May 26, 2021
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Duluth-native Tom Nides has been selected to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Israel, according to several American and Israeli media reports. Nides, who graduated from the University of Minnesota, served in the Obama administration as deputy secretary of state, and the Clinton administration as the chief of staff to the U.S. Trade Representative. JTA […]
Continue readingMay 20, 2021
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Last week I stood in the scorching sun of the desert. I stood on the improbable grass under my feet which had a sophisticated water system, men and women working the grounds, and a splash of modern miracle. And while it might sound like this was Israel, it was rather Israel in Scottsdale, Arizona. Sports […]
Continue readingMay 12, 2021
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In 2013, the Pew study “A Portrait of Jewish Americans” shocked Jewish communal leaders and prompted a mad dash to rework institutional priorities and engage more Jews. The study showed a community with record rates of intermarriage, rapid denominational disaffiliation, and a growing rejection of Judaism as a religion. Now, the Pew Research Center is […]
Continue readingApril 1, 2021
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My first solo outing as a new mom was to a gathering of queer Jews studying Talmud in a heimisch, if simple, room in Brooklyn. It was September 2019, back when gathering with a bunch of unmasked folks for hummus, tortilla chips, and Talmud study was a harmless activity. The gathering was part of an […]
Continue readingMarch 30, 2021
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Nowadays, the easiest ways to read up on ideas circulating in the Jewish zeitgeist are to skim tweets; skim catchy headlines on op-eds; or occasionally skim the op-eds themselves. But that experience isn’t necessarily fulfilling or educational. There’s only so much that can be said in 280 characters or in a 1,000 word limit, and […]
Continue readingFebruary 3, 2021
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Last week was International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Established by the U.N. for January 27, on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviet army. And as every year, we will hear the speeches, we will remember the 6 million innocent Jewish victims, and the 5 million additional minority victims, and we will honor […]
Continue readingJanuary 7, 2021
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Twenty-four hours after a group of terrorists, encouraged by President Donald Trump to go to the U.S. Capitol, took over the building and sent congress into lockdown, Minnesota’s Third-District Congressman Dean Phillips called the day the most horrifying moment of his life. “When you run for Congress and take the oath of office, we know […]
Continue readingJanuary 6, 2021
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Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), issued the following statement: “For American democracy — its wellspring, its tree of life—is the peaceful transition of presidential power from one president to another. “Today’s deadly riots that engulfed the Capitol complex in Washington D.C., and the protests […]
Continue readingDecember 15, 2020
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I’m standing in a vaguely dirty room, by the take-a-book-leave-a-book shelves. The smell of dust, sweat, and fried dough tickle my nostrils. The room, which is sort of lit by stubborn yellow bulbs, is lined with overstuffed couches. These are littered with scarves, backpacks, dirty clothes, books, maps. The miscellaneous stuff of backpackers. This place […]
Continue readingJune 25, 2020
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The Jews stranded in Ethiopia have been promised authorization to make Aliyah for decades.
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