By MAXIM MATUSEVICH JERSEY CITY, N.J (JTA) – On Jan. 13, 1898, the French novelist Emile Zola published an open letter titled “J’Accuse!” in which he called out the anti-Semitism of the French government and France’s military establishment. Zola demanded justice for Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, a Frenchman of Jewish descent who was accused by the military of being a German […]

By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” November 14, 2019, https://bit.ly/2Xdyp1z Iran’s Ayatollahs and their subordinates, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas, represent the wave of Islamic terrorism, which has plagued the Middle East – primarily Muslim societies – since the 7th century, surging into Europe, Asia, Africa, South, Central and North America. In fact, most Muslim regimes […]

SCHENECTADY–The guest speaker at Congregation Beth Israel’s annual Jack Lauber Memorial Lecture slated for Wednesday, Nov. 20, will be Rabbi Shalom Hammer, whose topic “Engaging the Disengaged,” is especially pertinent to today’s Jewish community which often deals with Jewish youth who are uninterested in Judaism and/or Israel, or who are hostile to traditions and values of both, according to program […]

TROY–The Chill and Schmooze Lodge, located at Beth Tephilah Synagogue, 82 River St., Troy, has announced a two-part workshop on Sundays, Nov. 17 and Dec. 15, at 1 p.m. entitled “Our Special Connections.” Attendees, who are invited to attend either or both sessions, will have an opportunity to share life lessons of loved ones who have died and review the […]

By MARILYN SHAPIRO Recently, my husband Larry and I saw “The Public.” We knew little about the movie when we joined a sparsely filled ballroom in our community for a showing. By the time the end credits rolled, however, the two of us as well as others in the audience agreed it was one of the best movies that we […]

By BENNY MORRIS Author of 1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War theatlantic.com, May 14, 20, 2019. Representative Rashida Tlaib was attacked in May by Donald Trump for a “horrible and highly insensitive statement on the Holocaust” and for having “tremendous hatred of … the Jewish people.” Trump’s off-base attack distracted from the actual problems with Tlaib’s account of […]

Congregation Agudat Achim reported to The Jewish World on Oct. 24 that the “Beyond Dispute Class” has changed the dates of its classes.  According to organizers, the Jewish Theological Seminary, developers of the curriculum, have not quite finished creating it, so classes will not start in November. SCHENECTADY– Congregation Agudat Achim’s Adult Education Committee has announced a course to be […]

By MARILYN SHAPIRO The High Holidays are a special time, but it is even more special when family—and a little romance—are part of the season. In 1951, my future husband Larry’s father Ernie, a World War II veteran, was called back into the U.S. Army. Larry’s mother Doris, along with Larry and Larry’s older sister Anita, moved from Schuylerville, to […]

By Rabbi SHMUEL GOLDIN (JNS) – I can clearly remember the moment when I finally joined the club that I had dreaded joining for years; when I found myself remaining in shul to recite the prayer of Yizkor for the first time. Hesitantly, I waited with trepidation to experience the power of this first Yizkor … only to be sorely let down. “This is […]

By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” Based on ancient Jewish Sages, September 17, 2019, https://bit.ly/2npwl9m More on Yom Kippur and other Jewish holidays: http://bit.ly/137Er6J 1. Yom Kippur is observed on the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tishrei (October 9, 2019), whose astrological sign is Libra (♎), which symbolizes the key themes of Yom Kippur: […]