American Jews
Craving connection, 2,500 Jewish teens meet in Baltimore for in-person convention
By Yonat Shimron — February 17, 2022
(RNS) — BBYO’s annual International Convention kicked off a five-day gathering on Thursday (Feb. 17), the first large in-person gathering in the American Jewish community since the pandemic started.
Princeton University scraps exhibit of Jewish American artists with Confederate ties
By Yonat Shimron — February 10, 2022
(RNS) — The exhibit was intended to showcase the little-known contributions of Jewish American artists in the period after the Civil War. The university, in the midst of reassessing its legacy, balked.
Future of prayer site in doubt under Israel’s fragile government
By Tia Goldenberg — January 4, 2022
JERUSALEM (AP) — A plan for an egalitarian prayer site at Jerusalem's Western Wall has been stymied as new government struggles with internal divisions.
How 2 Jewish soldiers’ court-martials put a spotlight on antisemitism and racism
By Jeannette Gabriel — November 15, 2021
(The Conversation) — Alton Levy may not be a household name today, but his court-martial put a spotlight on unequal treatment in the military.
Harlem is home to an important part of Jewish history in New York
By Nidhi Upadhyaya — November 11, 2021
NEW YORK (RNS) — Harlem, most well-known as a historic Black neighborhood, also once housed the second largest population of Jews in America.
Book explores how a diverse Jewish neighborhood responded to a horrific hate crime
By Yonat Shimron — October 26, 2021
(RNS) — In his new book, ‘Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood,’ Mark Oppenheimer takes a probing look at how a neighborhood of 13,000 Jews coped in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Is social distancing unraveling the bonds that keep society together?
By Ilana Horwitz — October 6, 2021
(The Conversation) — The relationships that people form with others outside of their homes can translate into crucial help in a disaster. But what happens if they can’t build those ties because of social distancing?
Synagogues hoped to be in person this year. Now they’re not so sure.
By Yonat Shimron — August 18, 2021
(RNS) — A flood of new cases fueled by the highly contagious delta variant is putting increased pressure on synagogue leaders to scale back High Holy Days services.
Study: Jews of color love Judaism but often experience racism in Jewish settings
By Yonat Shimron — August 12, 2021
(RNS) — The study was intended to foreground the racial diversity of American Jews, a group long assumed to be overwhelmingly white, and to give voice to the experiences of Jews of other races.
Evangelical support for Israel is neither permanent nor inevitable
By Walker Robins — July 19, 2021
(The Conversation) — The political alliance between American evangelicals and Israel’s right wing may have peaked during the Trump administration.
JewBelong goes digital — and hot pink — in campaign to sound alarm on antisemitism
By Yonat Shimron and Renée Roden — July 13, 2021
(RNS) — Seven such billboards have been flashing at Times Square for more than a month. Beginning this week, they are going up in four other cities.
How a little-known federal land use law could help combat antisemitism in America
By Noel Sterett — July 2, 2021
(RNS) — Zoning is no bygone relic but, rather, is a tool of municipalities to discriminate against religious groups.
Jewish community prays for miracles after condo collapse
By Kelli Kennedy, Terry Spencer, and Luis Andres Henao — June 26, 2021
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) — Numerous members of an Orthodox synagogue are among those missing after the collapse of a seaside condominium tower in Surfside, Florida. The town is home to a large Jewish community, where the families often crowd the sidewalks before sunset as they walk to services for the Sabbath. Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar, […]
US Jews rally for more support in combating antisemitism
By Yonat Shimron — May 27, 2021
(RNS) — The Anti-Defamation League reported a 75% increase in antisemitic attacks in the U.S. in the wake of the clashes in Israel and Gaza. American Jews want their elected representatives to take more action.
Can American Muslims and Jews help bring peace to Israelis and Palestinians?
By Arthur Waskow and Daisy Khan — May 26, 2021
(RNS) — A joint Muslim-Jewish call for peace has been backed by more than 600 faith leaders.
