Category: Local

When the first pandemic-era Rosh Hashanah arrived three years ago, many synagogues found themselves struggling to adjust to a radically different High Holiday experience in which much of Jewish communal life had moved online.  Fast forward three years, and American Jewish communal life has returned in full force — yet online programming and outreach is […]

((JEWISH REVIEW)) — Almost a year and a half into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 13-year-old Artur Dotsenko has become accustomed to sleepless nights. With all the bombings and shellings in his hometown of Kyiv, Dotsenko said he gets about 2-3 hours of sleep each night. For a few weeks this summer, Dotsenko will leave war-torn […]

WASHINGTON ((JEWISH REVIEW)) — Nineteen progressive Democrats in Congress urged the departments of State and Homeland Security to keep Israel from joining a coveted program that would enable its citizens to travel to the United States without a visa, saying Israel profiles Muslim, Arab and particularly Palestinian Americans. The letter sent Tuesday to Secretary of […]

((JEWISH REVIEW)) – In early June, the town of Highland Park, New Jersey, had one of its central thoroughfares decked out in rainbow Pride flags to celebrate an upcoming LGBTQ-themed music festival.  But four days after the display went up, Highland Park’s mayor took four of the flags down. According to communications from city officials, […]

PITTSBURGH ((JEWISH REVIEW)) — Defense lawyers for the man convicted of murdering 11 Jewish worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue began detailing their argument that he should not be sentenced to death, calling witnesses to identify abnormalities in his brain. That point is a key part of the defense’s strategy to keep their client, Robert Bowers, […]

((JEWISH REVIEW)) — Orthodox students at Brandeis University are decrying an ad for their school that said the university is “anything but Orthodox.” The ad, which was published on Sunday in The New York Times Magazine, was headlined, “Brandeis was founded by Jews. But, it’s anything but Orthodox.” The two-page spread was part of a […]

((JEWISH REVIEW)) — Before sundown Friday night, as American Jews prepared to light their Shabbat candles, some also lit yahrzeit candles. The additional flames, which signify mourning, burned in commemoration of the first anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court ruling removing a federal guarantee of abortion rights. That is far […]

((JEWISH REVIEW)) – James Crown, a Chicago billionaire and major donor to Jewish causes, died Sunday in a crash at a racetrack in Colorado while celebrating his 70th birthday.  His sudden death at the Aspen Motorsports Park drew immediate eulogies and condolences from Chicago’s Jewish leaders as well as President Joe Biden, former President Barack […]

PITTSBURGH ((JEWISH REVIEW)) — As the gunman in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting stood trial over the past several weeks, the defense made clear that they believed their client had committed the attack, and they declined to present evidence or call witnesses.  Now, after Robert Bowers was convicted on all 63 counts he faced, his lawyers […]

((JEWISH REVIEW)) — Two Georgia synagogues were targeted by nearly identical antisemitic protests over the weekend, both allegedly organized by a neo-Nazi group that has gained notoriety in recent months. On Friday, a group of around 10 to 15 protesters gathered outside Temple Beth Israel, a Reform congregation in Macon, a city in central Georgia. […]