Mel Brooks doing a Hitler bit in an interview for "The Last Laugh," director Ferne Pearlstein's new documentary about Holocaust humor. (Tangerine Entertainment)
NEW YORK (JTA) — In “The Last Laugh,” a new documentary about humor and the Holocaust (you read that right), the comedian Judy Gold tells this joke: If the Nazis forced her to stand naked on a line with other women, would she hold her stomach in? How you,… Read more »
Reps. Chris Van Hollen and Donna Edwards participating in a Democratic forum at the Woodlawn Senior Center in Gwynn Oak, Md., April 9, 2016. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Maryland goes to the polls Tuesday – one of five states where the two remaining candidates in the Democratic presidential race and the three in the Republican race are facing off. The headline: It’s the new Super Tuesday, at least for the Democrats. This could be… Read more »
Emmanuel and Hetty Joels in Amsterdam in 2012. (Courtesy of Jet Naftaniel)
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — As a Dutch Jewish couple hiding separately from the Nazis, Emmanuel Joels and Hetty van Son were literally drawn together by a comic book of Emmanuel’s romantic invention. After narrowly avoiding deportation to Auschwitz thanks to a policeman’s tip, the young couple spent 2 1/2 years living less than… Read more »
John Kasich at a campaign rally at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio, March 6, 2016. (Ty Wright/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (JTA) — There are many opinions as to what criteria should be used in deciding who gets my fellow Republicans’ vote as their nominee for president of the United States. But I think the only valid question should be this one: Which candidate can actually beat Hillary… Read more »
Ted Cruz speaking to workers at a manufacturing plant in Dane, Wis.,March 24, 2016. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
SILVER SPRING, Md. (JTA) — King Solomon tells us in Proverbs: “The heavens are for the heights, and the earth is for the depths, and the hearts of kings no one can ponder.” It is impossible to know what kings and leaders of nations have in their hearts. With… Read more »
A Jewish family from Yemen arriving in Israel at Ben Gurion International Airport, Aug. 14, 2013. (Moshik Brin/The Jewish Agency/Flash90)
(JTA) — Passover is a time for family, for tradition, and for festive celebration. It’s also a time to fix a paradox. As we read the Haggadah, we reflect on our past travails and miraculous redemption as a Jewish people. But if we look only at the past we… Read more »
Simone Zimmerman says her fellow millennials "are angry" about what is happening in Israel. (Courtesy of J Street)
NEW YORK (JTA) – Simone Zimmerman, the Bernie Sanders campaign’s newly hired national Jewish outreach coordinator, is quite familiar with the American Jewish establishment. She is used to fighting against it. During the 2014 Gaza war, Zimmerman was one of the leaders of a group of young Jews that held… Read more »
(JTA) — Afikomen hunts, a rambunctious pup and the catchy classic “Dayenu.” All are featured in a half-dozen new Passover books for children that will inform and entertain even the littlest kid — or a whole herd of ’em. The eight-day holiday kicks off this year on the evening of… Read more »
Potato and carrot gratin (Samantha Mattox)
(The Nosher via JTA) — With Passover comes lots of cleaning, matzah eating, and potato peeling. I know, I know — potatoes get a bad rap during Passover because they’re one of the seemingly few things we can eat (and therefore are made very frequently during these eight days). But I say… Read more »
Joc Pederson taking a swing against the Washington Nationals, Aug. 12, 2015. (Hillel Kuttler)
(JTA) – Will Joc Pederson rebound from his second-half struggles of last season? Can Kevin Pillar build on his strong 2015 campaign? Will injuries derail one-time MVP Ryan Braun? These are some of the questions to be answered as these Jewish players and others get set for the Major… Read more »
Amid reports of repeated security failures, many Belgian Jews feel their government is leaving them vulnerable. (Cnaan Liphshiz)
ANTWERP (JTA) – The hundreds of rifle-toting police and soldiers who patrol Isaac Michaeli’s neighborhood have done little to improve his sense of safety. “When the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing, the soldiers might as well be cardboard cutouts,” he said. A jeweler in his… Read more »
Musician Sarah Aroeste (Courtesy of Sarah Aroeste)
(Kveller via JTA) — Sarah Aroeste is one of those people who seem utterly fascinating. She’s a mom and Ladino musician who recently released her fourth album “Ora de Despertar,” or “Time to Wake Up.” In her music, she explores her connection between her Sephardic roots in Greece and her passion for Ladino musical… Read more »
Vegan chopped liver with mushrooms and miso. (Aly Miller)
(The Nosher via JTA) — For thrifty, veggie-loving cooks like me, signing up for a CSA share is the way to go. Sure, it can be a daunting investment up front, but it’s often the best deal you’ll find in the city for local and fresh produce. And there’s… Read more »
From left, Henry Cavill as Clark Kent, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Ben Affleck as Batman in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/DC Comics)
(JTA) — When the highly anticipated movie “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” opens nationally on Friday, several burning questions will finally be answered. Among them: Which superhero is tougher? Does Wonder Woman hold her own? And does actor Jesse Eisenberg, who often plays characters of a more sensitive sort,… Read more »
Stray dogs roaming the Babi Yar monument in Kiev, March 14, 2016. Nazis and local collaborators murdered 30,000 Jews at the site in 1941. (Cnaan Liphshiz)
KIEV, Ukraine (JTA) – On a muddy path in Babi Yar Park, Vladimir Proch negotiates deep puddles as he shadows two rabbis and a group of Ukrainian officials. An 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, Proch lives near the Kiev ravine where Nazis and local collaborators murdered more than 50,000 Jews starting… Read more »
Budapest Jews crowding into the Glass House, a Budapest factory that housed an operation credited with saving more than 40,000 of the Hungarian city’s Jews in 1944 and 1945. (Courtesy of Beit Ha’edut)
SEEKING KIN The Seeking Kin column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. NIR GALIM, Israel (JTA) – On a recent afternoon in a museum in this moshav community near the port city of Ashdod, Hodaya Gadba held up a black-and-white photograph of a three-story building and pronounced,… Read more »
Donald Trump speaking at a primary night news conference in Palm Beach, Fla., March 15, 2016. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
By WASHINGTON (JTA) — Has Donald Trump’s time come, and will Jewish political conservatives embrace him? Trump, the real estate magnate and front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, rolled closer to victory on Tuesday with wins in at least three primary states. His strong showing, earning 161 delegates or more depending on… Read more »
The waterfront at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires includes a wide variety of inflatable toys and surf kayaks. (Uriel Heilman)
WINGDALE, N.Y. (JTA) – The sky is clearing after a damp morning at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, and kids are emerging from their cluttered bunks. An impromptu Frisbee game breaks out on the lawn, while down by the lake a counselor prepares the water trampoline and surf kayaks. On… Read more »
Shabbat services and Jewish life are integral parts of the Szarvas experience. (Courtesy of American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee)
SZARVAS, Hungary (JTA) — Escaping a sudden downpour in the summer of 2012, Andras Paszternak and Barbi Szendy ran to find cover inside an empty cabin at their Jewish summer camp, Szarvas, 100 miles east of Budapest. The two senior counselors, then 31 and 36, respectively, chatted as rain drenched the sprawling compound, where… Read more »
Cannoli hamantaschen (Sheri Silver)
(The Nosher via JTA) — My love of Italian cuisine was honed at a very early age — there was no lack of Italian restaurants, pizzerias and bakeries. If I had to pick my favorite Italian pastry, it would be no contest – I am #teamcannoli all the way.… Read more »
