Arts and Culture
When Torah Teaches Life and Life Teaches Torah (REVIEW)
JNS.org – Rabbi Gordon Tucker spent the first 20 years of his career teaching at the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and the next 20 years as the rabbi of Temple Israel Center in White Plains, N.Y. I confess that when I heard about the order of those events, I thought that Tucker’s move from academia to the pulpit was strange. Firstly, I could not imagine anyone...
May 16, 2014 8:06 am
An Honest Evaluation of Zionist Pioneer Ze’ev Jabotinsky (REVIEW)
JNS.org – I confess that I came to Hillel Halkin’s “Jabotinsky: A Life” with...
May 15, 2014 1:14 pm
Lisa Kudrow, Chabad’s New ‘Friend’ (VIDEO)
JNS.org – Former Friends star Lisa Kudrow (who played Phoebe), appearing on the Conan...
May 15, 2014 9:34 am
Morocco International Music Festival Says Egypt’s Chaaboula ‘Not Performing’ Following Pledge to Sing ‘I Hate Israel’
Following his pledge to sing I Hate Israel at Morocco’s Mawazine world music festival, concert...
May 14, 2014 4:29 pm
‘Homeland’ Creator Wants More U.S. TV Shows to Film in Israel
JNS.org – Writer and director Gideon Raff, the Israeli co-creator of the U.S. spy television...
May 14, 2014 10:44 am
‘Jewish Cardinal’ Film Examines Dual Religious Loyalty
JNS.org – Believe it or not, the recently canonized Pope John Paul II had a Jewish...
April 30, 2014 12:17 am
New Dedication to Israeli Artists Part of Iconic Tel Aviv Square’s Makeover
JNS.org - Tel Aviv’s iconic King Albert Square is in the midst of a significant makeover. The...
April 29, 2014 11:49 am
Israel’s Rising Ethiopian Music Star on Life as a ‘Black Jew in a Land of White People’ (VIDEO)
Israeli singer Ester Rada discussed her musical journey and Ethiopian roots in a recent...
April 25, 2014 7:09 pm
David Broza and Wyclef Jean Promote Peace in Music Video for ‘East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem’
Israeli musician David Broza and hip hop artist Wyclef Jean teamed up recently to film the...
April 25, 2014 4:07 pm
Singer Pays Tribute to Israel, ‘Game of Thrones’ With Theme Song, Hatikva Mashup (VIDEO)
Israeli singer-songwriter Michael Greilsammer paid tribute to the HBO series Game of Thrones...
April 25, 2014 9:34 am
Israeli Film Wins Top Honors at Tribeca Film Festival
Times of Israel – The Israeli film Zero Motivation on Thursday took home top accolades in...
April 24, 2014 2:58 pm
Robert Gates’ Memoir is a Jaw-Dropping Read (REVIEW)
Former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates’s memoir follows the classic form, telling the...
April 24, 2014 2:32 pm
The Media, Israel, and Anti-Semitism (REVIEW)
Pressing Israel: Media Bias Exposed from A-Z by Lee Bender and Jerome Verlin (Pavilion...
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Book Reviews Jewish Identity
When Torah Teaches Life and Life Teaches Torah (REVIEW)
JNS.org – Rabbi Gordon Tucker spent the first 20 years of his career teaching at the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and the next 20 years as the rabbi of Temple Israel Center in White Plains, N.Y. I confess that when I heard about the order of those events, I thought that Tucker’s move from academia to the pulpit was strange. Firstly, I could not imagine anyone filling the place of my friend, Arnold Turetsky, who was such a talented [...]
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Arts and Culture Blogs
Oscars 2015: Reflecting on Love at First Sight
JNS.org – I’m in love, and have been for a long time. It’s a relationship filled with laughter, tears, intrigue, and surprise. It was love at first sight, back when I was a little girl—with an extra-terrestrial that longed to go home. From then on, that love has never wavered, and isn’t reserved for one, but for oh so many—Ferris Bueller, Annie Hall, Tootsie, Harry and Sally, Marty McFly, Atticus Finch, Danny Zuko, Yentl, that little dog Toto, Mrs. Doubtfire, [...]
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Blogs Book Reviews
Examining America’s First Foray into the Middle East (REVIEW)
At the turn of the 21st century through today, American involvement in Middle Eastern politics runs through the Central Intelligence Agency. In America’s Great Game: The CIA’s Secret Arabists and the Shaping of the Modern Middle East, historian Hugh Wilford shows this has always been the case. Wilford methodically traces the lives and work of the agency’s three most prominent officers in the Middle East: Kermit “Kim” Roosevelt was the grandson of president Theodore Roosevelt, and the first head of [...]
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Relationships US & Canada
Seniors at Los Angeles Jewish Home Give Witty Dating Advice Ahead of Valentine’s Day (VIDEO)
Residents of the Los Angeles Jewish Home give dating advice to a young Jewish man in a comedic video posted Monday on YouTube just in time for Valentine’s Day. Jonathan, an associate at the Jewish home, quizzes the senior citizens on an array of topics including having sex on the first date, kissing a girl, who should pay for dinner and whether online dating is a good idea. When the 28-year-old asks a male resident named Lee about his experiences [...]
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Arts and Culture Jewish History
Kutsher’s Documentary an Amazing, and Tragic, Look at the Past (REVIEW)
Anyone who spent time in the Jewish Catskills hotels – especially those like me, who returned for decades – must see the new documentary,”Welcome to Kutsher’s: The Last Catskills Resort.” Not only will the film transport you back to the glory days of your youth and thousands of memories, but it will also make you long for a world that is now lost forever. I returned to Kutsher’s one last time in the summer of 2009, but by then, the [...]
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Education Jewish Identity Lifestyle
Riding the Wave of Change in Part-Time Jewish Education
JNS.org – Amid the numerous studies and analyses regarding Jewish American life, a simple fact remains: part-time Jewish education is the most popular vehicle for Jewish education in North America. Whenever and wherever parents choose Jewish education for their children, we have a communal responsibility to devote the necessary time and resources to deliver dynamic, effective learning experiences. The only way we can do this is by creating space for conversations and knowledge-sharing around innovative new education models. That also [...]
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Commentary Featured Features Jewish 100
The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life, 2014
The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life, 2014 ACADEMIA Alain Finkielkraut Moshe Halbertal Deborah Lipstadt Jacob Metzer Steven Pinker Tammi Rossman-Benjamin ARTS AND CULTURE Yaacov Agam David Blatt Leonard Cohen Gal Gadot Scarlett Johansson Ryan Kavanaugh Steven Spielberg Harry Styles INNOVATION AND ACTIVISM Meira Aboulafia Adina Bar-Shalom Nitsana Darshan-Leitner Daniel Gold Anett Haskia Ephrat Levy-Lahad Gabriel Nadaf Dumisani Washington GOVERNMENT Tony Abbott José María Aznar Ron Dermer Yuli Edelstein Abdul Fatah el-Sisi Stephen Harper Goodluck Jonathan Mitch McConnell Narendra Modi [...]
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Features Jewish 100
Jewish 100, 2014: Bassam Eid – Voices
Bassam Eid Palestinian human rights activist While Palestinians who demonize Israel as the sole reason for their woes receive no shortage of media invitations, those among them who spotlight their own leaders’ iniquities are far less in demand. Even so, the profile of Bassam Eid, the Director of the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group, is thankfully continuing to grow. Eid’s latest campaign is for the overhaul of UNRWA, the UN refugee agency dedicated solely to the Palestinians, which he says [...]
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