(Israel Hayom via JNS) In what was the first ever address by a Czech leader to Israel’s legislative body, President Miloš Zeman sent a message of “solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people” to the Knesset on Monday. Among those in attendance at the historic speech were Israeli President… Read more »
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New Yorker cartoonist Liana Finck draws on the light and shadows of her Jewish upbringing
Liana Finck attends an event at the Milk Gallery in New York City, Feb. 22, 2018. (Sean Zanni/Getty Images for Moleskine)
NEW YORK (JTA) — Liana Finck is in the eating area of a grocery store in Southampton, New York, and I’ve interrupted her beach excursion. Once a week, the Brooklyn-based illustrator rides a train to the east end of Long Island to channel her creative energy. She wakes up… Read more »
Update from JFSA Partnership regions: Kiryat Malachi & Hof Ashkelon
Why the co-founder of the Women’s March wants Linda Sarsour to step down
Teresa Shook attends The 2017 Common Good Forum at University Club in New York City, May 12, 2017. (Donald Bowers/Getty Images for The Common Good)
(JTA) — Teresa Shook says she likes to work “behind the scenes.” But this week, the woman who co-founded the Women’s March thrust herself front and center by calling its leadership to step down. Shook, a grandmother from the remote Hawaiian town of Hana, posted the Facebook event that… Read more »
At Hanukkah, don’t take message for granted
Amir, Gahl, Sha’ron and Neev Eden on Dec. 19, 2017, the last night of Hanukkah Amir Eden)
Many years ago, after serving in the Israel Defense Forces, I moved to live on a kibbutz in the beautiful Israel Valley. My father, who lived as a teen in the 1950s in Hulata, a kibbutz in the shadow of the Golan Heights, inspired me (a city boy) to… Read more »
Linda Sarsour apologizes to Jewish members of the Women’s March
Linda Sarsour speaks at BET’s Social Awards at the Tyler Perry Studio in Atlanta, Feb. 11, 2018. (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for BET)
(JTA) — Linda Sarsour released a statement apologizing on behalf of the Women’s March for causing harm to the movement’s Jewish members and for being too slow to show its commitment to fighting anti-Semitism. “We should have been faster and clearer in helping people understand our values and our… Read more »
Unsung Heroes: New kids’ book honors Polish woman who saved children in WWII
The story of Irena Sendler, the Polish social worker who hid 2,500 Jewish children from the Nazis during World War II, is now a children’s book. “Mommy, Who Was Irena Sendler?” by Cathy Werling is the third volume in the Unsung Heroes children’s book series, published by the Lowell… Read more »
Everyone wins in ‘Good as Gelt’ Jewish music sweepstakes from Milken Archives
“This Hanukkah, let’s celebrate the power of light to overcome darkness,” says Jeff Janezcko, Ph.D., curator of the Milken Archive of Jewish Music. “Let’s celebrate the resilience of the human spirit. Let’s celebrate the power of a gift, given with intention to inspire hope.” As he wrote, there were… Read more »
New books for kids include a fresh take on trailblazing ‘All-of-a-Kind Family’
Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte and Gertie. The names of the five fictional sisters bring a smile to generations of Jewish Americans who grew up reading “All-of-a-Kind Family,” the classic mid-century chapter book series by Sydney Taylor that followed the day-to-day doings and adventures of a Jewish-American immigrant family on… Read more »
Jewish thrift store plans ‘Best Of’ sales event
The 1st Rate 2nd Hand Thrift Store, Southern Arizona’s only Jewish thrift store, will hold its “Best Of” event on Thursday, Nov. 29, 6-8 p.m. The event will feature select merchandise, snacks and wine, and music by Birks Works. Held twice a year, the “Best Of” events are a… Read more »
When chocolate babka meets doughnuts, the result is doubly delicious
Chocolate Babka Doughnuts
Babka is nearly a weekly occurrence in my house, and I can think of few things better. But it’s not just me: Babka has really been getting the recognition it deserves all over the country, making appearances everywhere from artisanal bakeries to Jewish delis and even high-end restaurants. My… Read more »
Hadassah to host regional speaker at installation lunch
Ian Merles
Hadassah Southern Arizona will honor its 2018 Woman of the Year, install officers for 2019 and recognize its annual supporters at a luncheon on Dec. 9. Ian Merles, the annual giving officer for Hadassah West Coast Region, will be the guest speaker. Honey Manson will install the new slate… Read more »
Za’atar and Olive Focaccia Recipe
Za’atar and Olive Focaccia (Sonya Sanford)
(The Nosher via JTA) — Focaccia is made with a very soft dough, slightly rich from generous amounts of added oil that helps it become crisp-edged as it bakes. As I was working on this recipe, Netflix’s “Salt Fat Acid Heat” premiered, and suddenly making focaccia felt particularly timely.… Read more »
In Israel, missile alert apps save lives — and spread anxiety
Israeli apps alert users whenever a missile is headed into the country. (Sam Sokol)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Four years ago, on the eve of the Israeli military’s Gaza operation known as Protective Edge, a private developer created the Red Alert app providing real-time notification when missiles or rockets were fired into Israel. Since then, Red Alert and smartphone apps like it have become tools for… Read more »
I could give my baby a cushy life in Canada. Instead I chose Israel.
(Kveller via JTA) – I was deep in my third trimester and sweating through the Tel Aviv heat when I thought to myself “Never again.” Seven years into my life in Israel, I just couldn’t spend another hot, intense and chaotic summer there. It’s not just the blistering… Read more »
Exploring the bialy challah and Polish-Jewish cuisine at a unique Shabbat dinner
The Shabbat dinner was meant to reflect the life and customs of Jewish and Polish communities, and honor the ways the cultures have coexisted. (Meg Jones)
NEW YORK — The bialy challah practically glowed, swirls of caramelized onion peeking out between its braided, poppy-dusted strands. In a charming red-and-white tiled kitchen at the back of a Brooklyn bookstore, some 50 people gathered around a long table to watch a trio of chefs prepare an unusual… Read more »
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK Israelis are blunt and rude. You got a problem with that?
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A couple of months ago I was waiting to use an ATM near my house, flicking through Twitter as the line inched its way forward. Finally, after about 10 minutes and several tweets, I reached the machine and was getting ready to insert my card when… Read more »
No one happy after Shabbat diverts El Al flight to Athens
An El Al plane at Ben Gurion International Airport, Aug. 5, 2013. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An El Al plane bound for Israel that was delayed from taking off in New York was diverted to Athens on Friday to allow Sabbath-observant passengers to disembark. That’s what we know for sure. What happened on the plane? That’s another story. The flight, which had… Read more »
Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin mine aging for laughs in Chuck Lorre’s latest, ‘The Kominsky Method’
Alan Arkin, left, and Michael Douglas star in "The Kominsky Method," the latest from "Big Bang Theory" creator Chuck Lorre. (Mike Yarish/Netflix)
(JTA) — “The Kominsky Method” is the wisest and saddest new comedy on television. That might be its biggest problem. The protagonist of the eight-episode Netflix series that debuts Friday is Sandy Kominsky (played by Michael Douglas), a Jewish Tony Award-winning actor who landed with a thud in Hollywood.… Read more »
Palestinian terror groups say they will observe cease-fire
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Palestinian terror groups in Gaza reportedly have agreed to commit to a cease-fire of hostilities that have seen more than 400 rockets bombard southern Israel and Israeli retaliation in a 25-hour period. Four mediators — Egypt, the United Nations, Norway and Switzerland — helped achieve the… Read more »



