Posts By Lauren Bookwalter

Meet Mitchell Schwartz, the Jewish Kansas City Chiefs lineman heading to Super Bowl LIV

Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz enters the game against the Tennessee Titans at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Jan. 19, 2020. (William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
January 30, 2020 / JTA Staff

(JTA) — Kansas City Chiefs lineman Mitchell Schwartz does more than start for perhaps the best offense in the NFL. The 6-5, 320-pound tackle is a star at his position and has been for much of his eight-year career since turning pro following a standout career at the University… Read more »

Red paint splashed on synagogue in Finland
January 30, 2020 / Cnaan Liphshiz, JTA

(JTA) — Red paint was found on the facade of a synagogue in Finland in what some fear may have been an anti-Semitic incident. The speckles and blotches of paint were found on the synagogue of Turku, which is situated 70 miles west of the capital Helsinki, on Sunday,… Read more »

Diego Schwartzman and the outsized power of Jewish representation in sports

Diego Schwartzman, listed at 5-7 but probably shorter, is congratulated by Alexander Zverev, who stands 6-6, at the 2019 U.S. Open. Schwartzman defeated Zverev in the fourth round. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
January 30, 2020 / Emily Burack, JTA

This article originally appeared on Alma. I was never the best tennis player. Nor was I particularly good at soccer, basketball or any other sport my parents signed me up for. Still, I stuck with tennis through my junior year of high school, when I was unceremoniously cut from the… Read more »

Swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti appear in Italy
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

(JTA) — Anti-Jewish graffiti was discovered in multiple locations in Italy as the country observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan 27. On Monday night, the words “die dirty Jew” were discovered outside the home of Maria Bigliani, 65, in Turin. “It is a terrible message, especially on Holocaust… Read more »

Israeli Cabinet vote on West Bank annexation won’t happen Sunday, but next week appears possible

From left: Israel's ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman meet at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Jan. 23, 2020. (Matty Stern/U.S. Embassy Jerusalem/Flash90)
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The timeline is growing hazy for an Israeli Cabinet vote on annexing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump revealed a peace plan endorsing the move. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday after Trump unveiled the plan at the… Read more »

Facebook will not fact check statements by Israeli politicians during election campaign
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Facebook is not planning to fact check statements made by Israeli politicians on the social network during upcoming national elections. After extensive discussion of the issue, Facebook determined that fact-checking politicians’ statements is tantamount to censorship, Jessica Zucker, a product policy manager, told Israeli reporters on… Read more »

Anti-Semitic violence is on the rise in America — but anti-Semitic attitudes are not, ADL poll says
January 30, 2020 / Ben Sales, JTA

(JTA) — Despite a rise in anti-Semitic violence in recent years, the proportion of Americans holding “intensely” anti-Semitic views remains small, according to a new poll. The poll, conducted by the Anti-Defamation League and published Wednesday, asked 11 questions of U.S. adults regarding traditional anti-Semitic stereotypes, using a protocol the… Read more »

Even though anti-Semitism is rising, we can still appreciate how far the acceptance of Jews has come in America

Rabbi Levi Shemtov attends a ceremony posthumously awarding Raoul Wallenberg with the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of his heroism during the Holocaust, at the U.S. Capitol, July 9, 2014. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
January 30, 2020 / Rabbi Levi Shemtov, JTA

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Early Friday afternoon, I received a call inviting me to the White House to participate in a same-day signing ceremony for legislation authorizing $375 million in Homeland Security grants to help protect synagogues, churches, mosques and other places of worship. I replied that while I would… Read more »

Islamic State threatens to hit Israel with new attacks
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Islamic State said it will focus its new attacks on Israel. The terror group, also known as ISIS, issued a 37-minute audio message on Monday by its spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Quraishi, the AFP news agency reported. Speaking on behalf of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi,… Read more »

Psychiatrist says Monsey stabber is incompetent to stand trial
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

(JTA) — A psychiatrist has found Monsey stabber Grafton Thomas to be incompetent to stand trial on attempted murder and federal hate-crimes charges. Defense attorney Michael Sussman has asked a federal judge to hold a competency evaluation for his client. Thomas, 37, was arrested following the Dec. 28 attack… Read more »

House overwhelmingly approves $10 million for Holocaust education funding
January 30, 2020 / Ron Kampeas, JTA

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved $10 million over five years to fund Holocaust education in American schools. The vote Monday was timed for International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi camp. The money will be administered… Read more »

Stolen Marc Chagall painting sells for $130,000 at auction in Israel
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A painting by Jewish modernist Marc Chagall sold at auction for $130,000, the lowest estimated bid suggested by the auction house. The buyer, from Tel Aviv, wishes to remain anonymous, a spokesman for the Tiroche Auction House in Herzliya told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The artwork,… Read more »

Benjamin Netanyahu officially indicted hours after he withdraws immunity request
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s attorney general filed the indictment on charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery against Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday hours after the prime minister withdrew his request for parliamentary immunity. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit filed the charges in three corruption cases against Netanyahu in Jerusalem… Read more »

Morocco opens $1.5 million center dedicated to Jewish culture in city of Essaouira

Andre Azoulay, adviser to the Moroccan king, poses for a picture at the Bayt Dakira Jewish museum, in Essaouira, Morocco, Dec. 14, 2019. (Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images)
January 27, 2020 / Josefin Dolsten, JTA

(JTA) — Morocco’s king has inaugurated a $1.5 million center dedicated to Jewish culture in the city of Essaouira. Last week, King Mohammed VI attended the inauguration for Bayt Dakira, which means House of Memory in Arabic. The port city was formerly home to a large population of Jews,… Read more »