. (Shutterstock) (KVELLER/JTA) — I grew up in a public school that had enough Jewish kids that I felt represented. I went to Hebrew school twice a week and had a chavurah, or fellowship, through my Reform synagogue with kids my age. A portion of my family was Orthodox. I was… Read more »
WASHINGTON (JTA) — With an agenda that has come to match almost perfectly with the priorities of the Democratic Party, the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center has not had an easy time of it in an increasingly polarized Washington. But Rabbi Jonah Pesner, the center’s incoming leader, may have… Read more »
Alfred Dreyfus (Getty Images) (JTA) — Last week’s deadly hostage siege at a kosher supermarket in Paris has French Jews (and some non-Jews) proclaiming “Je suis juif,” or “I am Jewish,” in solidarity with the four people killed in the attack. Who are the Jews of France? Here’s a primer. How many Jews… Read more »
David Sookne, front left, and Bruce Hartford, third from right, in Alabama during a voter registration drive in 1965. (Courtesy of Bruce Hartford) LOS ANGELES (JTA) — How big of a “We” were the Jews in “We shall overcome”? Since the nationwide release of “Selma” a week before the national holiday commemorating the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., I have wondered about the extent of Jewish participation in the civil rights movement.… Read more »
Mourners seen carrying one of the bodies for burial during the funeral ceremony at Jerusalem's HarHaMenuchot cemetary for the four Jewish victims in the Paris Hyper Cacher attack, Jan. 13, 2015. (Miriam Alster/Flash90) WASHINGTON (JTA) – These are the lessons of the Paris attacks for American Jews and U.S. law enforcement: Keep calm and cooperate. Enhanced communication between governments has been a key element of America’s counterterrorism successes since 9/11, experts say, and more is planned in the wake of last week’s… Read more »
Tucsonan Kim Bayne in her Griddler on the Roof food truck Update 1.21.15: Due to family health issues, Griddler on the Roof is temporarily suspending operation. For more information, visit http://facebook.com/GriddlerTruck . Kim Bayne likes new challenges. Although she’s been a business and technology writer for most of her career, memories of cooking for the Jewish holidays with her mother and grandmother… Read more »
PARIS (JTA) — Hundreds gathered with the leaders of France and Israel to remember the victims of an attack at a kosher supermarket near Paris. French President Francois Hollande and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined several hundred members of the Jewish community at the memorial Sunday night at… Read more »
The crowd outside the kosher supermarket Hyper Cacher in Paris as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pays his respects to the victims of last week's terrorist attacks, Jan. 12, 2015. (Aurelian Meunier/Getty Images) (JTA) – French Jews are feeling embattled. Arsonists have targeted their synagogues, terrorists have attacked their schools and shops, and with only a few exceptions, French society has not united behind them to stop the assaults and harassment. The solution, according to Israel’s prime minister, is simple: Move to… Read more »
A French policeman shakes hands with ZAKA Israel volunteer, Dano Monkotovitz (Courtesy ZAKA) Two days after the deadly terror attack on the kosher supermarket in Paris, veteran ZAKA volunteers from Israel traveled to France to join their volunteer colleagues in the Paris Zaka unit. On Sunday evening, Jan. 11, ZAKA International Rescue Unit head Mati Goldstein and veteran ZAKA volunteer Dano Monkotovitz flew… Read more »
(JTA) — Yoav Hattab, one of the victims of last week’s Paris kosher supermarket shooting, recently returned from a Birthright Israel trip. Hattab, 21, was one of four victims of the Friday shooting, which followed an attack earlier in the week at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris, which… Read more »
Demonstrators carrying a sign reading "We Are Charlie" march in a Paris square during a unity rally following the recent terrorist attacks in the French capital, Jan. 11, 2015. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) That Jews were targets of radical Islam was, alas, unsurprising. Four of the hostages — Yoav Hattab, Philippe Braham, Yohan Cohen, François-Michel Saada — were killed at the kosher market. Survivors of the attack are anguished. So, too, are most French Jews, who again are discussing and evaluating not… Read more »
Masha Gessen “Speaking truth to power” is a way of life for Russian-American Jewish journalist Masha Gessen. An outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a staunch supporter of gay rights and a chronicler for the voiceless, the award-winning author will speak at four community events during “A Day With Masha… Read more »
Joyce Halimi, left, and her husband, Julien, at a vigil for victims of the deadly attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris, Jan. 10, 2015. (Cnaan Liphshiz) PARIS (JTA) — When he heard that four Jews had died in an attack on a kosher supermarket near his home, 16-year-old Natan Kalifa was overcome with grief, anger and a feeling of exclusion from French society. He even contemplated staging an act of violence — possibly against Islamists… Read more »
Democracies should adopt a carrot-and-stick strategy. Channel 1 has been airing the satirical sketches series| Hayehudim Ba’im (“The Jews are Coming”). In this twisted version of Jewish history since biblical times, no sacred cow is spared, including God and his prophet Moses. Now imagine that following one of the… Read more »
People watch on TV in a cafe as police mobilize at the hostage situation at Port de Vincennes on Jan. 9, 2015 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) PARIS (JTA) – The two sieges that transfixed France and much of the world on Friday epitomize the problem Islamic radicalism poses in the heart of Europe: It’s a danger to civilized society generally, but especially to Jews. Now it’s time for the authorities to wake up to the problem and… Read more »
Tired man: Between studying Torah, praying, commuting and a full day at work, Bilek barely has time for family life. (Shutterstock) My rabbi is known to say that “life is not for wimps.” As a student in yeshiva (Jewish seminary school), I thought I understood his point. Now I really understand his point. Just surviving the daily and weekly routine is hard work. My day starts long before the sun’s… Read more »
Judith Gallen, 81, of Westport, Conn., and Tucson, died Dec. 28, 2014. Survivors include her children, Jim Gallen of Texas, Andrew (Amy) Gallen of Redding, Conn., Peter (Wendy) Gallen of Tucson, and Sarah (Felice Zwas) Gallen of Stamford, Conn.; and six grandchildren. Graveside services were held in the Congregation… Read more »
Solomon C. Steinfeld, 103, died Dec. 24, 2014. Born in New York City, Mr. Steinfeld attended City College and Columbia University. He was a teacher and business department chair, who authored numerous business, bookkeeping and accounting textbooks for high school and college students. In 1983, he retired to Tucson… Read more »
Handi-Dogs will hold two informational meetings on Thursday, Jan. 15 for people who may want to volunteer with their dog as a pet therapy team, visiting in settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, libraries or schools. The one-hour sessions will be held at 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. at… Read more »
For most pups, the best part of a car ride is feeling the breeze in their furry faces as they stick their head out the window. Despite the feel-good nature of this pleasurable experience, it’s actually a very dangerous habit. In the early days of automobiles, most cars did… Read more »
