Laden...
| Today's newsletter is sponsored by ChaiFlicks JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT. ➤ Give a tax-deductible donation
Cleveland rabbi arrested trying to solicit a minor, Orthodox woman outed as anti-LGBTQ activist, sneak peek of Netflix's new Hitler movie, and somebody is selling 'Schindler's List' leggings.
FROM THE FORWARD Izek Shomof purchased the historic Sears distribution center in Los Angeles for $29 million. (Getty) Meet the Israeli-born developer who wants to create an urban kibbutz for homeless people: When Izek Shomof purchased the abandoned Sears building in downtown Los Angeles, he initially thought he would turn it into a live-work complex or a multi-story museum to house his collection of more than 100 classic cars and motorcycles. Instead, he now plans to use its more than 1 million square feet to house and provide services to the homeless. “The answer is not only to give them shelter,” said Shomof, “but to rehabilitate them and give them an opportunity to rebuild their lives.” Read the story ➤
Why are grocery stores selling matzo that is not kosher for Passover? When our Mira Fox went to stock up for the holiday, she was happy to find a giant matzo display in her local grocery store – until she looked at the labels. But isn’t matzo fundamentally, well, for Passover? Is there really a market for unleavened bread that does not meet the holiday standards? As it turns out, the matzo industry is more complicated than you realize, encompassing Hasidim who very much care about kashrut and a lot of other people who just like the taste and crunch. “Matzo lasagna, we have it in my house all year long,” said Aaron Gross, the great-great-grandson of the founder of Streit’s Matzo. “I’m not sure if it’s because I get the matzo for free, but it’s really good.” Read the story ➤
A stunning documentary recalls the many times Babyn Yar was forgotten: Well before a Russian bomb hit near the infamous ravine in early March, it was subject to history’s indifference. In Sergei Loznitsa’s film “Babi Yar. Context,” archival footage reveals the conditions that made it possible for Nazis, aided by Ukrainian collaborators, to murder nearly 34,000 Jews there over the course of two days in 1941 – and then hide it, in part by filling the mass grave with industrial waste. “Loznitsa’s film breaks a long silence,” PJ Grisar wrote in his review, “unearthing rare and unseen footage and striving to overcome what he calls ‘chronicide.’” Read the story ➤
Four cups of wine? Sure. But hold the beer. Ever heard of the Passover Papyrus? The fragmentary document was discovered in 1905 by Otto Rubensohn, a German Jewish archaeologist. It contained a letter, written in 419 BCE, from an official in Jerusalem to Jewish soldiers stationed by the Nile River in Egypt. He reminds the mercenaries to observe Passover and, for good measure, adds, “Drink no beer!” Read the story ➤
But wait, there’s more… The creator of an anonymous Twitter account fueling anti-LGBTQ panic was unmasked in The Washington Post Tuesday as an Orthodox Jewish woman who claimed to have participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection. A group of Ukrainian and Russian Jews are sharing an apartment in Jerusalem. We paid them a visit. For about a century starting in the 1850s, American Jews dressed in their holiday best as high fashion took to the streets in the annual Passover parade.WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY Vanda Semyonovna Obiedkova spent her entire life in Mariupol, Ukraine. (Courtesy of Chabad) 🇺🇦 A 91-year-old Holocaust survivor died in a basement in Mariupol, Ukraine. Vanda Semyonovna Obiedkova managed to escape the Nazis by hiding out in a basement when they rounded up and killed the Jews of Mariupol, including much of her family. Eight decades later, amid a new threat to the town she loved, Obiedkova moved into another basement, below a store. “Every time a bomb fell,” her daughter said, “the entire building shook.” Without access to heat, water, or medical care, Obiedkova succumbed to illness with her daughter by her side (Chabad.org)
⚖️ A rabbi at a Cleveland synagogue was arrested Monday after he arranged a sexual encounter with an an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old boy on social media, authorities say. Police found condoms and lubricant in the car of Rabbi Stephen Weiss, who is 60 and was described on the website of Congregation B’nai Jeshurun as someone whose “career has been marked by his passion for working with Jewish youth,” including helping to start a summer camp and two Jewish high schools (his page appeared to have been removed from the site by Wednesday morning). Weiss was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary and is a past president of the Greater Cleveland Board of Rabbis, a former leader and adviser of United Synagogue Youth and a member of the board of Camp Ramah, according to his synagogue biography. He posted bond on Tuesday and is required to wear an ankle monitor. (Cleveland Jewish News)
🚓 Police are searching for the killer of a Jewish mother of two who was stabbed 58 times in her home before being stuffed into a duffel bag and dumped in a nearby park on the first night of Passover. Orsolya Gaal, 51, was a member of the Bukharian Jewish community in Queens. News reports say that investigators believe that Gaal likely knew the murderer. (NY Daily News, NY Post, The Yeshiva World)
🇮🇱 A group of Israelis said they are determined to go ahead with a flag-waving march around predominantly Palestinian areas of Jerusalem’s Old City today, defying a police ban of an annual event that helped spark last May’s Israel-Gaza war. “Our finger is on the trigger,” a Hamas spokesperson warned. (Times of Israel)
💻 Some Jewish workers from Silicon Valley have decided never to return to the office, instead opting to move to Israel and work remotely. Keeping West Coast hours, though, can mean working until dawn in Tel Aviv. “It’s honestly not that bad,” said Koby Geduld, who recently made aliyah. “I wake up late and take some midday naps.” (J. The Jewish News of Northern California)
🤦 A pair of leggings emblazoned with artwork from “Schindler’s List” went viral this week, thanks to a tweet by comedy writer Emily Murnane. Bizarrely, the leggings are just one of several items available with images from the Holocaust movie – including skirts, socks, shower curtains, throw pillows and iPhone cases. (JTA)
Shiva call ➤ Miriam Isserow, a lawyer and advocate for Jewish survivors of sexual abuse, who had recently been named CEO of the American Psychological Foundation, died on Friday of complications from burns she endured in a cooking accident; she had recently turned 60. At a funeral service streamed online Tuesday, she was remembered as a “passionate and practical activist,” as well as for her love of books and improv comedy, and for her uplifting and funny Facebook posts, including from her hospital bed in recent weeks. “This is beyond pain and beyond love,” her young-adult daughter, Ronee Goldman, said in a eulogy. Watch the funeral and read an appreciation ➤
ON THE CALENDAR On this day in history: Woody Allen’s“Annie Hall” was released on April 20, 1977. The movie, loosely based on Allen’s relationship with his co-star and then-girlfriend Diane Keaton, beat “Stars Wars: A New Hope” for Best Picture at the 1978 Academy Awards, where Allen also won Best Director – though he didn’t attend the ceremony. In fact, Allen has only attended the Academy Awards once: unannounced in 2002, after the 9/11 attacks, to deliver a speech now known as his “Love Letter to New York.” In it, he pleaded with producers to continue filming their movies in the city, and was met with a standing ovation.
Related reading: 45 years after ‘Annie Hall,’ Diane Keaton remains the epitome of awkward grace and elegant imperfection
Last year on this day, we reported that 22 senators from both parties urged President Joe Biden to name a State Department antisemitism envoy. Deborah Lipstadt, a preeminent Holocaust historian, was finally confirmed to the post last month.
In honor of National Banana Day, check out this recipe for banana charoset (no joke). JOIN THE CONVERSATION VIDEO OF THE DAY Hoping to change the course of World War II, and save tens of thousands of lives, two British intelligence officers plotted to break Hitler’s deadly grip on Europe by recruiting the most unlikely of secret agents: a dead man. The real-life mission, dubbed “Operation Mincemeat,” is now being turned into a movie that premieres on Netflix May 11. ––– Play today’s Vertl puzzle (aka the Yiddish Wordle)
Thanks to Kayla Cohen, Mira Fox and PJ Grisar for contributing to today's newsletter. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at [email protected].
Support Independent Jewish Journalism The Forward is a non-profit 501(c)3 so our journalism depends on support from readers like you. You can support our work today by donating or subscribing. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of US law.
"America’s most prominent Jewish newspaper" — The New York Times, 2021 Copyright © 2021, The Forward Association, Inc. All rights reserved. The Forward Association, Inc., 125 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038 Click here to unsubscribe from this newsletter. To stop receiving all emails from the Forward click here. |
Laden...
Laden...
