Articles written by gabe friedman
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In 'Leopoldstadt,' Tom Stoppard tackles the Holocaust, intermarriage, Zionism - and his own Jewishness, for the first time
(JTA) - Speaking on the phone from an empty balcony in the Longacre Theater in New York, several hours before a preview performance of his latest play, Tom Stoppard said the show is "one that people l...
Folk band Big Thief won't play in member's native Israel
(JTA) - Days after defending their decision to play in Tel Aviv, the hometown of their bass player, the indie folk rock band Big Thief canceled two scheduled Israel shows, writing that they "oppose...
An interfaith coalition erased medical debts for over 2,000 people in the Chicago area, inspired by an ancient Jewish custom
(JTA) — More than half of bankruptcies in the United States are connected to medical debt. For some families in the Chicago area, however, that debt is being erased in accordance with the Jewish law of shmita, the sabbatical year. The Torah’s shm...
Watched 'Beauty Queen of Jerusalem'? Here are 7 other movies and shows that feature Ladino.
(JTA) - "The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem" has made headlines as one of the Israeli TV industry's most elaborate and expensive productions ever. The series, which follows a family of Spanish Sephardic...
All in a twitter about Elon Musk
(JTA) - Let's get one thing out of the way: Elon Musk is not Jewish. But his acquisition of Twitter comes amid longstanding problems with antisemitism and hate speech on the platform - and Jewish user...
Temple Mount closes to Jews
(JTA) — The Temple Mount is closed to Jewish visitors “until further notice,” the organization that coordinates visits by Jews said on April 23, after a fresh round of clashes between Israeli police and Muslim worshippers at the Jerusalem holy site...
Hillel working to help students from Ukraine as Kharkiv chapter is destroyed in bombing
(JTA) - Before Russian troops invaded Ukraine, the Hillel chapter in Kharkiv was preparing to celebrate its 25th anniversary this spring. In fact, just one week ago, the group working with Jewish...
In 4 years, Zelensky went from Jewish comedian to defender of democracy
(JTA) - Four years ago, Volodymyr Zelensky was an actor on the humorous Ukrainian TV show "Servant of the People," starring as an unlikely president of the Eastern European country. Now, he is at the...
Fried likens DeSantis to Hitler
(JTA) - Nikki Fried, the outspoken Jewish Democratic candidate running for governor in Florida, compared her rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis, to Hitler in an interview, prompting DeSantis supporters to...
Golden Globes 2022: Andrew Garfield, and Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story,' win big
(JTA) - Golden Globes fans may have noticed something different this year: The annual entertainment awards were not announced on TV, and not for COVID-19 reasons. NBC dropped the broadcast over the...
It was easy to 'put myself in their position
(JTA) — Two weeks ago, Delta Airlines pilot Alexander Kahn flew hundreds of Afghan refugees from Germany to Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C., as part of a U.S. government partnership with commercial airlines. It had extra special meaning for K...
Bialik to host 'Jeopardy!' specials
(JTA) - "Jeopardy!" is getting its first-ever Jewish host as Sony Pictures Television announced that actress Mayim Bialik will host some of the game show's new prime time specials. Following longtime...
Netanyahu finally agrees to leave the residence - in 3 weeks
(JTA) — After being blasted by critics for staying in the Israeli prime minister’s residence well over a week past his ousting from the role, Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to leave — in another three weeks. He and his successor, Prime Minister Nafta...
42 Jewish delis, 1 motorcycle: The Great American Deli Schlep aims to raise awareness about hunger
(JTA) — Motorcyclist Steve Goode is on the way to Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan. But on a recent phone call from a hotel room, he doesn’t know exactly where he is. “Indiana, in … what the hell town am I in?” he says with a laugh. Turn...
Anne Frank's famous optimism gets a bluegrass twang
(JTA) - If anyone can pull off a bluegrass song about Anne Frank, it's Nefesh Mountain, a husband-and-wife duo from New Jersey that has been a standard-bearer of Jewish bluegrass for years. The group...
Charles Grodin, Jewish comic actor, dies at 86
(JTA) - Charles Grodin, the deadpan Jewish comic actor who starred in such blockbuster films as "The Heartbreak Kid" and the children's movie "Beethoven," died Tuesday at his home in Wilton,...
Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire
(JTA) — After 11 days of fighting, Israel and Hamas agreed to a “mutual and simultaneous” ceasefire on Thursday that began at 2 a.m. Friday Israel time. Israel’s security cabinet unanimously approved the truce, according to reports, after military of...
Steven Spielberg launches foundation to fund Jewish-themed documentaries
(JTA) — Steven Spielberg has launched a film foundation called Jewish Story Partners to fund documentaries that “tell stories about a diverse spectrum of Jewish experiences, histories, and cultures.” It’s funded by the Righteous Persons Foundat...
Oscars 2021: Jewish nominees (nearly) strike out
(JTA) - It was an unusual Academy Awards in several ways. Forced to adapt to social distancing protocols, the ceremony was split into different venues but mostly took place in Los Angeles' Union Stati...
Pierce talks of love of Shabbat
(JTA) — In the middle of a racy viral Instagram video that preceded his firing from a broadcasting gig at ESPN, NBA legend Paul Pierce spent over a minute lauding the Jewish ritual of a sit-down Shabbat dinner. Pierce is not Jewish, but during the l...
Before Helen Mirren plays Golda Meir, here are 7 other stars who have played Israeli prime ministers
(JTA) - A mere 43 years after her death, Golda Meir is ready for her close-up. Just a month after it was announced that the Israeli star Shira Haas would portray Meir in a TV series, The Hollywood Rep...
'Who are we?': Asian American Jews explore their identities in a new video project
(JTA) - When Maya Katz-Ali saw the ad on Facebook recruiting Asian Jews to participate in a new video project about identity, she scrolled through her list of friends to figure out who might be a...
Is Bonne Maman an anti-Nazi jam? The Internet wants to think so
(JTA) - The heartwarming story has been hard to miss: A law professor is shopping at his local grocery store when he sees an elderly woman struggling to get her favorite jam from a high shelf. Why is...
Spielberg gets 2021 Genesis Prize
(JTA) - Director Steven Spielberg has won the 2021 Genesis Prize, the award nicknamed the "Jewish Nobel." The award, which "honors extraordinary individuals for their outstanding professional...
'The ways of Torah are peaceful': Why football presents a dilemma for American Jews
(JTA) - Rabbi Josh Feigelson remembers the moment that football lost its magic for him. It was Oct. 20, 2013, and Feigelson was eating dinner with his family at Ken's Diner, a kosher restaurant in...
