Jews do not speak in a political monologue. Like so many misconceptions, putting Jews, a broad, cultural or religious identity, into a political box is wrong and approaching bigotry.

    Let’s face it: we’re not all so very nice to each other these days. After several years of hearing the word “partisan” a few times too often, we just can’t figure out how to get along anymore. And that pesky neighbor just put a political sign in his front yard for a candidate you  don’t …

(JTA) — It’s been seven months since we collectively adopted the term “social distance” to mean a specific geographic space between people. But those words took on a new meaning to me when I looked at my phone on Wednesday morning.

    It took most of Thursday morning to write 2/3 of an op-ed, which I subsequently threw in the garbage. I’m not even sure I remember what I wrote—that’s how boring and listless it was.

This piece originally appeared on Kveller.

Once again, well-funded casino operators want to change Nebraska’s constitution to allow casino gambling. The change would allow all forms of gambling across the state, from slot machines to online sports betting. And such a constitutional change immediately empowers Nebraska’s three tribes …

This article originally appeared in Kveller.

(JTA) — My father died two years ago, two days before Rosh Hashanah. My sister Laura, my aunt Judy and I had flown out to Palm Springs a few days before to be at his bedside. Along with my dad’s partner, Tony, we were with him when he passed.

(JTA) — I don’t need to remind you of all the reasons that 2020 has been an incredibly rough year. We could all use a fresh start, so it’s a good thing that Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is just around the corner, offering a chance for renewal and a new beginning.

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A few weeks ago the Omaha World Herald ran an excellent article written by one of their best reporters, Cindy Gonzalez, on the renovations undertaken by the Jewish Federation of Omaha at its complex in West Omaha on South 132nd Street.

This article originally appeared in Kveller.

WASHINGTON (JTA) — It has already begun. Leaks about “allies” warning Joe Biden about naming Kamala Harris as his running mate because she “had no remorse” for the gall of actually competing in the primaries. Or comments that Harris “rubs people the wrong way” but that Karen Bass doesn’t. Or…

    It was a confusing sight, at best: the August 1 rally in Berlin featured both people protesting against COVID-19 restrictions by comparing them to Nazi-rules, and actual neo-Nazis. Mask mandates, vaccines and  perceived government overreach are bad because it reminds people of Nazis. And…

When I found out that I belong to Generation Z instead of being a Millennial, I was shocked. At first, I thought, all the older generations’ criticisms about millennials don’t apply to me anymore! But then I noticed that people are already insulting my up-and-coming generation.

A pandemic, an election year, racial tensions, federal troops descending on cities, muggy hot weather and lots of anxiety for everyone to share: it sounds like the perfect time for a robust conspiracy to make the rounds.

NEW YORK (JTA) — On Friday afternoon, a few hours before Shabbat, I found myself scrolling through Twitter when I stumbled upon an anti-Semitic rant. 

This article is part of a collaboration between the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Kveller about pandemic parenting and school reopenings. 

PITTSBURGH (JTA) —  Before I was an offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I was the son of a middle school teacher in Tacoma, Washington.

This story originally appeared on Alma.

    In 1928, Omaha Central High School played a basketball game against a school from St. Joseph, MO. The Missouri team refused to play against Black athletes. Central’s Black player was not allowed to play in the game.

A version of this article was originally published on TribeHerald and was reprinted with permission.

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SILVER SPRING, Md. (JTA) — In 1948, after the Holocaust, the right to asylum was recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to ensure that never again would anyone be trapped in their country of persecution.

NEW YORK (JTA) — Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner posted a video late last week in response to Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson’s anti-Semitic screed against Jews. 

When NFL star DeSean Jackson posted several anti-Semitic quotes on social media, the backlash was pretty immediate. And so he removed them, apologized, etcetera, etcetera. Often, this is where it ends. We’re almost used to it by now-someone or some company uses the wrong words, we speak

Here are two responses to an incident of anti-Semitic vandalism — from a Jewish woman and a Muslim woman — in Birmingham, England. The first is from Karen E.H. Skinazi; the latter is from Salma Hamid.

So far, this has not exactly been a boring year. Don’t get me wrong; at the Press, we like excitement. One of the most attractive aspects of working here is that nothing ever really becomes routine, except for getting that paper out every week. It’s the one constant amidst a great number of …

This story originally appeared on Kveller.

MITZPE YERICHO, West Bank (JTA) — It’s been surreal watching from Israel as Americans discuss my future. I’ve gotten used to presidents spending years developing plans for my neighborhood and other towns in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank — they mean well and I truly appreciat…

This letter originally appeared on the website of Temple Beth El of Charlotte, North Carolina, and was reprinted with permission. It was co-signed by Evan Wilkoff and Benjamin Benson, the president and president-elect of Temple Beth El, along with Rabbi Howard Siegel and Teresa Brenner, the …

BETHESDA, Md. (JTA) — David Axelrod, a former top aide to President Barack Obama often credited with masterminding his two successful campaigns for the presidency, recently published a column in The Washington Post that hit me between the eyes and sat heavily on my heart.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (JTA) — As a Korean-American teenage immigrant living in a predominantly white city and attending a school with a predominantly white student body, racial slurs and insensitive comments have unfortunately become a normalized part of my life. 

Covid 19. Systematic racism. Purposefully misleading news and misinformation. We are all susceptible to these infections and can unknowingly play a role in their spread. A paradigm shift has taken place over the past decade or so giving way to a strange dichotomy: Even as our virtual, global…

Social distancing and staying inside is hard. Thankfully, accessing good things to watch during this time is not. This is the 12th installation of a weekly column on Jewish movies and TV shows that you should stream in quarantine.

This story originally appeared on Kveller.

This story originally appeared on Alma.

NEW YORK (JTA) — Someone very close to me shared openly that “Black Lives Matter is an important cause. But I don’t think it should be our priority. We have so many other causes to commit to.”

CLEVELAND (JTA) — I turned on my phone and felt an overwhelming sense of frustration, sadness and hopelessness. While I had been enjoying two days without electronics in observance of Shavuot and Shabbat, cities across the country were engulfed in a combination of civic protests and police r…

LONG BEACH, Calif. (JTA) — Over the last 10 days, when the country and world have experienced mass protests for racial justice, I’ve seen many of my friends work through how they can best be allies for Black Americans.