Editor: January 27, 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The significance of this year’s commemoration cannot be overstated. The remembrance was marked by the diminished number of survivors. It is a fact that within the next several years, survivors will no longer be present to bear witness to the horrors that occurred during World War II. […]

By Ari Hoffman The Forward So, it could really be Bernie. Amidst the wreckage of Iowa, Sen. Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist from Vermont, looks ensconced in the catbird seat. He is seemingly ahead in the Hawkeye popular vote, and poised for a win in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, the ostensible front runner, Vice President Joe Biden, seems to be going in the […]

By Ari Hoffman The Forward Two Jews, one Oval Office: The plot is wild, too weird for even Roth or Bellow. And yet, as the Democratic primary revs into chaotic high gear, polling is increasingly presenting American Democrats with two septuagenarian Jews, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, facing off for the right to depose President […]

By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” February 23, 2020, https://bit.ly/39TJTfR Islamic traditionalists vs. Islamic reformers In 2020, a dramatic battle is raging between the traditional, imperialistic school of Islam, which insists on strict adherence to the Quran and Sharia (“divine laws”), on the one hand, and the modernist/reformist school of Islam, which wishes to adjust Islam […]

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 […]

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 Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” February 13, 2020, https://bit.ly/2SqtEkB The Palestinian track record In the Arab Middle East, unlike Western democracies, historical memory is very long. Nothing is forgotten, nothing is forgiven. Therefore, Arabs are aware of the direct correlation between the scope of Palestinian freedom of action in Arab countries, on the one hand, […]

By MIKE BLOOMBERG NEW YORK CITY (JTA) – The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has sent five questions about anti-Semitism and Jewish issues to all of the registered presidential candidates from both parties. Here is what Mike Bloomberg had to say. Anti-Semitic hate crimes are on the rise across the United States. In 2018, there were two deadly shootings at synagogues in […]

By AMEER BENNO Recently, in the wake of the attacks on Jews in Jersey City and Monsey, I joined 25,000 other people to march across the Brooklyn Bridge to denounce anti-Semitism. Pointing The Finger The march culminated in a rally where various Democratic elected officials spoke, each of whom has accused Donald Trump for the recent uptick in anti-Semitic violence. […]

LONG BRANCH, N.J. – For the first few days of 2020, the Ocean Place Resort and Spa on the Jersey shore became a center of Torah learning for more than 350 teens coming together from across the United States, Canada and South America. Aspire: The NCSY Yarchei Kallah program, a signature annual event for almost 30 years, has capitalized on […]