By SHEILA KATZ WASHINGTON (JTA) – As we approached the Purim holiday, we also approached the one-year anniversary of my going public about being sexually harassed by mega-philanthropist Michael Steinhardt. Over the past year, as the Jewish community has reckoned with the #MeToo movement, I’ve reflected on the people and systems who create the conditions that allow abuse to take place. […]

By URIEL HEILMAN MODIIN, Israel (JTA) — When our seventh day of quarantine began with a knock on the door from a guy in a hazmat suit, it was almost a relief finally to have a visitor in the house. He had come to test my wife and me for coronavirus. My four children eyed the man warily as he unpacked […]

By MARILYN SHAPIRO Purim is around the corner, and not far behind are costumes and dancing and Purim shpiels and groggers and hamantashen. And, for some, alcohol.  According to the Talmud, it is one’s duty, to “make oneself fragrant [with wine] on Purim until one cannot tell the difference between Haman and Mordecai.”(Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 7b).  On this one holiday, […]

By MARILYN SHAPIRO Ernest Hemingway loved cats. I knew it the minute I walked into his former house in Key West, Fla. Despite the beautiful day and the open windows, the smell of felines permeated every room. Our tour guide Doug introduced us to Gloria Swanson, Rudolf Valentino, and Betty Grable, three of the 40 plus six-toed cats that roamed […]

BY DAVID HA’IVRI KFAR TAPUACH, West Bank (JTA) – Put simply, Donald Trump’s “deal of the century” is bad news for Israel. In a historic event, Trump revealed his vision for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which he says has been one of the most difficult and complex problems to solve. He claims that his plan offers “the most detailed proposal […]

By MARILYN SHAPIRO “See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it” (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah, 1 on Ecclesiastes 7:13) Would you like to celebrate Tu B’Shevat( Feb.9-10) in a meaningful way? Plant a tree—or two—or be part of the Trillion Tree Campaign. No matter […]

By MARILYN SHAPIRO The murder of 11 Jews while they were observing Shabbat occurred in the heart of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The Rev. Fred Rogers and his wife Joanne owned a home and raised their two sons in Squirrel Hill, just two blocks from the Tree of Life Synagogue, the scene of the Oct. 27, 2018, massacre. Who Was Mr. […]

By LISA KEYS This article in its entirety originally appeared on Kveller. The decision to take our kids to the recent No Hate, No Fear Solidarity March did not come easily. At least, not at first. It’s hard to say what, precisely, gave me pause. My kids are no strangers to social activism — their elementary school is named for a […]

Too few know the history of the Nazi methodical mass murder of disabled people. That is why I write. By Kenny Fries The NY Times – My first visit to the Aktion T4 killing site at Brandenburg an der Havel was in autumn. My destination, where 9,000 disabled people were murdered as part of the Nazi “euthanasia” program, is embedded in […]

By YISROEL B. MONSEY, N.Y. (JTA) – On Saturday night, I was invited to a Chanukah party at a friend’s house. I drove through the tranquil Monsey streets and arrived at 10:30 p.m. Much to my surprise, I found the front door locked. I called my friend, who quickly opened up and locked the door behind me. I entered and […]