Articles written by Penny Schwartz
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Fire at Chabad center investigated as possible hate crime
BOSTON (JTA)—A fire outside the suburban Boston home of a rabbi that serves as a Chabad center is being investigated as a possible hate crime. Police in Arlington, Massachusetts, have asked for the public’s help in identifying a person caught on...
A 'Sesame Street' seder and 4 other new children's books for Passover
BOSTON (JTA)-Four questions. Four cups of wine. Four types of children. At Passover, the number four figures prominently in the rituals of the seder, the ceremonial holiday meal that can be...
This Yiddish romance novel was a smash hit in 1877
BOSTON (JTA)—Hot off the Jewish press in Vilna in 1877, a dramatic Yiddish romance novel became a surprising success, selling out its first 10,000 copies in Jewish communities across Poland and Russia. It’s not hard to see why. Set in the...
A collection of Yiddish songs was thought lost forever-now they've been nominated for a Grammy
BOSTON (JTA)-In the despair of the Soviet Union's fierce World War II battles against the Nazis, a 42-year-old Jewish man from Odessa wrote a song in Yiddish poking fun at Hitler's failures to seize...
Jewish Patriots fans, from seventh-graders to senior citizens, celebrate yet another Super Bowl win
CANTON, Mass. (JTA)-At a kickoff party Sunday night at the Orchard Cove senior home in this suburb about 25 miles from Boston, boisterous cheers erupted from a small ballroom. Dozens of residents had...
Alfred Bader, Milwaukee philanthropist and art collector, dies at 94
(JTA)-Alfred Bader, a refugee who escaped Nazi-occupied Vienna as a young teen in 1938, and later became a chemist, businessman, philanthropist for Jewish and other causes, and an influential art...
What's new for kids to read at Chanukah? Try a fresh take on the trailblazing 'All-of-a-Kind Family.'
(JTA)-Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte and Gertie. The names of the five fictional sisters bring a smile to generations of Jewish Americans who grew up reading "All-of-a-Kind Family," the classic...
Tufts students say 'Colonizing Palestine' class demonizes Israel
MEDFORD, Mass. (JTA)—Pro-Israel students at Tufts University say a new course on Palestine is one-sided and demonizes Israel, and violates the university’s own policies on taking political stances. The course, taught by Thomas Abowd, a faculty...
A Jewish atonement ritual gets an eco-friendly makeover
SOMERVILLE, Mass. (JTA)-On the first afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Eliana Jacobowitz led her congregation on a walk to the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse on the Mystic River for tashlich, a...
Unique museum tells story of Polish family murdered for hiding Jews during Holocaust
MARKOWA, Poland-Memorial plaques bearing the names of Poles killed for rescuing Jews line the pathway leading to a small, austere structure built into a hillside in this rural village in southeastern...
Century-old Boston synagogue receives $500,000
BOSTON (JTA)-A century-old synagogue in Boston that now serves as a Jewish cultural center will receive $500,000 from the city for historic preservation. On the recommendation of Mayor Martin Walsh,...
Seven treasures from a centennial exhibit on Leonard Bernstein
(JTA)-From his birthplace in Boston to New York, Berlin, South Africa, China and Israel, Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), the larger-than-life conductor, pianist, composer, educator and bon vivant, is...
Passover children's books: choo-choos, baa-baas and back to Sinai
BOSTON (JTA)-When Deborah Bodin Cohen immersed herself in rabbinical school in the early 1990s, she expected to spend a year in Israel as part of her studies with Hebrew Union College-Jewish...
Boston mourns Jewish girl and best friend run down by motorist
BOSTON (JTA)-A synagogue, a Jewish summer camp and the wider Boston community are mourning two teenage best friends who died Feb. 10 after being struck by a car. Talia Newfield, 16, who is Jewish,...
A son of refuseniks chronicles the slow dissolve of Russia's Jews
(JTA)-When Maxim Shrayer traveled to Moscow for a five-day visit at the end of October 2016, his itinerary included a trip to the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center. Shrayer, who emigrated from...
The Reform movement is alive with the sound of music
BOSTON (JTA)-Emily Katz and Liora Hyman arrived early enough to snag front row seats for a concert with some of their favorite performers. But this show wasn't at one of Boston's storied nightclubs. R...
Here are eight new children's books for Chanukah
BOSTON (JTA)-Move over, potato latkes. Make room for dosas. The savory fried Indian lentil and rice pancakes take center stage in "Queen of the Dosas," a gem of a new Chanukah book by the award-winnin...
Harvard honors a professor who helped its Jewish life flourish
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (JTA)-When Henry Rosovsky first arrived at Harvard University in 1949, a newly minted graduate of the College of William and Mary, the young Jewish refugee could hardly have imagined...
Julian Edelman's children's book gets a Jewish makeover
BOSTON (JTA)-If New England Patriots star Julian Edelman retires from the NFL anytime soon, he clearly has a promising second career as a Jewish children's book writer. In front of about 400 children...
School project to remember Holocaust victims surpasses goal of 11 million stamps
BOSTON (JTA)-A 9-year-old school project to commemorate Holocaust victims surpassed its unlikely goal to collect 11 million stamps, representing the lives of 6 million Jews and 5 million other...
Five new kids' books for the High Holidays
(JTA)-A challah-baking Jewish giant, a young baseball champ and an endearing boy in a pumpkin patch are among the stars of five delightful new books for kids published just in time for the High Holida...
Brandeis U's new president: 'Discomfort is an important element of education'
BOSTON (JTA)-After 32 years at Middlebury College, the last 11 as its president, Ron Liebowitz is calling Brandeis University his new academic home. On July 1, the 59-year-old New York native took...
Passover books for one kid-or many
(JTA)-Afikomen hunts, a rambunctious pup and the catchy classic "Dayenu." All are featured in a half-dozen new Passover books for children that will inform and entertain even the littlest kid-or a...
Read all about it: The five best new kids' books for the High Holidays
(JTA)-From Antarctica to Shanghai and farms to cities, this year's crop of High Holidays books for children offers a globe-trotting exploration. Friendship and family are the themes that run through...
Jewish artist's Lincoln portrait gets a brief moment in the sun
BOSTON (JTA)-Most days, a little-known 19th-century portrait of Abraham Lincoln by Solomon Nunes Carvalho (1815-1895) is tucked away in archival storage at Brandeis University's Rose Art Museum. But...
