(JTA) — The New York Jewish Week said it will put its print edition on hiatus as it transitions to a “digital-first model.” The last print edition of the nearly 150-year-old weekly — at least for now — is scheduled for July 31, according to an announcement published Tuesday… Read more »
Tagged Coronavirus
Brazil’s president has COVID-19 and the country is a coronavirus hot spot. Here’s how Rio Jews are adapting to the pandemic.
RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA) — The bombshell news on Tuesday was ironic for some — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, one of the world leaders who has most staunchly downplayed the potential of the coronavirus pandemic, had contracted the virus. Despite his ardent support of Israel, Bolsonaro’s tempered rhetoric on… Read more »
Jewish foundation in Los Angeles using its $8.5 million in grants this year just for COVID-19 relief
(JTA) — The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles will distribute $8.5 million in funds for COVID-19 relief to support nonprofit organizations, both Jewish and non-Jewish, representing its entire grantmaking for 2020. Formally titled the COVID-19 Response Grants, the program’s first phase will focus on providing immediate relief to… Read more »
July 1 ‘not sacred date’ for annexation, Benny Gantz tells US peace plan diplomats
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Defense Minister Benny Gantz of Israel told Trump administration diplomats on Monday that the July 1 date set for starting to annex parts of the West Bank is “not a sacred date.” Meeting in Israel with Avi Berkowitz, the U.S. special envoy for international negotiations, and… Read more »
Pride rallies held across Israel in lieu of annual parades due to coronavirus
JERUSALEM (JTA) — They came out by the thousands across Israel to show their support for LGBTQ rights — but the numbers were a far cry from the Pride parades held annually that were canceled due to the coronavirus. Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, as well Beersheba and smaller… Read more »
A Jewish camp is opening — on the video game Minecraft
(JTA) — This was going to be Jake Offenheim’s 14th straight summer at Camp Ramah in Canada. Then camp was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Offenheim, who was set to be a counselor for the fifth year, couldn’t bear a summer without Ramah — so he re-created it on… Read more »
Rabbi Sara Metz eager to engage as new Anshei Israel leader
Rabbi Sara Metz will be only the fourth rabbi to lead Congregation Anshei Israel in its 90-year history when she takes up the reins July 1. “That’s so very exciting,” she says, acknowledging it is also challenging. “The community, and rightfully so, holds Rabbi Eisen in such high esteem.… Read more »
Local teen launches COVID Clean restaurant program
As the coronavirus pandemic got underway, 16-year-old Drew Messing became the designated take-out food runner for his parents, Claudine and Andrew Messing, and grandparents, Paulette and Joe Gootter. “My mom is a great cook but a little while into quarantine my family was eager to order takeout food. I would… Read more »
COC, J partner to house program for those with developmental disabilities
Khylie Gardner, communications director at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, says that when the Jewish community comes together, “something amazing happens. Our collective values guide us to uplift one another, helping us to create relationships that are deeply cherished and that work for the good of our entire community… Read more »
For the few Jewish camps that are opening despite risks, finding willing families hasn’t been hard
(JTA) — This week, as he prepares to open Camp Modin and administer coronavirus tests to its hundreds of campers and staff, Howard Salzberg is still fielding 50 calls a day from parents who want to send their kids. That’s because Modin, a small, unaffiliated Jewish camp in Maine,… Read more »
NYC’s Museum of Jewish Heritage laying off 40% of staff due to financial crisis caused by coronavirus
(JTA) — The Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York is laying off about 40 percent of its staff in order to weather the financial crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. The museum’s president and CEO, Jack Kliger, made the announcement Monday in a call with the staff,… Read more »
Here’s how Jewish schools found creative ways to maintain community during COVID lockdown
As soon as it became clear in March that COVID-19 would force school closures around the country, Jewish day school administrators faced a conundrum that went beyond the question of how to continue educating students. The challenge: how to maintain a sense of community at a time when everyone… Read more »
Israeli government research institute says tests of its COVID-19 vaccine have worked on hamsters
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Researchers at an Israeli government center say that tests of a coronavirus vaccine have been successful on hamsters and the vaccine could be ready by the end of winter if human trials are allowed in the coming weeks. The country’s Ministry of Health must approve the start… Read more »
Amid a national reckoning over race, Jews are embracing Juneteenth
(JTA) — After the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic this spring delayed the launch of the website for TribeHerald, a new media company for Jews of color, founders Yitz Jordan and Rabbi Shais Rishon settled on a perfect alternative: the evening of June 18. After all, it would be… Read more »
NYC playgrounds will open next week, ending protests by Orthodox Jews who have demanded access
(JTA) – Just days after Orthodox lawmakers cut the chains off New York City playgrounds in defiance of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s orders, the mayor announced Thursday morning that playgrounds will reopen in the city starting Monday. The decision comes as the city moves into its second phase of… Read more »
Nearly 200 Israelis are heading home after being stranded in Central America due to the coronavirus
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Nearly 200 Israelis stranded in several Central American countries because of the coronavirus are going home. A special El Al flight left from Panama City on Thursday morning, the Spanish language Panama Star reported, in the first direct flight ever from Panama to Israel, according to… Read more »
With the number of cases rising, Israel extends emergency measures to halt spread of coronavirus
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Knesset approved extending emergency measures targeting the spread of the coronavirus as the number of cases in Israel saw its largest one-day increase in the past two months. The legislation, which will remain in force for 45 days starting Wednesday, was approved late Tuesday night,… Read more »
Auschwitz memorial and museum will reopen to visitors on July 1
(JTA) — The Auschwitz Memorial and the site of the former Nazi camp will reopen to visitors on July 1. The memorial and museum said it will open for guided tours and individual entry beginning on that date. Reservations must be made online. It closed to visitors in mid-March… Read more »
Some New York City yeshivas are operating in the shadows
(JTA) – As Orthodox lawmakers were brazenly cutting the locks off a New York City playground on Tuesday morning, Orthodox children were settling in for a school day just nine blocks away. The classes at Yeshiva K’tana Torah Vodaath in Brooklyn were the first held in the school building… Read more »
Ohio’s Jewish Health Department director, who faced an anti-Semitic backlash over stay-at-home orders, resigns
(JTA) — Amy Acton, the Jewish Department of Health director in Ohio who came under fire for the stay-at-home orders to stem the coronavirus crisis, including armed protesters carrying signs with anti-Semitic messages, has resigned. Acton, whose resignation was official on Thursday, will become the chief health adviser to… Read more »