Spirituality/Tradition
Ehud Barak’s Ex-Wife Works to Get Troubled Israeli Youths Off the Street
ELEM vans go where the children are in Israel—venturing into dark and dangerous streets. The vans, and the volunteers on them, go to places where already-troubled children—some involved with vagrancy, drugs, homelessness, sexual exploitation, or other criminal or anti-social behavior—can encounter greater peril. At the forefront of these efforts to get troubled youths off the street is the ex-wife...
April 29, 2013 10:48 am
One Strike and You’re Out?
The news over the last few weeks of the sockpuppet scandal of Rabbi Michael Broyde is disturbing,...
April 29, 2013 1:47 am
The Bar Kochba Debate
Among the historical events associated with “Lag Ba’omer,” celebrated...
April 29, 2013 1:27 am
After Boston Marathon Explosions and Manhunt, Reflecting on ‘Shelter in Place’
I don’t know about you, but before recently I had never heard the phrase “shelter in place,”...
April 28, 2013 11:26 am
Life is a Picture Postcard…
I was planning to procrastinate, but I never got around to it. Whether you consider the...
April 28, 2013 11:07 am
A Jewish Perspective on Taxes
By now, if you are an American citizen, you hopefully filed your income taxes by the April...
April 28, 2013 10:59 am
Lag B’Omer: Rethinking the Rabbi Akiva Narrative
As is the case for many holidays in the Jewish calendar cycle, Lag B’Omer (April 28 this...
April 26, 2013 3:12 pm
To Experience Jesus, Visit a Synagogue
When I began gathering material for my recently published book, “Jesus Uncensored:...
April 26, 2013 3:05 pm
Book Review: Novel Casts Jewish Characters in Legal Battle for Cord Blood
SAN DIEGO—Liz Rosenberg’s The Laws of Gravity, to be published this May, casts a full...
April 26, 2013 2:48 pm
They Killed Us, And Now They Miss Us
Slanted, bent cement lies all over Europe like twisted graves overlaying the cityscapes. In...
April 25, 2013 6:39 pm
Atheist Professor Jerry Coyne Fiddles While the Darwinian Palace Burns
Jerry Coyne, who teaches evolutionary biology at the University of Chicago, long ago took...
April 25, 2013 5:17 pm
Professor Finds Possible ‘Lost Tribe of Israel’ in Papua New Guinea
The scholar known internationally as the “British Indiana Jones” has tracked a tribal...
April 25, 2013 5:15 pm
Faith as a Journey
In its account of the festivals of the Jewish year, this week’s parshah contains the following...
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Arts and Culture Blogs
EXCLUSIVE: Gal Gadot on Jewish Identity, American Films and Representing Israel in Hollywood (INTERVIEW)
Gal Gadot is arguably Israel’s second hottest export at the moment. The former Miss Israel 2004 and Miss Universe contestant has a starring role in the most recent film from the Fast and the Furious Franchise and is one of the faces of Israel’s largest clothing brands, Castro. Now she’s teaming up with Vine Vera skin care products,which incorporates the breakthrough ingredient Resveratrol, which she tells The Algemeiner is “a new innovative discovery which helps slow down the aging process [...]
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Arts and Culture Blogs
Jonathan Ames, ‘Herring Wonder’ and HBO Series Creator, Does Israel
Writer Jonathan Ames, creator of the HBO television series “Bored to Death,” is known for his fearless and exhibitionistic persona. One can find YouTube videos of him eating herring and boxing at the same time, having knives thrown at him by a person called “Throwdini,” and ranting drunkenly at an awards ceremony. And when it comes to writing, Ames’s essays tend to cover racy topics. Given these exploits, it’s a bit surprising to learn that Ames’s recent trip to Israel [...]
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Arts and Culture Beliefs and concepts
Jewish Presence in Contemporary Art
The Jewish presence and identity in the contemporary world of art is one truly worth noting. At the 3rd annual conference of “Jewish Arts & Identity in the contemporary world” in Baruch College’s Jewish Studies Center, at a panel entitled “Jewish Ways of Seeing: The Visual Arts and the Jewish Tradition”, the Jewish impact on the creative world is exemplified through the discussion of artist Audrey Flack and her various works. Flack was born in 1931 to a fairly Orthodox [...]
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Blogs Features
Black Jazz Musician Encounters Mixed Reactions to Subway Renditions of Hatikvah, Hava Hagila
At first you may be skeptical of Isaiah Richardson Jr. He doesn’t look like somebody who would be playing Hava Nagila for passengers waiting for their train in the subway. Firstly, he seems too young, and secondly, he’s a black kid from the Bronx, dressed sharply, derby hat and all. But when upon meeting Isaiah, the 32-year-old ticked off “Hevenu Shalom Aleichem,” “Bashana Haba’ah,” and “Zum Gali Gali” as some of his favorite songs to play passing crowds, I knew [...]
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Blogs Music
Mother’s Day Performer Blends Israeli Independence and the Jewish Side of Verdi
This Mother’s Day, the music of opera singer Sharon Azrieli Perez will integrate the varied threads that have made up the fabric of her life. Perez, in a Mother’s Day concert May 12 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, will weave a musical experience that brings together intimations of Israeli independence, Giuseppe Verdi’s use of Jewish melodies, medieval Ladino music, and modern Jewish show music. These musical elements are particularly personal for Perez, whose Juilliard education has [...]
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Blogs Jewish 100 Social
Harvey Weinstein to Elie Wiesel: Without You There Would be no ‘Schindler’s List’ (VIDEO)
Famed film producer Harvey Weinstein presented Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel with the Algemeiner newspaper’s ‘Warrior for Truth’ award at its recent star studded 40th anniversary ‘JEWISH 100’ Gala. “My mother, the Miriam of Miramax […] was so thrilled when she heard that I was presenting to Professor Wiesel,” Weinstein said as he called on the professor to accept the award. “I am happy to be here on the Algemeiner’s 40th anniversary and to celebrate their top 100,” Weinstein added. Commenting [...]
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Israel Sports
Israeli Soccer Star Victim of Anti-Semitic Abuse on Twitter
Israeli soccer star Yossi Benayoun, who currently plays for FC Chelsea in the English Premier League, was recently the victim of anti-Semitic abuse on Twitter. After thanking his Twitter followers for sending him birthday wishes, Benayoun, who many consider to be the greatest Israeli soccer player ever, was sent the following message: “f***in Jew a**hole.” Benayoun posted a response, saying, “Some nice people in the world.” His team has called on the police to investigate the matter, according to the Britain’s [...]
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Arts and Culture Blogs
Gary Baseman and The Jewish Home “The Door Is Always Open”
This weekend, a retrospective of the works of Gary Baseman titled The Door Is Always Open, opened, at the Skirball Cultural Center. ‘Door’ recreates the artists’ childhood home filled with famous Baseman characters and Jewish subjects peppered about. Baseman has had a long and successful career with iconic characters and big clients to fill his CV, but recent works are the first time he is dealing directly with his Jewish identity and the value that it holds for him now. [...]
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