This past week was the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s strike on New Orleans and the destruction which followed the failure of the federal levee system. Like everyone else in New Orleans, the Jewish community suffered greatly, including the destruction of the Orthodox synagogue Beth Israel and the dispersion of practically the entire Jewish population. But the Jewish community has largely been restored, with many institutions, such as the eight synagogues and the Jewish Community Center thriving. New Jewish organizations since Katrina include the Avodah Jewish Service Corps, Moishe House, and The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. One of the most famous Jewish residents of New Orleans was Judah Touro, an American businessman and philanthropist, who was the son of Cantor Isaac Touro, a Dutch-born American rabbi who served as cantor of the synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island that bears his name. Judah moved with his family from Newport to New York City, but when his father died, his mother moved her family to Boston. Judah’s mother then died, leaving Judah and his siblings to be raised by their aunt and uncle, Rachel and Moses Hays. As a young adult Judah moved to New Orleans, where he eventually amassed a fortune in business. When he died, he left huge sums of charity to many Jewish and other institutions, including what became New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital, synagogues across America, and Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the first Jewish residential settlement in Old Jerusalem. In New Orleans, Touro funded what became Touro Infirmary as well as the Reform congregation Touro Synagogue. While it’s not certain, what is the common belief as to why Judah Touro left Boston and moved to New Orleans?
A. Touro took a job teaching commerce and business at the University of Louisiana, which later became Tulane University.
B. Touro wanted to marry Catherine Hays, his first cousin, but his uncle Moses, Catherine’s father, would not allow it.
C. He got an offer from Samuel Zemmuray, a Jewish New Orleans businessman, to come and work for him in the banana trade between Central America and New Orleans.
D. Touro came to New Orleans because he was a supporter of slavery, and he did not feel comfortable remaining in the north.
E. Touro left Boston because he knew what it means to miss New Orleans.
This past week was the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s strike on New Orleans and the destruction which followed the failure of the federal levee system. Like everyone else in New Orleans, the Jewish community suffered greatly, including the destruction of the Orthodox synagogue Beth Israel and the dispersion of practically the entire Jewish population. But the Jewish community has largely been restored, with many institutions, such as the eight synagogues and the Jewish Community Center thriving. New Jewish organizations since Katrina include the Avodah Jewish Service Corps, Moishe House, and The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. One of the most famous Jewish residents of New Orleans was Judah Touro, an American businessman and philanthropist, who was the son of Cantor Isaac Touro, a Dutch-born American rabbi who served as cantor of the synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island that bears his name. Judah moved with his family from Newport to New York City, but when his father died, his mother moved her family to Boston. Judah’s mother then died, leaving Judah and his siblings to be raised by their aunt and uncle, Rachel and Moses Hays. As a young adult Judah moved to New Orleans, where he eventually amassed a fortune in business. When he died, he left huge sums of charity to many Jewish and other institutions, including what became New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital, synagogues across America, and Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the first Jewish residential settlement in Old Jerusalem. In New Orleans, Touro funded what became Touro Infirmary as well as the Reform congregation Touro Synagogue. While it’s not certain, what is the common belief as to why Judah Touro left Boston and moved to New Orleans?
A. Touro took a job teaching commerce and business at the University of Louisiana, which later became Tulane University.
B. Touro wanted to marry Catherine Hays, his first cousin, but his uncle Moses, Catherine’s father, would not allow it.
C. He got an offer from Samuel Zemmuray, a Jewish New Orleans businessman, to come and work for him in the banana trade between Central America and New Orleans.
D. Touro came to New Orleans because he was a supporter of slavery, and he did not feel comfortable remaining in the north.
E. Touro left Boston because he knew what it means to miss New Orleans.
This past week was the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s strike on New Orleans and the destruction which followed the failure of the federal levee system. Like everyone else in New Orleans, the Jewish community suffered greatly, including the destruction of the Orthodox synagogue Beth Israel and the dispersion of practically the entire Jewish population. But the Jewish community has largely been restored, with many institutions, such as the eight synagogues and the Jewish Community Center thriving. New Jewish organizations since Katrina include the Avodah Jewish Service Corps, Moishe House, and The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. One of the most famous Jewish residents of New Orleans was Judah Touro, an American businessman and philanthropist, who was the son of Cantor Isaac Touro, a Dutch-born American rabbi who served as cantor of the synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island that bears his name. Judah moved with his family from Newport to New York City, but when his father died, his mother moved her family to Boston. Judah’s mother then died, leaving Judah and his siblings to be raised by their aunt and uncle, Rachel and Moses Hays. As a young adult Judah moved to New Orleans, where he eventually amassed a fortune in business. When he died, he left huge sums of charity to many Jewish and other institutions, including what became New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital, synagogues across America, and Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the first Jewish residential settlement in Old Jerusalem. In New Orleans, Touro funded what became Touro Infirmary as well as the Reform congregation Touro Synagogue. While it’s not certain, what is the common belief as to why Judah Touro left Boston and moved to New Orleans?
A. Touro took a job teaching commerce and business at the University of Louisiana, which later became Tulane University.
B. Touro wanted to marry Catherine Hays, his first cousin, but his uncle Moses, Catherine’s father, would not allow it.
C. He got an offer from Samuel Zemmuray, a Jewish New Orleans businessman, to come and work for him in the banana trade between Central America and New Orleans.
D. Touro came to New Orleans because he was a supporter of slavery, and he did not feel comfortable remaining in the north.
E. Touro left Boston because he knew what it means to miss New Orleans.
This past week was the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s strike on New Orleans and the destruction which followed the failure of the federal levee system. Like everyone else in New Orleans, the Jewish community suffered greatly, including the destruction of the Orthodox synagogue Beth Israel and the dispersion of practically the entire Jewish population. But the Jewish community has largely been restored, with many institutions, such as the eight synagogues and the Jewish Community Center thriving. New Jewish organizations since Katrina include the Avodah Jewish Service Corps, Moishe House, and The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. One of the most famous Jewish residents of New Orleans was Judah Touro, an American businessman and philanthropist, who was the son of Cantor Isaac Touro, a Dutch-born American rabbi who served as cantor of the synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island that bears his name. Judah moved with his family from Newport to New York City, but when his father died, his mother moved her family to Boston. Judah’s mother then died, leaving Judah and his siblings to be raised by their aunt and uncle, Rachel and Moses Hays. As a young adult Judah moved to New Orleans, where he eventually amassed a fortune in business. When he died, he left huge sums of charity to many Jewish and other institutions, including what became New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital, synagogues across America, and Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the first Jewish residential settlement in Old Jerusalem. In New Orleans, Touro funded what became Touro Infirmary as well as the Reform congregation Touro Synagogue. While it’s not certain, what is the common belief as to why Judah Touro left Boston and moved to New Orleans?
A. Touro took a job teaching commerce and business at the University of Louisiana, which later became Tulane University.
B. Touro wanted to marry Catherine Hays, his first cousin, but his uncle Moses, Catherine’s father, would not allow it.
C. He got an offer from Samuel Zemmuray, a Jewish New Orleans businessman, to come and work for him in the banana trade between Central America and New Orleans.
D. Touro came to New Orleans because he was a supporter of slavery, and he did not feel comfortable remaining in the north.
E. Touro left Boston because he knew what it means to miss New Orleans.
President Trump has ordered the Smithsonian Institution to review all of its museums with a goal of removing any exhibits which focus on “how horrible our Country is.” While he particularly called out the African American History and Culture Museum, noting that it focused too much on “how bad slavery was,” the White House also offered a long list of other displays of concern at other Smithsonian museums. These include an “Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride flag” at the entrance to the American History Museum, an exhibit at the National Museum of the American Latino which features content from “a disabled, plus-sized actress,” and an animation at the National Portrait Gallery focusing on Anthony Fauci. The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum complex, comprising 21 museums and the National Zoo, mostly located in Washington, DC, but also including the Hirshhorn Museum in New York City and the Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia among others. What other United States museum is currently being considered for inclusion under the Smithsonian umbrella?
Donald Trump just completed a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, where they discussed the Russia-Ukraine war. Alaska had an indigenous population for thousands of years, but was first settled by Russians in the mid-17th century. While Spain also claimed Alaskan territory in the late 1700’s, Russia ultimately took control of most Alaskan territory until the sale to America in what was known as Seward’s Folly in 1867. The first Jews in the Alaskan territory were likely Russian fur traders, with the first organized Jewish communities appearing in the 1880’s. The Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 and the Nome Gold Rush of 1899 saw significant numbers of Jews arriving to seek their fortune. As many as 200 Jews lived in Dawson, Alaska at that time, including Sid Grauman, who went on to found Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Around the same time, Wyatt Earp and his Jewish wife Josephine opened a highly successful saloon, the Dexter, in Nome. A number of Jews were successful in Alaska politics, including Ernest Gruening, the state's first senator, Leopold David, Anchorage’s first mayor, and Jay Rabinowitz, a member of Alaska’s Supreme Court for more than 30 years. It is estimated that there are now about 6000 Jews in Alaska, mostly in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. What Alaskan landmark is named after a Jewish person?
Alaska Jewish Museum by Jeffrey Beall is licensed under CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A. The Gerstle River was named for Lewis Gerstle, a Bavarian Jew who eventually settled in Alaska. In 1868 he and his partner Louis Sloss obtained the “Alaska Lease,” Alaska’s first fur concession, and he went on to found the Alaska Commercial Company, which still operates retail stores in 37 Alaskan rural locations.
B. Fleischman Medical Center in Cicely, Alaska, was named after Dr. Joel Fleischman, a doctor who took an internship in Cicely to help pay off his medical school debt. Dr. Fleischman went on to found a major hospital in this isolated northern Alaskan town.
C. The Mendenhall Glacier, a popular tourist attraction near Juneau, was named for meteorologist Abraham Mendenhall, a German Jewish immigrant. Mendenhall, who was the superintendent of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, first explored the glacier in 1879 on a trip accompanied by naturalist John Muir.
D. Mount Ripinski was named after a Polish Jew, Solomon Ripinski, who came to Alaska in 1884, after working as a merchant in Shreveport, Louisiana, an oil painter with a studio in Sacramento, California, and a colonel in the Oregon State militia. He helped establish a United States Government School in western Alaska, worked with the Pyramid Harbor salmon cannery, and was a charter member of the Juneau Men’s Igloo, an Alaskan fraternal organization.
E. The Schwartzman Porch, named after builder Arnie Schwartzman, who lives in Wasila, Alaska. Schwartzman built the porch on Sarah Palin’s house which she stood on whenever she wanted to see Russia.
The Italian government has announced a plan to build a bridge from the Sicilian city of Messina to the Italian mainland. The Strait of Messina Bridge project, which has been debated for decades, is estimated to cost 13.5 billion euros over the next 8 years until completion. Supporters state that it would stimulate huge economic growth in southern Italy, while those in opposition are concerned about its environmental impact, safety concerns (in particular regarding earthquake threats), and negative effects on local communities in the area where the bridge will be built.
Sicily has been home to Jews since the era of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (specifically as slaves to the Roman community). By the 6th century there was a synagogue and a hospital for the Jewish community. But by the 1200’s the lot of the Jewish community took a turn for the worse under the Crusaders, and by the 1300’s Jews in Sicily had to mark their clothing and stores with a “red wheel,” an early form of the Yellow Star. With the coming of the Inquisition, the Jews of Sicily were forced to move or convert. Some Jews returned in the 1700’s, but only in the last 10 years has there been more effort to organize Jewish communities in Sicily. One primary effort has been the establishment of a synagogue in Catania under the leadership of Rabbi Gilberto Ventura. The congregation is primarily made up of Bnei Anusim, descendants of the Jews who converted 500 years earlier. But Rabbi Ventura is fighting against what group that opposes his efforts to restore the Jewish Community of Catania?
Mt Etna and Catania by BenAveling is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A. The Vatican, because according to Bishop Giussepe Gambetti, “We love and respect the Jewish community, but the Bnei Anusim are our people and have been for 500 years. We do not wish to see them leave the church.”
B. The local Catanian community, many of whom still hold the antisemitic beliefs which are at the root of the lack of any real organized Jewish life even since Italy’s restrictive laws were abolished.
C. The Italian government, because there is a quota of non-Catholic religious institutions in the overwhelmingly Catholic country.
D. The Union of Italian Jewish Communities, which is the legal Italian overseer of Jewish communal life in the country. Their spokesman says that “In the case of Catania, this strange Jewish community hasn’t passed all the steps the law requires.”
E. Associazione dei Ristoratori Italiani (the Italian Restaurant Association). Pesce alla Ghiotta (Sicilian Fish with Potatoes and Olives) is a very popular Sicilian dish that is typically made with carp. Italian restauranteurs are afraid that the Jewish community will begin purchasing large quantities of fresh carp to use in gefilte fish at Passover time, thus leading to competition and a rise in prices.
Ozzy Osbourne, founder and lead singer of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, died last month at the age of 76. After releasing eight albums with the band, Osbourne was fired because of his drug and alcohol problems, but he continued to perform world-wide, occasionally reuniting with Black Sabbath, including for his final concert in his hometown of Birmingham, England just weeks before his death. Osbourne performed in Israel’s Hayarkon Park in 2010, headlining the Ozzfest concert, and again in Rishon LeZion in 2018. He and his wife Sharon supported Israel and ignored calls for entertainers to boycott performances there. Sharon, whose father was Jewish, said, “I’m half a Heeb. We play where we want to play. That’s it.” Sharon and Ozzy starred in a reality show about their lives called The Osbournes on MTV along with their children Kelly and Jack. In 2002, on the New Year’s Eve episode of that show called My Big Fat Jewish Wedding, Sharon decided that she and Ozzy should renew their wedding vows in a Jewish ceremony. Ozzy was not thrilled with that idea until the officiant, Rabbi Michael Latz, did what?
Blizzcon 2009 11 by Morten Skovgaard is licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A. He told Ozzy that instead of stomping on a glass at the end of the ceremony, he could stomp on a pile of CD’s made by Black Sabbath during the years that Ozzy was not recording with the group.
B. He explained to Ozzy that the name Black Sabbath has been used by rabbis for thousands of years to refer to the Saturday closest to the Tisha B’Av holiday which commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and other disasters in Jewish history. Said Ozzy, “Oh, so I’m not the only one whose history with Black Sabbath is problematic.”
C. Rabbi Latz told Ozzy that he would also officiate at the bar mitzvah of his son Jack and bat mitzvah of his daughter Kelly. Ozzy decided that this three-for-one deal was worth it so he went through with the wedding ceremony.
D. He gave Ozzy a kiddush cup with wine, stating that “in Judaism wine is a symbol of joy,” leading Ozzy to say “I like this guy.”
E. The rabbi held up a bat and bit off its head, saying to Ozzy, “You’re lucky that Sharon hired a Reform rabbi. No Orthodox rabbi could ever do this!”
Paramount, the parent company of CBS, announced that The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was being canceled as of May, 2026, upon the end of Colbert's current contract. CBS executives stated that the cancellation was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” George Cheeks, the president of CBS and a co-chief executive of Paramount stated clearly that the cancellation was in no way based on Paramount’s recent $16 million settlement with Donald Trump regarding a 60 Minutes broadcast. They also said that neither the content of the show nor Paramount’s proposed merger with Skydance Media (which needs approval from the Trump administration to proceed) were factors. Many observers suspect otherwise, however. The Writers Guild of America asked New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the cancellation. Senator Elizabeth Warren said that “America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.” And Colbert has received huge support from other late night talk show hosts–Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart, David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver and others. On an episode of Colbert’s former show, The Colbert Report, which fell on Ash Wednesday, Colbert, who is Catholic, announced that he would be giving up Catholicism for Lent. Then, realizing he missed religion, he popped a yarmulke on his head and declared himself converted to Judaism. What did he then decide to give up for Lent as a Jew?
A. He decided to give up wearing beanies, so he took off the yarmulke and put on a straw hat, announcing his conversion to “Amish-ism.”
B. He decided to give up his table sponsorship at the UJA dinner.
C. He decided to give up not eating bacon.
D. He decided to give up his Catholic wife Evie, until she then walked onto the set looking very angry, at which point he ripped the yarmulke off his head and recited the Hail Mary.
Elmo of Sesame Street had his X account hacked last week. Among the posts made under his name was a call to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, and also antisemitic rants, that “all Jews should die” and “Jews control the world.” This was not the first time that Elmo got in trouble with the Jewish community. In 2012, amongst all the Disney, Super Hero, and other characters who compete for photo-taking opportunities in New York’s Times Square, a man dressed as Elmo solicited tips and yelled antisemitic rants, earning the name Bad Elmo. The real Elmo, on the other hand, has a much better history of involvement with the Jewish community, including which of the following?
A. When a girl in the Sesame Street neighborhood named Charlie shows everyone how to bake a challah, Elmo gets the job of sprinkling sesame seeds on the dough.
B. Elmo celebrates Chanukkah with his Jewish friends Gil and Susie and receives his own dreidel in the book, Elmo’s Little Dreidel.
C. Elmo learns about Chanukkah from Charlie, who gave Elmo and his friends “special hats to wear” while they lit the menorah.
D. In a segment on Shalom Sesame, the Israeli version of Sesame Street, Elmo learns the Hebrew word תּוֹדָה, Todah, meaning Thank You, from Seth Rogan.
E. On one Sesame Street show, Rabbi David saw Elmo sitting alone and crying. Elmo said he was sad because he had no friends. Rabbi David told Elmo, “You know that you always have a friend, right?” “Really,” said Elmo. “Who?” Rabbi David replied, “Your name is Elmo. That comes from the Hebrew אֵל מוֹעֵד , “El Mo-Ed,” which means God’s appointed place. So you are always in God’s appointed place and never alone.” To which Elmo replied, “To quote Seth Rogan, Todah, Rabbi.”
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