A debut novel about a Ukrainian Jewish World War II veteran, and family secrets unveiled against the backdrop of the 2014 Russian-Ukrainian war, has won the 2025 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. “Your Presence Is Mandatory” by Sasha Vasilyuk is the second book by an immigrant from the former Soviet Union to win the […]
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In 2021 at a viewing party for “WrestleMania,” the world’s flagship pro wrestling event, Oren Treitman and his fellow Israeli fans cheered for Sami Zayn. In the larger WWE storyline, Zayn had taken on the persona of a conspiracy theorist, filming a documentary to prove the promotion was deliberately repressing him. But the grizzly, redheaded […]
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Organizers of Eurovision are defending its voting system after several countries’ broadcasters raised questions about Israel’s victory in the international song contest’s audience poll. Israel’s Yuval Raphael took second place in the widely-watched contest last weekend, buoyed by a runaway first-place finish in the audience vote, in which viewers in the competing countries can cast […]
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Since its founding, StandStrong — a Chicago-based non-profit that wants Jews to have the confidence and skills to defend themselves — has hosted self-defense classes at Jewish community centers, synagogues and Jewish summer camps across the country. But earlier this month, they brought their self-defense training, which draws from martial arts like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and […]
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Israel’s Yuval Raphael defied expectations to come in second in the annual Eurovision song contest on Saturday, narrowly losing out to Austria after being buoyed by the popular vote but also drawing points from the juries in 14 countries. “Thank you, Europe! Am Yisrael chai!” Raphael shouted from the stage after her performance. Azerbaijan awarded […]
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Joe Rogan defended Kanye West’s latest song, titled “Heil Hitler,” on his podcast Tuesday and echoed the song’s antisemitic stereotypes. West, who now goes by “Ye,” released the track last week, in which he sings the chorus, ““All my n—s Nazis, n—a, heil Hitler.” It’s the latest in Ye’s long stream of blatantly antisemitic comments […]
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In the hours before this article was published, rapper Azealia Banks posted or shared dozens of tweets about topics spanning astrology, Florida’s water supply and Drake — along with many musings about sex. On Monday, her digital stream of consciousness flowed elsewhere: to Jewish cuisine. “Nah Jewish American food is delicioooooous,” she opined. “A hot […]
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A Chicago theater canceled an advance screening of “Bring the Family Home,” a documentary about campus antisemitism, four hours before its showtime, citing “the safety and well-being of our community.” Rami Even-Esh, an Israeli-American Jewish rapper who uses the stage name Kosha Dillz, created the still-unfinished documentary about his music and life on college campuses […]
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Before there was Joan Rivers and Susie Essman, and long before showrunner Amy Sherman-Palladino dreamed up “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” one Jewish comedian helped blaze a trail for the generations of hilarious women who followed her. Her name is Jean Carroll, and she’s considered the first Jewish woman stand-up comedian. And if you’ve never heard […]
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Russell Brand, the actor and iconoclastic activist, defended Kanye West’s latest song, titled “Heil Hitler,” saying that the artist now known as Ye is “uncancellable.” “‘Heil Hitler’ @kanyewest is uncancellable because he reached such a zenith in the culture that he couldn’t be killed,” said Brand in a post on X. “I think people would […]
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