Laden...
| JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT. Give a tax-deductible donation Poway shooter sentenced, Al Franken back in comedy clubs, the ADL's new partner, anniversary of 'In God We Trust,' the secret Jewish history of 'The Sopranos' and more. OUR LEAD STORY Rabbi Marc Baker is the head of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies in Boston. (Getty Images) Boston’s federation chief earns plaudits – and lawsuits
Meet Rabbi Marc Baker. He was relatively unknown when he was named to the most important Jewish job in Boston three years ago, replacing an iconic leader who’d been in the job 30 years. He made swift changes that ruffled some feathers, while winning high praise for adding arts and mental-health initiatives and responding quickly to the pandemic.
Toxic workplace? For some inside the organization, Baker’s first few years have been marked by questions about how money is being spent, low morale, rapid turnover and two employment lawsuits, both of which have been settled. Six vice presidents and the chief operating officer have left. “I’ve worked in many Jewish nonprofit workplaces,” said one former employee, “and have never seen such a cruel and vengeful man put in charge.”
Responding to critics: “I would say I’m really proud of the culture we’ve created at CJP,” Baker told our reporter, Linda Matchan. “For me, relationships are everything, and change is hard and leadership is hard. You have to make hard decisions and I try my best to make every decision with integrity and with transparency and with compassion.”
ALSO IN THE FORWARD A portrait of Gillian Laub's parents before President Trump's inaugural ball. (Gillian Laub) How these intimate family photos helped to bridge a Trump-era divide: The picture above is one of dozens in “Family Matters,” a new book chronicling photographer Gillian Laub’s warm, affectionate, expressive and tight-knit Jewish family. It begins in the 1990s and continues through these last divisive years – her parents are Trump supporters, she is not – including the coronavirus pandemic. “The family is kind of naturally theatrical and demonstrative,” said David Campany, who curated an exhibit of Laub’s photos. “All the emotions are larger than life, somehow, and it plays out in the pictures.” See the photos >
The secret Jewish history of “The Sopranos”:HBO is releasing a prequel to the classic mob series this weekend, with James Gandolfini’s son playing a young Tony Soprano. Our culture critic rewatched the original show and was surprised to rediscover the breadth and depth of Jewish characters and their stories. Plus all the “shnorrers” and “gonifs.” Read the story >
WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY Hannah Kaye, whose mom was killed at the Chabad of Poway, gave a victim's statement at the sentencing. (Nelvin C. Cepeda) ⚖️ The gunman in the Poway, Calif., synagogue shooting was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday. In a plea deal that spared him the death penalty, John T. Earnest had admitted to killing a woman and injuring three others on the last day of Passover in 2019. (CNN)
🏥 Three Jewish and Arab families swapped kidneys and saved their moms in a series of choreographed, pay-it-forward surgeries. “I watched the surgeon release the clamps, and the Israeli Jewish kidney came back to life with the blood of the UAE patient,” said Dr. Michael Rees. “I’ve been around, but really I’m still just a kid from Flint, Michigan. And I can tell you this was a real moment for me.” (USA Today)
😡 Jews experience a disproportionate rate of discrimination in countries around the globe, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center, with 89 governments engaging in some kind of harassment against Jews or restrictions on the practice of Judaism. (Forward)
🤝 The Anti Defamation League is partnering with cosmetics giant L’Oreal to promote Holocaust education among American teenagers. L’Oreal’s CEO is also slated to receive the ADL’s Courage Against Hate Award at the organization’s antisemitism summit next month. (Washington Post)
🎭 Al Franken is returning to public life – but not as a politician. He’s moved to New York to be near his grandkids and is performing at comedy clubs around town. “I’m doing this because I love doing this,” he said. (NYT)
📚 A new biography has been published about Judah Benjamin, the Jewish Secretary of State for the Confederacy. Author James Traub calls him “the most politically powerful, and arguably the most important, American Jew of the 19th century.” (WSJ)
🎬 The Israeli film “Advocate,” which follows Lea Tsemel, a Jewish lawyer who represents Palestinian prisoners, won the Emmy Award for best documentary. The film, writes our reviewer, “is as unflinching as Tsemel herself in showing how her career has affected her family.” (Hollywood Reporter, Forward)
Something new we learned today > 🥂 The government’s most successful Prohibition agents in 1935 were two overweight Jewish guys from New York, who arrested 4,932 people and regularly wore fake mustaches. Meet the best booze-busters of Brooklyn. (Tablet)
FROM OUR KITCHEN When life gives you etrogs, make etrog liqueur: When our National (and Food) Editor Rob Eshman first came across an etrog, he was enchanted. “I scratched the rind and inhaled, and it was all citrus blossoms, tangerines and limes,” he recalls. Then his wife told him how much it cost. “Forty dollars. Forty dollars, for a lemon.” Luckily, he was able to find a second life for the fruit after the festival of Sukkot. Behold, Rob’s recipe for one quart of the most expensive homemade Biblically based alcoholic drink imaginable. Try it now >
Liqueur not your thing? You can turn that etrog into anointing oil.
ON THE CALENDAR On this day in history: The phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST” first appeared on U.S. paper currency on Oct. 1, 1957. It was initially met with criticism, with some Christian newspapers hoping it would’ve been “God our Christ.” Meanwhile, The New York Times editorial board asked to “let us try to carry our religion – such as it is – in our hearts, and not in our pockets.” But by 2003, a Gallup poll found that 90% of Americans supported the inscription.
In honor of National Hair Day, read about the spirituality of hair.
It’s also National Homemade Cookies Day, so here’s an ode to the black and white cookie.
And it’s World Smile Day! Meet a Florida dentist who treats Holocaust survivors for free.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Find out why it’s important for Ashkenazi Jews to get screened for the disease.
Tune in: “Seinfeld” actress Annie Korzen will be on the “Dr. Phil” show to talk about how at 82 she’s become the queen of TikTok. Prep by reading our interview with her.
SHALOM, FAREWELL, AUF WIEDERSEHEN, GOODBYE (Getty Images) This week on “Unholy: Two Jews on the News”: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke to the United Nations General Assembly and with New York Jewish leaders. The Forward’s senior political reporter, Jacob Kornbluh, was in the room and joins the podcast to share his insights. Plus: As Angela Merkel bids farewell and exits the stage, hosts Yonit and Jonathan discuss the charged emotions older and younger Jews in Israel and around the world have towards Germany. Listen now >
PHOTO OF THE DAY (Twitter) Megha Bhattacharya, who works for Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, posted this picture with her boss and her former boss, Sen. Jon Ossoff, at the Congressional Baseball Game this week. The annual charity event dates to 1909; this year, the Republicans edged out the Democrats 13-12.
Support Independent Jewish Journalism The Forward is a non-profit 501(c)3 so our journalism depends on support from readers like you. You can support our work today by donating or subscribing. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of US law. MAKE A DONATION BECOME A SUBSCRIBERCopyright © 2021, The Forward Association, Inc. All rights reserved. The Forward Association, Inc., 125 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038 Click here to unsubscribe from this newsletter. To stop receiving all emails from the Forward click here. |
Laden...
Laden...
© 2025
