In the 1990s, the great scholar and intellectual Ruth Wisse wrote a book questioning whether the liberal political tradition could withstand new forms of hostility to Israel, Jewish values, and Jewish continuity. The Tikvah Fund has invited her to revisit some of these arguments in a March 31 webcast, delivered via Zoom from Professor Wisse’s home in NYC. As she […]

ALBANY – In February, 150 attended the Hebrew Academy of the Capital District (HACD) annual STEAM Day which was combined with a Tu B’Shevat celebration. Every grade in the school contributed. The youngest grades led interactive activities about the human senses and displayed exhibits about landforms and geology. Students in grades four through eight presented their original research and experiments […]

(JNS) – Israeli doctors are giving webinars to quarantined COVID-19 patients in China and elsewhere in a project organized by Innonation, an Israeli innovation platform for international collaboration. Innonation is working with 100 volunteering Israeli doctors to provide a series of interactive video broadcasts on various medical areas related to the coronavirus, including children; how to maintain proper hygiene and […]

Tel Aviv – As the coronavirus outbreak restricts daily life in Israel, the Peres Center for Peace & Innovation announced that it is offering online lectures and Facebook Live sessions for the whole family, featuring some of the very best minds in Israeli innovation. The lecture series, which will be in Hebrew, begins with Kfir Damari, the Co-Founder of SpaceIL, […]

As the COVID-19 is affecting life and societies around the world, our connection to the past, our collective memory, our common traditions and beliefs are more important than ever. All of YIVO’s online courses are now free effective. As restrictions continue to be imposed to help mitigate the spread of COVID19, “YIVO wants to help keep our spirits lifted and provide […]

ALBANY–If the Hebrew Bible is the word of God, why are there inconsistencies and repetitions?  A course at B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation in Albany may provide many of the answers. “Who Wrote the Hebrew Bible? (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Documentary Hypothesis)” will be taught eight Wednesday mornings beginning April 22, 10-11:45 a.m. at B’nai […]

By JOSEFIN DOLSTEN NEW YORK CITY (JTA) – Draizy Junik is well acquainted with the challenges of living a Jewish life in Vermont, a state that while home to a well-known Jewish Democratic presidential candidate has a total Jewish population of about 20,000 people. As a kid, Junik was homeschooled until the age of 13 and then sent off to […]

ALBANY– The Temple Israel Scholarship Committee has announced that scholarship application forms are available for the 2020-21 academic year and for 2020 study and travel.  All those eligible, who are members of Congregation Temple Israel in good standing or the child of a member in good standing, are invited to apply for: • A scholarship related to Judaic-themed study/travel in […]

By BOB MICHAELS Brotherhood Breakfast-and Speaker Program Chairperson What motivates a concerned citizen to enter politics? This was the question addressed by Congregation Gates of Heaven (CGOH) member Michelle Ostrelich at the CGOH Brotherhood Breakfast-and-A-Speaker Program on Feb. 9. Ostrelich was elected to a four-year term on the Schenectady County Legislature in November of 2019. She represents District 3 including […]

By SAM GLASER An excerpt from The Joy Of Judaism It would make sense to start the Jewish calendar year on Rosh Hashanah, literally the “head of the year,” the anniversary of the creation of humans, but that’s not how it goes in the Bible. Just as we are about to leave Egypt, with great signs and wonders, the first […]