Anti-Semitism is a public health crisis—let’s treat it like one! By DR. GARY SLUTKIN CHICAGO (JTA) – Some commentators have used the word “epidemic” to describe the recent spikes in anti-Semitism. They may not realize how correct they are. Twenty years ago, upon my return to the United States after serving as a senior infectious disease epidemiologist at the World […]

By DR. ANDREW LOWY (JNS) – Victims of the yearlong measles’ outbreak that raged in the United States between September 2018 and September 2019 concentrated in New York were the 1,487 cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the highest number of measles cases in America in single year in a generation. This is after the […]

SCHENECTADY– The Schenectady Jewish Community Center (SJCC) is seeking cyclists to join JCCs of North America for its eighth annual Cycle for Good fund–raiser. Participants will reserve stationary bikes for one-hour intervals and get sponsors to support their ride to benefit the American Cancer Society. This year’s event will take place on Sunday, Dec. 22, from 9 a.m. to 12 […]

By Rabbi MICHAEL LERNER An excerpt from a recent e-mail essay sent to The Jewish World Not everyone is looking forward to the next five weeks of holiday celebrations. In my work as a psychotherapist at the Institute for Labor and Mental Health and as a rabbi for Beyt Tikkun I’ve run groups for people who are actually facing intense holiday […]

BY SHANNON SARNA (The Nosher via JTA)  – Yom Kippur is one of the most important days on the Jewish calendar. For many Jews, fasting and being in synagogue is the focus of the day. Fasting is not easy, nor is it for everyone — some people cannot fast because they are pregnant, breastfeeding or have a medical condition. Or […]

By SHIRA ZEMEL (Kveller via JTA) – Like so many of you, I’m a working person trying to juggle it all — my kid, my job and, you know, my life. For the High Holidays, I was inspired to write a working parents’ version of the Ashamnu, an alphabetic acrostic of our collective transgressions, which is part of the public […]

BY BEATA ABRAHAM (JTA via Kveller) – I can’t help but wonder why Hallmark and the retail world at large haven’t co-opted the Jewish New Year. True, while there may “only” be some 5 million to 7 million Jews in the U.S. (depending on who’s counting), Rosh Hashanah is a particularly important holiday on the Jewish calendar. Many Jews spend […]

SCHENECTADY–Congregation Gates of Heaven is offering free Zenobics Tai Chi classes on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. The classes at the temple, 852 Ashmore Ave., Schenectady will be taught by Gates’ members Aaron and Ina Fried, who are certified Tai Chi instructors. An introductory program has been slated for Sept. 23 and those planning to attend are asked to dress to […]

By FAYGIE HOLT (JNS) – For two days in mid-August, 575 men left their jobs, families and hometowns to cycle some 180 miles across three states as part of the Bike4Chai annual fund-raiser to benefit Chai Lifeline, an organization dedicated to helping children with cancer and other life-altering illnesses, and their families. This year’s cyclists came from Mexico and Maryland, […]

By DEBORAH FINEBLUM (JNS) – There was a time when “Don’t trust anyone over 30” was the mantra for the young. But if a new study of Jewish teens—the largest of its kind ever attempted—can be believed, the situation is much different today, news that will no doubt come as a huge relief to parents. Eighteen-year-old Yael Berrol is intimately […]