Anti-Israel incidents on campuses nearly doubled, how cantors prep for High Holidays, remembering the Oslo Accords on the 30th anniversary, and the last Holocaust survivor in Iowa has died. |
I’m handing over the reins for today’s lead section to my colleague, Talya Zax … Panicking about your Rosh Hashanah menu? We’ve got you covered. There are all kinds of reasons to love the High Holidays — deep communal connection, a chance to reflect on the year that’s past, the chanting of beloved prayers that lie dormant the rest of the year. And, of course, there’s the food. For many of us, even the mention of apples and honey sends us back to childhood. There’s just nothing quite like a good Rosh Hashanah meal — so we gathered nominations for the recipes, classic and new, we think you ought to make space for at your own holiday gatherings.
First up: Dennis Eisenberg, an illustrator who works under the name DenBerg, put together a collection of 14 of his grandmother Sophie’s best holiday recipes, including for a cocktail you might want to make year-round. See the collection ➤
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Date cookies inspired by the Silk Road: One of our editorial fellows, Sam Lin-Sommer, wanted to make a Rosh Hashanah treat that would reflect his Chinese and Jewish heritage. In these tender, fish-shaped cookies, he found a recipe that brings the honeyed sweetness we expect from a Rosh Hashanah dessert — and can work just as well for several Chinese holidays. Check out the recipe ➤ A “traditional” vegan brisket: Yes, you read that right. Our senior contributing columnist Rob Eshman challenged himself to find a more environmentally friendly version of brisket, the king of Jewish holiday entrees, and came up with one that, he writes, “delivers on the oniony sweet-and-sour chew your favorite vegetarian is pining for.” Check out the recipe ➤ A perfect, moist honey cake: The most traditional of Rosh Hashanah desserts often gets a bad rap as dry and dull. But Rukhl Schaechter, our Yiddish editor, is sure her recipe will fix all your honey cake woes, and win over any skeptical guests. In a video, she walks readers through the process; watch until the end to catch the full recipe. Check out the recipe ➤ Plus… We taste-tested affordable kosher wine for Rosh Hashanah.
Why honey became the dominant flavor of Rosh Hashanah — and some ideas for how to use it. |
Avoiding germs, guzzling water, searching their souls | How 5 cantors prep for the High Holidays:David Berger lines up babysitters for his two sons, rehearses three times a week and limbers up for what he calls a “full body workout.” The last thing he wants is what happened five years ago when he caught a virus. “I would come off the bima and do a quick Neti Pot.” Read the story ➤
Opinion | Israel’s Supreme Court is ruling on its own future. What should American Jews do? Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of the rabbinic human-rights group T’ruah, fears that many people feel “there are only two options for engagement with Israel,” she writes. “You either defend the government’s every move, or oppose the country’s very existence. As a result, too many American Jews have simply thrown up their hands and walked away.” Read her essay ➤
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Left: Members of the SS Galichina during World War II. Right: A monument to them near Philadelphia (Wikimedia/Moss Robeson) |
Plus… The Ukrainian Catholic Church of Philadelphia announced Tuesday that it would temporarily cover up a monument honoring soldiers who fought with the Nazis. The marker has been a topic of controversy since the Forward published an article about it last month.
A Muslim councilwoman in New York is set to introduce a bill on Thursday to combat antisemitism. “This is a real no-brainer,” she said.
The Jewish online library Sefaria is digitizing the work of Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom who died in 2020. |
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a Rosh Hashanah party at her residence attended by more than 100 people, including the Forward's Laura E. Adkins (in pink) and Gabby Deutch of Jewish Insider. (Jacob Kornbluh/Laura E. Adkins) |
On a hot and muggy D.C. evening, 150 or so Jewish leaders (and innumerable cicadas) joined Vice President Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, at their residence for a pre-Rosh Hashanah celebration. The Marine Corps Band played klezmer music. Our own Laura E. Adkins, Jacob Kornbluh and Jodi Rudoren were in attendance. The hors d’oeuvres, curated by chef Adeena Sussman, included lamb skewers, Herzog wines, fluffy falafel pockets, tahini blondies and light-as-air apple cake. The vice president delivered a stirring d’var Torah calling for a celebration of what unites us, and the second gentleman schmoozed with guests until a strong rain ended the evening a little after 8 p.m. Read Laura’s dispatch from the event ➤
Spotted: Among those in attendance, in addition to Sussman and fellow food influencer Eitan Bernath, were the musician Regina Spektor, who performed a rendition of “Shalom Aleichem”; actress Deborah Messing; comedians Alex Edelman and Hannah Einbinder; CNN journalist Dana Bash; U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen; U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff; former U.S. Rep. Steve Israel; Aaron Keyak, deputy special envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism; Meredith Jacobs, CEO of Jewish Women International; Ambassador Norman Eisen; Matt Nosanchuk of the New York Jewish Agenda; Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women; Ron Klein of Jewish Democratic Council of America; Nathan J. Diament of the Orthodox Union; William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; Hadar Susskind of Americans for Peace Now; Amy Spitalnick of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs; Hindy Poupko of UJA Federation of New York; Axios reporter Barak Ravid, and Rabbis Marc Charendoff, Abba Cohen, Lauren Hotzblatt, Sandra Lawson, David Saperstein and Levi Shemtov.
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WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY |
CUNY students and faculty held a protest in 2021 demanding that the university system divest from Israel. (Getty) |
📈 Anti-Israel activity on college campuses nearly doubled over the previous year, from 359 incidents to 665, according to figures released overnight from the Anti-Defamation League. (JTA) 🎒 Several Jewish groups are suing a large school district in California over an ethnic studies curriculum they allege is antisemitic. At issue is material that the groups say promotes a biased narrative of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. (JTA) 📚 The U.S. Senate held a hearing on Tuesday about book bans. One of the witnesses was a Jewish student who recalled feeling attacked when Maus, the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust, was targeted. (JTA) 📺 Fans of Fauda, rejoice. Netflix acquired the right to another Israeli thriller, this one focusing on the country’s border police, which is set to air later this year. (i24 News) 🎭 Rachel McAdams is set to make her Broadway debut next spring in a play about a mom caring for a sick child. One of the supporting characters in the play is a Hasidic mother. (New York Times) Shiva calls ➤ David Wolnerman, known as the last Holocaust survivor in Des Moines, Iowa, died at 96 … Howard Safir, a former New York City police commissioner, died at 81 … Mary Ann Stein, a philanthropist who supported social justice causes in the U.S. and Israel, died at 80
What else we’re reading ➤ The Hitler beetle and the debate over offensive species names … A Talmudic tale gets a 12th-century Chinese twist in children’s book aimed at diverse Jewish readers ... How a religious revival fed the demise of a Manhattan kosher deli.
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Today is the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords on the White House lawn. In this picture taken by Robert A. Cumins, a photojournalist and friend of the Forward, Shimon Peres, then a foreign minister, shakes hands with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, as Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and President Bill Clinton look on. Arafat, Peres and Rabin would go on to win the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize. |
On this day in history (1625): Sixteen rabbis, including the well-known mystic Isaiah Horowitz, were kidnapped in Jerusalem by forces under the Ottoman ruler Muhammad Ibn Farouk. The rabbis were eventually released on Rosh Hashanah after the Jewish community amassed a large ransom. Some, including Horowitz, subsequently left Jerusalem with their followers, fearing for their continued safety. |
You may have seen that viral video of an old man learning on live TV that the studio audience around him is made up of people he rescued from the Nazis as children. The true story of that man is being told in the new movie, One Life, which stars Sir Anthony Hopkins and premiered Saturday at the Toronto International Film Festival. Watch the trailer above. --- Thanks to Laura E. Adkins, Jacob Kornbluh, Lauren Markoe, Jodi Rudoren and Talya Zax for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Beth Harpaz for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at [email protected].
Hope you have a fantastic day. |
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