There is a long history of hot rabbis on our pages and screens dating back to the dawn of the rabbinic tradition. There are manhood-measuring contests in the Talmud, smolder-eyed gazes from young Hasidic leaders in Yiddish literature and Ben Stiller as a very eligible junior rabbi in a cult hit rom-com.
Read More(OPINION) Can you imagine the level of physical and psychological trauma throughout Lebanon and parts of Syria as thousands of Hezbollah pagers exploded, leaving many Islamic militants injured, hundreds of them critically, and several of them dead? It sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie more than real life, especially at the scale on which it occurred.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Two-thirds of college students do not hold views toward Israel or Jews “likely to threaten their relationship with their Jewish peers,” a new study from Brandeis University found. But what about the remaining third? Researchers found that group split roughly equally between those who expressed hostility toward Israel (but not Jews) and those who thought poorly of Jews, not Israel.
Read More(REVIEW) Adam Sandler has gotten better at guitar since “Chanukah Song.” In his new Netflix comedy special, "Love You," the comedian plays a long, honestly impressive, flamenco riff before bursting into a song in which he complains about mowing the lawn, and also whinnies like a horse. Guitar skill, it seems, is the only thing that’s changed about Sandler.
Read More(ANALYSIS) When the second installment in the blockbuster “Dune” franchise came out, it was hard not to see it as a not-very-subtle metaphor for the Israel-Hamas war. It was starnge to watch scenes of guerilla warriors in headscarves when I saw the same images on the news. Lately, people have been finding those same parallels in other movies or TV series about conflict.
Read MoreThe show is a revival of the 1959 original, composed by Mary Rodgers and written by Marshall Barer, Jay Thompson and Dean Fuller. The new version, directed by Lear deBessonet, features an updated book by Amy Sherman-Palladino — perhaps best known in these pages for creating "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — that preserves the comedy and spunk of the original while updating the script to be more modern and gender-inclusive.
Read MoreIn the midst of a conflict on three fronts — Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran — Israeli troops congregate on street corners, in cafes and around government buildings. Many are between 18 and 20 years old, recent draftees of the mandatory military service required of Israeli citizens.
Read MoreAs millions prepare to watch the Democratic National Convention this week, tens of thousands of protesters are converging on Chicago to rally against the ongoing war in Gaza. Inside the United Center arena, at least 30 party delegates are expected to voice their opposition to the administration’s policies on the conflict.
Read MoreThe University of California at Los Angeles blocked Jewish students from portions of campus when protests erupted in response to the Israel-Hamas War, a district judge has ruled, citing their faith as the sole factor.
Read MoreColumbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned Wednesday, bowing to pressure from university faculty and students and public officials who widely criticized her handling of pro-Palestinian campus protests last school year.
Read MoreThe Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies 11-1 in Phoenix, but Jewish fans might care less about the outcome than about a rare phenomenon in baseball history — an all-Jewish battery. Phillies Jewish pitcher Max Lazar made his major-league debut in the bottom of the 7th inning, throwing to Jewish catcher Garrett Stubbs, and got Kevin Newman to fly out to right field to end the inning. He returned in the 8th inning and retired all three batters, including Joc Pederson, who struck out.
Read More(ANALYSIS) This extraordinary political year displays an increasingly multicultural America. Starting with Harris, she'd be the first Asian American to be president, the first with Hindu roots as signified by her name, the first female and first female African American. Despite Donald Trump’s feigned racial perplexity, her dual Black identity is equally obvious since she chose to attend Howard University and has been a member of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church for three decades.
Read MoreGidi Dar did not set out to be a prophet. When he began work on his film Legend of Destruction, in 2016, he was simply drawn to a collection of Talmudic stories about Jewish zealots revolting against their Roman rulers in the first century, a rebellion that triggered the destruction of the Temple. Then, during the seven years the film spent in production, things began to shift in Israeli society.
Read More(OPINION) There is no question that the nation of Israel could be facing an unprecedented attack coming from all sides: Iran from the east, Hezbollah from the north, the Houthis from the south, and Hamas (what is left of it) from the west. In fact, by the time you read this article, that attack may have already been launched. But is Israel on the verge of an apocalyptic war prophesied in the Bible? In my view, the answer is clearly no.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Wednesday marked the fourth time that Prime Minister Netanyahu has addressed a joint session of Congress, the most of any world leader in history. His staunchest critics have claimed that the real reason for his visit to the States was “to enlist domestic American support to keep waging the war” rather than to end the war and bring home the hostages.
Read More(OPINION) Joe Biden will be remembered as a landmark U.S. president when it comes to America’s relationship with Israel — and maybe the last of his kind.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Republican Jews at their party’s national convention this week describe their enthusiasm for Trump as more robust than it has ever been. “Trump is not only going to unite America, he’s going to bring together Jews in the Republican Party in a way that has never happened before,” Florida’s Paul Packer said.
Read MoreHuman Rights Watch issued a report Wednesday detailing war crimes and other violence committed by Palestinian armed groups against Israeli civilians during the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in southern Israel. The document, titled “I Can’t Erase All the Blood from My Mind,” reached several notable conclusions, including that Palestinian civilians were not responsible for major atrocities during the attack.
Read MoreThe ongoing war between Israel and Hamas is having reverberations across the globe. This was the case during last week’s elections in the United Kingdom. While the headlines heralded the Labour‘s landslide victory, some of the party’s losses resulted in gains for independent candidates who made Gaza a major campaign issue.
Read MoreThe artists who gathered in Tel Aviv Thursday to offer free tattoos to survivors of Oct. 7 know their work is rooted in trauma. They want it to be a source of strength. Twenty tattooists are volunteering with HEALING INK, a project of a nonprofit that enlists artists to counter anti-Israel sentiment. The group plans a second session in Jerusalem on Sunday, and expects about 100 people to get tattoos.
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