Category Archives: Forward

Adin Steinsaltz, acclaimed scholar who made the Talmud more accessible, dies at 83

(JTA) — Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinzaltz, the acclaimed scholar whose landmark translation of the Talmud enabled a vast readership to access one of Judaism’s most canonical texts, has died. Steinsaltz died Friday at 83 in Jerusalem. Read more » »

Trump’s pick for German ambassador called Muslim refugees ‘invaders’

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Douglas MacGregor, a frequent guest on Fox News and other conservative talk shows, has a history of racist and xenophobic comments that has prompted Jewish groups to voice their concern about the possibility that he will become the United States’ ambassador to Germany. Read more » »

‘Yo-Semite’ T-shirt breaks sales records after Trump gaffe

August 6, 2020 By Noa Wollstein Digital Media Creator Sarah Lefton’s “Yo-Semite” t-shirt always gets a sales boost when Yosemite National Park makes the news. Even Apple’s 2014 “Yosemite” system upgrade gave t-shirt orders a bump. Read more » »

I want to the thank the donors who changed my life, and Colorado law

Just last week Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law the bill I had introduced in the Colorado House of Representatives, with another member of the Jewish caucus, that requires Holocaust and genocide education as a requirement for graduation from Colorado public schools. Read more » »

How Jewish themes inspired Ennio Morricone

The Oscar-winning Italian composer Ennio Morricone, who died on July 6 at age 91, is cherished by film fans for his scores to Spaghetti Westerns directed by Sergio Leone as well as Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” (2015), for which he received an Academy Award. Read more » »

Man indicted on firebombing attempt of Mass. Jewish-sponsored assisted living facility

June 25, 2020 By Marcy Oster (JTA) — A federal grand jury has indicted a Massachusetts man accused of using a homemade explosive to commit arson at a Jewish-sponsored assisted living facility. John Michael Rathbun, 36, was charged on two counts Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts. Read more » »

Georgia passes hate crimes legislation

June 25, 2020 By Marcy Oster (JTA) — The Georgia legislature approved a hate crimes bill that allows a longer sentence for crimes deemed to be based on a particular bias. The effort was led in part by the Hate Free Georgia Coalition, a group of 35 nonprofit groups organized by the Anti-Defamation League, the Atlanta Jewish Times reported. Read more » »

Researchers investigate if ‘Jewish factor’ caused high COVID death rate

Researchers in the United Kingdom are investigating a possible “Jewish factor” that could explain why Jews there were disproportionately likely to die of coronavirus, the Jewish Chronicle reported. A study by Britain’s Office of National Statistics found that Jewish males were more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than Christian males. Read more » »