Members of United Synagogue Youth reveling at the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism's 2015 convention. (Andrew Langdal)
BALTIMORE (JTA) — No spoilers here, but you must have noticed by now that “Star Wars” is everywhere. With the recent release of “The Force Awakens,” everyone from die-hard to casual fans are analyzing all aspects of the movie, from the posters to the cameos. The big questions fans… Read more »
Miriam and Sheldon Adelson in Jerusalem to hear 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney deliver foreign policy remarks, July 29, 2012. (Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)
(JTA) — Miriam Adelson and her husband, Sheldon, reportedly are at odds over which Republican presidential candidate deserves backing. But this isn’t a typical marital spat — it’s about which candidate most deserves to be showered with their money. Miriam Adelson, an Israeli-born physician, favors Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, while casino… Read more »
Nate Fish, director of the Israel Association of Baseball, demonstrating pitching to Israeli kids. (Margo Sugarman/IAB)
(JTA) – Out of baseball after four years playing in the minor leagues, Brent Powers, a Christian from Texas, took a tour of Israel last year with his wife. He was smitten with the country and considered how to return. The Masa Israel Journey will provide his path.… Read more »
(JTA) — What do Madonna, Vampire Weekend, Usher, the Plain White T’s and Justin Bieber have in common? In addition to getting extensive play on Top 40 radio stations, they have all worked with Grammy-winning producer Ariel Rechtshaid, a Los Angeles native born to Israeli parents. Rechtshaid, 36, has… Read more »
Participants in the March of the Living walking with their guide dogs. (Yossi Zeilger)
TORONTO (JTA) — Fingers flit over a tombstone in Warsaw’s Jewish cemetery, caressing its faded Hebrew letters. Feet stumble on pathways at a Nazi death camp, crooked and strewn with stones. Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, punctures the sound of rustling leaves and hard rain in rural… Read more »
From left, Pastor Gregor Hohberg, Rabbi Tovia Ben-Chorin and Imam Kadir Sanci. (Courtesy of the House of One)
A priest, a rabbi, and an imam walk into a bar… Actually, this isn’t a joke or a bar. It’s an extraordinary new building called the House of One, which will combine a mosque, a synagogue and a church in Petriplatz, also known as “the medieval birthplace of Berlin.” Yes,… Read more »
From left, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star in Jonathan Levine's "The Night Before." (Courtesy of Columbia Pictures)
(JTA) — Director and writer Jonathan Levine (“The Wackness,” “50/50”) may have grown up in Jew-centric Manhattan, yet he recalls feeling somewhat like an alien every Christmas. “I don’t think it was malicious,” Levine, 39, says in a telephone interview with JTA. “But, in a way, I felt like an… Read more »
Chloe Coscarelli, a winner of "Cupcake Wars," has opened a hip vegan eatery in Manhattan. (Mikey Pozarik/Paperwhite Studio)
NEW YORK (JTA) — There’s a buzzy new eatery on the corner of Bleecker and MacDougal streets in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. The restaurant, by CHLOE, is garnering consistently good reviews and attracting slews of young, hip diners. Recently it even hosted the launch of a lingerie-line collaboration between two “it” girls.… Read more »
Tom Doherty Professor Tom Doherty, Ph.D., chair of the American studies program at Brandeis University and author of “Hollywood and Hitler, 1933-1939,” will present a University on Wheels lecture, “Jews, Nazis and Hollywood Cinema,” on Thursday, Jan. 7 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. The Tucson… Read more »
Ori Parnaby Dear Jewish Community Concierge, My parents are retiring and moving to Tucson. I want to help them keep busy and make friends. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you, Linda Dear Linda, Great question. These are common issues for many seniors. Luckily, Tucson has plenty of options. Don’t forget… Read more »
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Tucson resident Beth Surdut will present “The Modern Tallit” at a Hadassah Southern Arizona luncheon on Sunday, Jan. 10. Surdut, who creates hand-painted silk prayer shawls, will discuss how personal stories and prayers become essential elements in her designs. Whether for pre-teens or adults, she says, each tallit becomes… Read more »
Mik Moore (Courtesy of Moore) (JTA) — Ever wonder if Bernie Sanders is good for the Jews? How about Andy Warhol? The pope? 9/11? The Diaspora? Alexander the Great? Drake? The year 5775? These questions and many more have all been asked and answered. Apparently a lot of people still see this as a… Read more »
Palestinian refugees line up for food at a camp in Amman, Jordan, in 1955. (Three Lions/Getty Images)
NEW YORK (JTA) — Every time Palestinian leaders sit down at the negotiating table, or give a public speech, they never fail to raise the plight of the 700,000 Arab-Palestinians displaced when they refused to accept Israel’s existence in 1948. For too long, the State of Israel and the… Read more »
An exterior view of the Zhokuvka Jewish Community Center. (Courtesy of
The Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia)
ZHUKOVKA, Russia (JTA) — On the only road connecting this affluent village on Moscow’s western outskirts, Russian secret service agents are blocking all inbound traffic. Drivers bound for Zhukovka pull over and step out to smoke while chatting with other motorists as a line of luxury cars grows on the shoulder… Read more »
Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Dec. 14, 2015. (Patrick
T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
NEW YORK (JTA) – Donald Trump’s call last week to bar all Muslims from entering the United States “until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on” has set off a deluge of criticism in America and around the world, from U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan to Israeli… Read more »
Itzhak Perlman at the White House, where he received the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, Nov. 24, 2015. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(JTA) — Itzhak Perlman, the Israeli-born violin virtuoso, was named the third winner of the Genesis Prize. Perlman was named the winner on Monday of the annual $1 million prize that has been dubbed the “Jewish Nobel.” He joins former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the actor-director… Read more »
There's an impressive array of spices at Persian supermarkets. (Shannon Sarna)
LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Persian culture makes up an important part of the Jewish community in New York, Israel and especially Southern California, where some 45,000 Persian Jews reside. The cuisine of this strong, close-knit community is not unlike that of Persian cuisine in general: colorful rice dishes, rich and… Read more »
Fabio Erlich, standing left, with his family and other Brazilian
emigres in the Israeli city of Modiin. (Courtesy of Erlich family)
RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA) – For four years, llana Lerner Kalmanovich rode a hot and crowded bus three hours each day to reach the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, where she was pursuing degrees in physical education and nutrition. Police raids into nearby slums, or favelas, often blocked… Read more »
Miss Israel, 19-year-old Avigail Alfatov, will compete in the Miss
Universe Pageant, which airs on Dec. 20. (Courtesy of Alfatov)
(JTA) — Avigail Alfatov eats her pizza upside down and has funny hiccups. Her favorite food is falafel and she makes her face shine by wiping it with green tea bags. How do we know this and, perhaps more important, why do we care? Well, Alfatov is the reigning… Read more »
Brisket-stuffed papas rellenas (Jennifer Stempel)
(The Nosher via JTA) — Cooking enough for an army has been a long-established tradition of Jewish mothers across the globe, but mine takes it to a new level. I can’t think of a meal prepared by my mother where there wasn’t enough food for each diner to have… Read more »
