By ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL
NEW YORK (JTA) — My dad, who grew up in a time and place where his Judaism only marked him as an outsider, never really got my professional fascination with all things Jewish. That all changed when nearly 20 years ago I got a job with the...
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By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“)
Only a few weeks ago, Gabriel Sidney Brown made the decision to leave the national road company of “Les Miserables” and enjoy some well-earned time for himself. The hard-working member of the ensemble had already logged some 15 months in the cast....
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By RON KAMPEAS
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave a speech Thursday in Cairo, and much of it was about dissing his boss Donald Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, for what Pompeo said was diminishing U.S. influence in the region.
Pompeo’s message was clear: “America,” he said Thursday, “is...
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By JACKSON RICHMAN AND SEAN SAVAGE with CCJN reports (JNS.org) — The Women’s March New Orleans was canceled just before New Year’s Eve by organizers of the event over allegations of anti-Semitism. In a statement issued yesterday, Thursday, January 3, by National Organization for Women (NOW) Baton Rouge president Angela Adkins,...
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By SAM SOKOL
(JTA) — The year 2018 was a hectic and often bewildering one for the global Jewish community. From the U.S. Embassy move to Jerusalem to the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, the past 12 months brought surprises and shocks, and in ways that often divided Jewish opinion. Here are...
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By CURT SCHLEIER
(JTA) — The young attorney seems unsure of herself. As a law professor, she is unaccustomed to appearing in court, so she hesitates at first, unable to begin her summation. But once she gets going, there is no stopping her.
It is the climactic scene of “On...
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By RON KAMPEAS
WASHINGTON (JTA) — James Mattis is quitting as defense secretary and his extraordinary resignation letter has brought into the open an argument among conservatives on whether to cut and run in the Middle East or whether to stay with no clear outcome.
The argument also touches on...
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By EMILY BURACK
What a year it was for Jews in pop culture. We can probably say that almost every year, but truly, in 2018, Jewish celebrities permeated the zeitgeist. “The Band’s Visit” – a musical set in Israel — swept the Tony Awards. Timothée Chamalet became the internet’s boyfriend....
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Herbert Barton, the executive secretary of the Hebrew Rest Cemetery Association for decades, officially retired in front of a number of his colleagues and friends after several decades in office. The reception marking his retirement was held on Monday afternoon, December 17, at 4:00 p.m. in the Temple Sinai social...
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By ALAN SMASON, WYES-TV Theatre Critic (“Steppin’ Out“)
Being Jewish during Christmas season presents many challenges to American Jews but, paradoxically, Jews have been behind a great many of the popular American holiday songs heard at this time of the year. As examples, jazz great Mel Torme wrote “The Christmas Song”...
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