Author: Sara Wood

(JTA) – Jewish Democrats are backing Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Republicans are calling on him to explain himself, following a report that the Democratic House minority leader defended Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and an uncle of his who had made antisemitic comments in the 1990s. The report belies longstanding claims made by Jeffries, […]

(JTA) — Steven Fulop, the Jewish mayor of Jersey City who played a central role in responding to the 2019 attack on a kosher supermarket there, is running for governor of New Jersey. Fulop, 46, has been the mayor of the city, New Jersey’s second-largest, for nearly a decade. The election to replace Democratic Gov. […]

(JTA) — Zachary Ottenstein didn’t expect to bond with his dad over chess and classic rock during his trip home from Florida at the end of Passover. But when Ottenstein switched his phone on after the holiday ended last night, it blew up: Fort Lauderdale was flooded and flights out of the airport — including […]

This article was produced as part of JTA’s Teen Journalism Fellowship, a program that works with Jewish teens around the world to report on issues that affect their lives. (JTA) — Jordy Levy, 18, remembers sitting at the table with his family, enjoying a relaxed Shabbat dinner at his Atlanta home during the pandemic. There was […]

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Jack Teixeira, the National Guard airman arrested on charges of leaking a large trove of U.S. intelligence documents, reportedly recorded himself making antisemitic and racist slurs before opening fire on a target. The Washington Post first reported the video of the antisemitic rant, which was shared with members of the chat group […]

WASHINGTON (JTA) — It’s official: The mayor of the U.S. capital wants Washingtonians to celebrate the end of Passover with a traditional North African Jewish party. In a proclamation set to be signed this weekend, Mayor Muriel Bowser will be urging her constituents to celebrate Mimouna, a feast that marks the end of the holiday […]

(JTA) — “If you want to know about my brother, Jack Ruby, you should talk to Hillel Silverman. He was our rabbi in Dallas for 10 years before President Kennedy’s assassination, and he knew Jack very well.”  It was 1976, and I had convinced Eva Rubenstein Grant — a loud woman with an even louder […]

(JTA) — Abby Meyers, a Maccabiah Games gold medalist and former University of Maryland basketball star, was selected 11th overall by the Dallas Wings in the first round of the WNBA Draft on Monday night. Meyers, who was involved with Jewish life on campus, helped her squad make the Elite 8 at this year’s NCAA […]

(JTA) – A collection of Nazi memorabilia on display at the home of Republican megadonor Harlan Crow has come under renewed scrutiny following revelations that Crow lavished Clarence Thomas with expensive, unreported gifts. Crow has for more than two decades treated Thomas, the conservative Supreme Court justice, to complimentary vacations and private jet and yacht […]

(JTA) — The man charged with setting fire to a synagogue in Austin, Texas, in 2021 has pleaded guilty to two federal charges, including the destruction of religious property, a hate crime. The board of directors at Congregation Beth Israel endorsed the plea deal, telling members that the agreement had no bearing on Franklin Barrett […]