History professor, author, and presidential historian Gil Troy will speak at two programs in the region Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. in the Gannett Auditorium in Palamountain Hall at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs and at a community event on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. at Beth Emeth, 100 Academy Rd., Albany. Both are free and open to the community. Troy will discuss his 2018 […]

SCHENECTADY – The Sadie Schneider Rosh Hodesh Learning Group  of  Congregation Agudat Achim will host Michelle Ostrelich at it’s Wednesday, Feb. 26, meeting at 7 p.m. at the home of Mery Gross,  2198 Fox Hill Dr., Niskayuna. The title of the program is “Money, Sex & Power— The New Landscape for Women in Politics.”  The program is open to the […]

ALBANY–The Colonie Jewish Community Association annual lecture is slated for Tuesday, March 3, at 7 pm. at the William K. Sanford Library (Colonie Library) 629, Albany Shaker Rd., Loudonville. Speaker, Dr. Aviva Ben-Ur, will present on “Being Jewish in a Slave Society: The Case of Early Modern Suriname.” The program, free and open to the public, begins with refreshments at 6:30 p.m.  Ben-Ur is professor […]

CHATHAM–How three world-renowned artists—Mark Rothko, Ellsworth Kelly, and Marc Chagall—were inspired to incorporate their art into spaces of contemplation is the subject of a presentation, “Conversation Pieces,” on Sunday, Feb. 23, at The Chatham Synagogue/Netivot Torah. The Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas; Kelly’s chapel at the Blanton Art Museum in Austin, Texas; and Chagall’s stained glass windows at the Hadassah/Hebrew […]

BY EMILY BURACK NEW YORK CITY (JTA)  – When Adam Sandler was shut out of this year’s Academy Award nominations for “Uncut Gems,” the Oscars lost out on the chance to have an acceptance speech as hilarious as the one Sandler delivered at the Independent Film Spirit Awards. But this year’s Oscars had some pretty wonderful Jewish moments nonetheless. Here’s […]

SCHENECTADY – The Schenectady Jewish Community Center (SJCC) will present the film “Shoelaces” to note Jewish Disability Awareness Month and as part of its annual Jewish Film Festival on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m. at the Schenectady Center. Following the first presentation of the film on Saturday, people from The Alternative Living […]

SARATOGA SPRINGS– Sharona Wachs will lead and teach new and old expressions of Israeli folk dance during the Saratoga Jewish Community Arts (SJCA) Israeli Folk Dancing program on Sunday, Feb. 16. The 7 p.m. program will be at the Falstaff building on the Skidmore Campus in Saratoga Springs. According to organizers, Jews have a long dance history. The Bible and […]

By TOM TUGEND LOS ANGELES (JTA) – Kirk Douglas, the  actor who portrayed legions of tough guys and embraced his Jewish heritage later in life, died at his home in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, Feb. 5, He was 103. Over a career that spanned 87 films — including 73 big screen features and 14 on television — the blond, blue-eyed […]

ALBANY–B’nai Sholom in Albany will present a screening of “The Mad Adventures of ‘Rabbi’ Jacob,” a French comedy of frantic disguises and mistaken identities on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m. B’nai Sholom is located at 420 Whitehall Rd., Albany. Directed and written by Gérard Oury, the film stars Louis de Funès as a bigoted businessman who, through a bizarre […]

TROY– “Escape From The Inquisition,” an adventure game, is set for Saturday, Feb. 22, at Beth Tephilah Synagogue, 82 River St., Troy at 7:30 p.m. Adults in the community are welcome to attend. Teams of five will work together, each with a special function, to help various Jews get out of Portugal at the time of the Inquisition. “This game […]