Jessica Leader Jewish Telegraphic Agency New YorkAfter the University of Alabama won the Bowl Championship Series football crown by dominating top-ranked Louisiana State University this week, much of the attention and credit has gone to C… Read More »
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Shalit, JournaIist Entering Politics
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The father of Gilad Shalit and Yair Lapid, a veteran Israeli journalist, are entering politics. It is expected that Lapid, who announced that he is leaving his position as news anchor for Israel’s Channel 2, will form h… Read More »
Jewish Book Awards Have Two Local Ties
Rabbi David Teutsch, a local author, was among the 2011 National Jewish Book Award winners. Teutsch, who lives in Mount Airy and is the former president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, received the Myra H. Kraft Award in the c… Read More »
Response to BDS Goes Beyond Chickpeas
Just before finals, University of Pennsylvania sophomore Noah Feit stumbled upon a Facebook link from a newly formed student group affiliated with the international movement that targets Israel with boycotts, divestment and sanctions. Anot… Read More »
Israelis Paying Steep Price for Goods
Jessica Steinberg Jewish Telegraphic Agency JERUSALEM It’s a question many a shopper in Israel has pondered, particularly if they’ve spent time overseas. Why does this fill-in-the-blank cost more in Israel? Whether it’s a box of Cheeri… Read More »
Judea Pearl: Aggrieved Father and A.I. Pioneer
LOS ANGELES A man arrives at an airport for a flight, and as he goes through security, the agent asks some questions. Did anyone help him pack his suitcase? What is the purpose of his trip? Is anyone accompanying him? During the conversa… Read More »
Local Support Grows for ‘Chained’ Woman
Dozens of members of Lower Merion’s Orthodox community traveled to New York on New Year’s Day to rally in support of a local woman who has been trying for four years to obtain a get, a Jewish decree of divorce, from her ex-husband. The dem… Read More »
Temple Set to Cut Hebrew Major, Minor
Starting next year, Temple University students will likely no longer be able to major or minor in Hebrew. Though board members must officially approve the change, officials say budgetary concerns and low enrollments make it practically a do… Read More »
Spinning to Set a Record Fills Room With Ruach
The buzz of more than 800 high school students herded into a huge Center City hotel ballroom at the annual United Synagogue Youth international convention quieted as the lights began to dim. On a screen at the front of the room, words scro… Read More »
A Bold Flash of Lightning on the Terrain
Just a few blocks southwest of the Topography of Terror, in the long shadow the museum figuratively casts, stands Daniel Libeskind’s striking Jewish Museum Berlin. The 12-year-old structure was one of the outspoken architect’s first designs… Read More »
Haredi Violence Makes Waves, Again
Marcy Oster Jewish Telegraphic Agency Jerusalem For several years now, the Jerusalem suburb of Beit Shemesh has been the site of on-again, off-again religious violence. But it wasn’t until the plight of a fearful 8-year-old girl from a… Read More »
A Renewed City Built On Guilt
Berlin “Germans are wonderful pupils,” says Ilan Weiss, an Israeli-born Berliner. “Germans will say, ‘Yes, we are guilty. Yes, we did the wrong thing.’ And they are excellent at it. That’s part of the German personality. They do everything… Read More »
Lighting up New Year’s Eve
What are you doing New Year’s, New Year’s Eve? Lighting up the skies, says Jodie Milkman. She does it with sparkle — and a little help from her friends. Milkman has been arranging the New Year’s Eve fireworks over Penn’s Landing since… Read More »
Beard or Not, Fans Still Flock
Beard or no beard: “a Jew is a Jew is a Jew.” At least, so said Chevra leader Aryeh Shalom and several other Matisyahu fans interviewed before the Orthodox reggae star took to the stage at the Theatre of Living Arts during a Saturday night… Read More »
Attacks by Radical Settlers on Israeli Army Spark Debate
Mati Wagner Jewish Telegraphic Agency Yitzhar, West Bank Charred tires and boulders pushed to the sides of the road leading to Yitzhar, a West Bank Jewish community near Nablus, were among the signs that residents had made an effort to p… Read More »
Reflecting on Iraq
Col. Mitchell Paulin has never doubted that the Iraq war, with its enormous cost in lives and dollars, has been worth it. Scenes from a protracted war: Tashlich celebrated in Al Asad But ask Paulin — who in 2003 was a surgeon attache… Read More »
Hoping for a ‘Jewmas’ Miracle
A techno hora remixed with “Jingle Bells,” and sampled with the refrain, “I can’t dance, I’m too Jewish,” blared over a mass of revelers at Public House in Center City — an aptly cheeky sound byte for an annual Jewish party on Christmas Ev… Read More »
A Winning Dreidel
Dahbra Erlbaum from Cheder Chabad in Philadelphia read her winning essay on the meaning of Chanukah at the lighting of the menorah across from the White House on Dec. 20.Photos by Jeff Malet A 10-year-old local girl won a national essay… Read More »
West Point’s Jewish Choir Sings for the President and Diversity
LOS ANGELES It doesn’t get more “only in America” than this: A Christian president with an African-born Muslim father throws a Chanukah party at the White House, and the featured act is the West Point Jewish Chapel Cadet Choir — a group t… Read More »
Israelis Slam Newspaper Editorials
WASHINGTON Israeli officials are stepping up their criticism of The New York Times, slamming columnist Thomas Friedman and arguing that the newspaper is an unfit venue for an op-ed from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a scathing let… Read More »
Reform Reach Out to the Young
National Harbor, Md. The metaphors abound. To Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the next president of the Union for Reform Judaism, it’s a gas station. To Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the outgoing president, it’s an anchor. To Stephen Sacks, the incoming chairman… Read More »
Obama: Don’t Let Anyone Challenge My Bona Fides
President Barack Obama told a gathering of Reform Jewry not to let anyone challenge his record of support for Israel, which he said was “unprecedented.” “No U.S. administration has done more in support of Israel’s security than ours — non… Read More »
House Passes New Sanctions
Washington, (JTA) The U.S. House of Representatives passed new Iran sanctions and President Barack Obama indicated he would not veto the bill. The sanctions targeting Iran’s Central Bank were rolled into a massive Defense Authorization Bil… Read More »
Big Changes on the Horizon for Doylestown Temple
Members of Temple Judea of Bucks County are hoping that by next year at this time, they will have a brand new home. The new 17,000-square-foot building is not the only major change the Reform congregation in Doylestown is anticipating duri… Read More »
Can You Be a Reform Jew and a Political Conservative?
National Harbor, Md. It’s not easy being a political conservative in the most liberal of Jewish religious denominations. Just ask the 40 or so people among the more than 5,000 attendees at last week’s biennial conference of the Union for… Read More »
Russian Attempts to Break Barriers
Sergey Lagodinsky, who came to Berlin from Russia as a teenager, has been trying his hardest to pry his way into the upper echelons of the Jewish community power structure. Unlike the majority of his cohorts who are indifferent to Jewish li… Read More »
Apple Reportedly Acquires Startup
Jerusalem, (JTA) Apple reportedly has purchased its first Israel-based company, Anobit Ltd., a flash storage solutions provider, for an estimated $500 million. The deal for the Herzliya-based startup reportedly was finalized Tuesday. A… Read More »
New Berlin Stories
Berlin The story of Russian Jewish immigration to Berlin is old news; what’s new in the German capital is the estimated 10,000 to 20,000 Israelis now residing here. Both Russians and Israelis have flocked to this land for the same reason… Read More »
Chanukah Happenings
Friday, Dec. 23 Celebrating Chanukah Join Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel for a 6 p.m. Chanukah Shabbat dinner, followed by 7: 15 p.m. services, at 8339 Old York Rd., Elkins Park. RSVP to 215-887-8700. Celebrate Chanukah with Beth Ti… Read More »
A Collaborative Evolution
Fourteen years ago, the late Annabel Lindy had a vision. She wanted to create some sort of platform to connect Jews in their 20s and 30s. It didn’t matter what form it took; in fact, she reportedly believed, it should change with the times… Read More »
He Brews He’Brews
Chanukah 1996. Jeremy Cowan loaded up a car he borrowed from his grandmother with cases of beer he’d brewed, hoping that a few bars and stores would actually buy it. But with a bearded rabbi as its logo and the name He’Brew, Cowan’s beer, t… Read More »
Should Shariah Count in Court?
The nationwide push to ban Shariah, or Islamic law, from being considered within the scope of American jurisprudence has arrived in Pennsylvania — with Jews actively lining up both for and against the measure. On one side are those who co… Read More »
Israelis Take Public Issue With the ‘Times’
Washington Israeli officials are stepping up their criticism of The New York Times, slamming columnist Thomas Friedman and arguing that the newspaper is an unfit venue for an op-ed from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a scathing let… Read More »
Egyptian Party Will Honor Treaty
Jerusalem (JTA)A radical Islamist party in Egypt said it will respect the country’s peace treaty with Israel. The spokesman for the Salafi Al-Nour party, which won up to 30 percent of the vote in the first round of parliamentary elections… Read More »
New Statue of Navy’s Uriah Levy Is Whipped Into Shape at Last
John Lehman, secretary of the U.S. Navy under President Ronald Reagan, said that he hopes one day, somebody will make a feature film about the exploits of Uriah Phillips Levy, the first American Jew to rise to the rank of commodore. Whethe… Read More »
Introducing a New Class of Social Entrepreneurs
Tribe 12 has selected 11 young professionals for its second class of “social entrepreneurs” who will begin learning how to turn their ideas into viable businesses in the new year. The training is run in conjunction with PresenTense, which… Read More »
Hummus Just One Serving on Agenda
About 40 University of Pennsylvania students amassed at a nearby grocery store Sunday afternoon to purchase hummus as a counter-protest to Philadelphia BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) supporters who were stationed outside to lobby a… Read More »
Chanukah Goblins at a Theater Near You
Move over, Nutcracker; make way, Tiny Tim: there is a new theatrical tradition in town this year just in time for the holidays, and this one features hot latkes, chocolate gelt, live klezmer music and Chanukah candle lighting. Gas and Elect… Read More »
Where Santorum Stands With Some Jewish Voters
Does former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum stand a chance of winning the GOP nomination? Not likely, say the polls and pundits. The former Pennsylvania lawmaker’s presidential campaign has never taken off. But the social conservative and foreign… Read More »
Rabbi Quits Seminary
Jerusalem (JTA) — A rabbinic leader has quit the Conservative rabbinical seminary in Israel over its policies toward gay students. Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum, a former assistant dean at the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem, resi… Read More »
Army Base Vandalized
Jerusalem (JTA) — Following a confrontation at a West Bank military base, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Israeli security forces to “act aggressively” against Jewish activists who attack soldiers. The directive issued Tuesday c… Read More »
GOP Jews Weigh Presidential Contenders
Former Mass. Gov. Mitt RomneyPhoto courtesy of Republican Jewish Coalition Washington Caren Sokolow, a recently retired audiologist from Cherry Hill, N.J., thinks Newt Gingrich could make a great president. Whether he can win the presid… Read More »
Holidays Chalk Up School Time
Amy Orlov remembers sitting in music class back in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., singing Christmas carols and humming the words to certain parts — the ones that made her uncomfortable. Emma Dall (left) and classmate Alexa Burrows display their ho… Read More »
Students Urged to Rethink J Street
New York (JTA) — Hillel leaders at the University of California, Berkeley, are urging the Jewish Student Union on campus to reconsider its rejection of J Street’s campus affiliate. The Jewish Student Union, an umbrella body for U.C. Berke… Read More »
Serving Up Campus Shabbat
University of Pennsylvania sophomores Lauren Kreps, Steph Weiner and Susannah Ruby picked up staples for a Shabbat dinner they hosted at their sorority as part of an annual campus-wide Shabbat initiative funded by Jewish Heritage Programs…. Read More »
Immigration Group Sets Its Mission
The newly formed Greater Philadelphia Jewish Coalition on Immigration, which came about in response to a flurry of legislative activity in Harrisburg targeting undocumented immigrants, hashed out its mission statement at a December meeting…. Read More »
Matisyahu Sheds His Facial Hair
New York (JTA) — Jewish reggae star Matisyahu shaved his signature beard and issued a statement saying “No more Chasidic reggae superstar.” The artist posted two photos of his beardless face on Twitter and a statement about his decision o… Read More »
How to Navigate Tricky Post-Graduate World
REFLECTIONS By Ashley Gold You don’t know how much you miss structured, purposefully Jewish culture until it is laid out in front of you by Boscov’s kosher catering, with dreidels on a plastic tablecloth accompanied by a few pieces of dar… Read More »
Will the Real Maccabees Please Stand Up?
It’s one thing to argue against the existence of God, but to insult Judah Maccabee, perhaps the greatest warrior in Jewish history — well, that’s just a shandah. After all, Judah Maccabee and his followers are the central heroes of the Ch… Read More »
Hankering for the Perfect Latke
All last week, I had latkes on the brain. After years of something or other keeping me from the Gershman Y’s annual Latkepalooza, I was determined to get my potato pancake fix. Six-year-old Annalee Sikora plates tangy mushroom latkes fro… Read More »
N.J. Vandalism Suspect May Be Jewish
New York (JTA) — A New Brunswick, N.J., man who was charged in the vandalism of several Jewish-owned shops in nearby Highland Park reportedly is Jewish. Richard M. Green, 52, was charged with numerous counts of bias intimidation and crimi… Read More »
Katsav Starts Prison Term
Jerusalem (JTA) — Still pleading innocent, former Israeli President Moshe Katsav began his seven-year prison term for rape. An ashen-faced Katsav entered Maasiyahu Prison on Dec. 6 after a delivering a prepared statement to reporters and… Read More »
Netanyahu Attempting to Shore Up Power at Home
Matthew Wagner Jewish Telegraphic Agency Jerusalem He may be a lightning rod for criticism abroad, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is consolidating power at home. On Dec. 5, Netanyahu announced that elections for leadershi… Read More »
Seeking a Young Professional Comeback
It didn’t take long for David Zellis to find what he was looking for when he signed up for a Young Jewish Leadership Concepts vacation to Jamaica. He can’t even remember much about the trip because he was engrossed in his future wife, Shery… Read More »
Baseball MVP Positive on Drug Test
New York (JTA) — Ryan Braun, the first Jewish baseball player in more than five decades to win a Most Valuable Player award, has tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Braun is disputing the results. According to USA Today, he… Read More »
Lyrical Liturgy
Mordechai Shinefield Toronto native and Philadelphia transplant Chana Rothman, 37, has staked out a niche mashing together breezy hip-hop beats, sunny acoustic reggae, and a warm mouthy flow that draws lyrically from Hebrew liturgy and r… Read More »
GOP Reach Out to Jews
Washington Stuart Green of Lafayette Hill, a member of the Republican Jewish Coalition for 20 years, usually has a good sense early on who he’s going to back for president. Not this time. Mitt Romney (left) and Newt Gingrich eached assa… Read More »
Extra Room for Historic Transition
Just outside the entrance to Mikveh Israel’s sanctuary, a display case houses replicas of letters to the historic congregation from three American presidents: George Washington in 1790, Abraham Lincoln in 1862 and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who… Read More »
Handmade Kipot, With Immigrant Touch
Win Htay gives a glimmer of a shy smile as she holds up a delicate, hand-crocheted yarmulke. The 28-year-old had never heard of a yarmulke until she came here four years ago, resettled by HIAS and Council Migration Service of Philadelphia a… Read More »
Lawmakers to Cuba: Release Gross
New York (JTA) — Nearly 100 U.S. lawmakers called on the government of Cuba to release imprisoned Jewish contractor Alan Gross. Nineteen senators and 72 members of the House of Representatives sent letters to the government of Cuba at the… Read More »
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