Philadelphia -

Inside America’s first prison synagogue, a new exhibit tells the story of Jewish inmates who built it

July 16, 2026July 16, 2026Jesse Orine

Behind the imposing stone walls of Eastern State Penitentiary — the Philadelphia prison that once held Al Capone — sits a small, unlikely sanctuary: a synagogue built by inmates, for inmates, nearly a century ago. Now, a new exhibition is telling its story. Eastern State Penitentiary, in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood, was an active prison from […]

Celebrate Early and Often

January 11, 2026David Rutman

I love to say celebrate early and often—and I live it. Birthdays, milestones, Tuesdays that feel like Saturdays. I don’t wait for a single date on the calendar to give myself permission to feel joy. I spread it out. I stack it up. I let it travel. This year, celebrating my birthday became a journey—across […]

In Philadelphia’s suburbs, an army of canvassers targets Jewish voters

October 21, 2024October 21, 2024Sara Wood

BALA CYNWYD, Pennsylvania — The second time this month Benny Stanislawski made the three-hour trip from the Jewish precincts of suburban Washington to the Jewish precincts of suburban Philadelphia, he ditched his car and borrowed his mother’s minivan. He needed the space provided by the 2019 Honda Odyssey, plastered with stickers from the alma maters […]