Posts By Sara Harelson

Americans more likely than Europeans to stand up against anti-Semitism, experts say

From left to right: Ira Forman, Michael Whine, Heidi Beirich and Rabbi David Saperstein speaking on a panel in Washington, D.C., on the rise of the far right and anti-Semitism, Jan. 22 2018. (Ron Kampeas)
January 24, 2018 / Ron Kampeas, JTA

WASHINGTON (JTA) — It’s better here: That was the message of a panel of experts considering the rise of the extreme right and of anti-Semitism in the United States and Europe. That was the good news at the forum Monday sponsored by Georgetown University’s Center for Jewish Civilization. No… Read more »

Doctors, pilots and Holocaust survivors try to thwart Israel’s plan to deport African migrants

Students and teachers from Seminar Ha'kibuzim protest against the deportation of African asylum seekers, in Tel Aviv, January 24, 2018. Photo by Tomer Neuberg/ FLASH90
January 24, 2018 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Holocaust survivors and rabbis, as well as doctors and some airline pilots, are among the Israelis who say they will try to thwart Israel’s plan to deport thousands of African migrants, even if it means taking them into their own homes. The latest group to come… Read more »

The 5 best Jewish films to watch this Oscar season
January 22, 2018 / Tom Tugend, JTA

LOS ANGELES (JTA) — With the Academy Awards on the horizon, there is no shortage of high-quality films to see in theaters and on the small screen. Getting a jump on the festivities, here are five of the best Jewish-themed ones to watch this awards season, from Oscar contenders to… Read more »

What ‘The Sound of Music’ Taught My 3-Year-Old About Nazis
January 17, 2018 / B.J. Epstein, JTA

(Kveller via JTA) — “The Nazis were bad people who didn’t like Jews,” I heard myself saying to my 3-year-old. I immediately questioned this rather disappointing explanation. Bad people? What does that mean? Haven’t my wife and I always told our child that people aren’t “bad” or “good,” even… Read more »

Saffron Rice with Raisins and Pine Nuts
January 17, 2018 / Paola Gavin, JTA

(The Nosher via JTA) — Saffron rice with pine nuts is made all over the Middle East. Sometimes it is spiced with a little ground coriander, cinnamon and cumin, or flaked almonds are used instead of the pine nuts. This saffron rice is often served for Rosh Hashanah as… Read more »

OP-ED: 6 ways to address sexual harassment in the Jewish community

Lisa Eisen (Courtesy of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation)
January 16, 2018 / Lisa Eisen, JTA

(JTA) — #MeToo. #GamAni. The stories are numerous and painful. They span decades and reach every corner of the Jewish community. Enough is enough. The time is now for us to finally and fully address sexual harassment in Jewish institutional life. When it comes to sexual harassment, Jewish teachings are… Read more »

A son of refuseniks chronicles the slow dissolve of Russia’s Jews

Professor Maxim Shrayer, Slavic and Eastern Languages and Literatures photographed in his office in Lyons Hall for a future issue of Chronicle.
January 16, 2018 / Penny Schwartz, JTA

BROOKLINE, Mass. (JTA) — When Maxim Shrayer traveled to Moscow for a five-day visit at the end of October 2016, his itinerary included a trip to the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center. Shrayer, who emigrated from Russia to the U.S. with his refusenik activist parents 30 years ago, is… Read more »

This art studio in Berkeley is combining painting and prayer

Rabbi Adina Allen and her husband, Jeff Kasowitz, founded the Jewish Studio Project in 2015 as a way for Jews to access their religion through art. (Ben Sales)
January 11, 2018 / Ben Sales, JTA

BERKELEY, California (JTA) — In the middle of a traditional Friday night service in this artists’ district in the crunchy mecca of Berkeley, California, a group of 40 worshippers paused their prayers to gather around a group of “found objects:” an empty picture frame, fake flowers, a doorknob. Each… Read more »