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Hope fading and regulations tightening, more Jewish camps set to cancel
(JTA)—At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, and as recently as a couple weeks ago, some Jewish camps had hoped they could run for part of the summer. For a growing number of camps, that hope now appears to be vanishing. Two Conservative Ramah...
Senate legislation would expand COVID-19 projects with Israel to lessen dependence on China
(JTA)—The Senate has introduced legislation to enhance partnerships between American and Israeli companies on COVID-19 projects, thus lessening U.S. dependence on China for life-saving medications and treatments. The bipartisan legislation was...
Ramah camps anticipate a total budget shortfall of $27 million this year, but don't expect to fold
(JTA)—The network of 10 Conservative Jewish Ramah camps in North America will lose approximately half of their collective annual revenue if they all need to cancel camp and refund tuition—a total...
Conservative Jewish youth group USY cancels summer travel programs
(JTA)—The Conservative Jewish youth group United Synagogue Youth is canceling its summer travel programs for teens, the latest in a string of canceled Jewish summer programs. The announcement comes as several Conservative Ramah summer camps are...
It's official: Most Reform Jewish camps will cancel this summer
(JTA)-Nearly all Reform Jewish summer camps, and at least one Conservative camp, will remain closed for the 2020 summer due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has...
This 107-year-old survived the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and COVID-19
(JTA)-After Marilee Shapiro Asher was admitted to the hospital in mid-April sick with COVID-19, her daughter got a call from the doctor telling her she ought to get down there right away. Her mother l...
Deep layoffs at Jewish Federations of North America
(JTA)—The nonprofit organization leading an emergency coalition to coordinate the Jewish response to the pandemic-induced financial crisis has itself slashed its staff. Jewish Federations of North America, an umbrella group of communal fundraising...
From cabins to bungalows: Some Jewish overnight camps may become socially distanced family retreats this summer
(JTA)-Every summer, JCC Ranch Camp in Colorado gives hundreds of kids an outdoorsy Jewish experience. There's hiking, mountain biking, ropes courses and horseback riding, along with the traditional...
Hebrew Free Burial Association put out a call for prayer shawls
(JTA)-Andrew Parver's phone hasn't stopped ringing since Sunday. That's when Parver, the director of operations at the Hebrew Free Burial Association in New York City, put out a call for donations o...
Amid uproar, Stark to remain Conference of Presidents chair for another year
(JNS)—Amid an uproar from conservative members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations over the nomination of Dianne Lob from HIAS as its next chair, the Jewish umbrella organization announced that its current chair,...
Hillel International lays off or furloughs 20 percent of staff amid coronavirus uncertainty
(JTA)—With many of its normal activities interrupted because of the coronavirus pandemic, Hillel International, the umbrella organization for centers for Jewish student life on college campuses around the world, has laid off or furloughed 30...
NY police knew an Orthodox rabbi's Brooklyn funeral was happening-hundreds still showed up
By Shira Hanau (JTA)—The images were striking, the mayor had strong words and the backlash was swift. On Tuesday night, hundreds of Orthodox Jews gathered for a rabbi’s funeral in Brooklyn, showing apparent disregard of public social distancing...
Biden plans for increased protections for Jews and others
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Former Vice President Joe Biden marked the one-year anniversary of the deadly shooting at a synagogue in Poway, California, with a proposal to add protections for Jews and other targets of hate attacks. “These are acts of...
As the sexual assault claim against Joe Biden builds, some Jewish women wonder whether he deserves their support
WASHINGTON (JTA)-Monday was supposed to have been a good news day for Joe Biden: The venerable New York congresswoman Nita Lowey convened hundreds of women on a phone call to launch a new group,...
Hillel International and BBYO to offer virtual college visits for high school seniors
(JNS)—In a first-of-its-kind partnership, Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization, and BBYO, the Jewish teen movement, are connecting graduating high school seniors with current college students for virtual campus visits and...
Reacting to packed Orthodox funeral, New York City mayor warns 'the Jewish community' and faces swift backlash
By Philissa Cramer (JTA)—New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio drew fierce criticism late Tuesday after he singled out “the Jewish community” in a trio of tweets announcing that he had instructed his police department to fine or even arrest...
$80M earmarked for nonprofits
(JNS)—Seven Jewish foundations joined together to launch the Jewish Community Response and Impact Fund, which will provide more than $80 million in interest-free loans and grants as thousands of Jewish nonprofit organizations are experiencing...
J Street endorses Joe Biden for president
(JNS)—The American Jewish lobby group J Street last week endorsed former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden for president—the first time in its history in which the organization has formally endorsed a candidate for the White House. “At a time...
CPMAJO taps as next chief Dianne Lob of HIAS
(JTA)—The nominating committee of US Jewry’s foreign policy umbrella has tapped as its next chair the immediate past chairwoman of the lead Jewish immigration advocacy group—one that has clashed repeatedly with the Trump administration. Dianne...
Jewish nonprofits receive $264 million in federal assistance
(JNS)—Jewish nonprofits have received at least $264 million in loans under the $2.1 trillion coronavirus relief package passed by Congress and enacted into law last month, according to the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). According to...
American Jews feel less safe now than a decade ago
(JNS)—Nearly two-thirds of American Jews believe that they are less safe today than a decade ago, according to a new survey by the Anti-Defamation League on Jewish encounters with anti-Semitism in the United States. The survey found that 54...
Jewish burial societies face difficult choices
(JTA)-Sometime in March, the Chesed Shel Emes Jewish burial society in Brooklyn added a new responsibility to the sacred tasks its 700 volunteers had committed to uphold: paperwork. Bodies were...
Jewish nonprofits are struggling-how can donors help?
By Ben Sales NEW YORK (JTA)—In the weeks after it became clear that the coronavirus pandemic would spark a lasting economic crisis, the Jewish world’s leading funder group put together a memo with some back-of-the-envelope projections for how muc...
In the Boston area, 2 Jewish chefs team up to feed kids while schools are closed
SHARON, Mass. (JTA)-When Neil Morris heard the news that his hometown schools were closing for at least two weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, his first thought was about the kids who would lose...
From works of art to face shields
(JTA)—On a typical day, the art center at Kohelet Yeshiva High School in suburban Philadelphia is filled with students working on a range of projects—from making ceramic bowls on the pottery wheels to creating wooden sculptures. They use the 3-D...
