How Taylor Swift's tour is impacting bat mitzvahs, inside a neo-Nazi fitness club, Ukraine welcomes new rabbi, and archaeologists make rare discovery in Israel. |
Rachel Beanland said her novel had generally “been warmly received” in the Jewish community. (Courtesy) |
A Florida JCC canceled a Jewish author’s talk because her novel mentions slavery The excuse: “This is Florida and our politics around the Black community, the history of the Civil War, and education in general are complicated,” a JCC rep told the author, Rachel Beanland, whose book The House Is on Fire is based on the true story of an 1811 fire at a theater that killed 72 people in Richmond, Virginia. The context: A new state law in Florida limits discussions on race in schools and requires teachers to tell students that enslaved people benefited from slavery. “To see a private organization that shouldn’t have any reason to be following these policies essentially implement them is deeply troubling,” Beanland said.
The apology: The JCC later issued a public apology and re-invited Beanland, but she declined to accept. “They could send me an invitation engraved on a gold placard,” she said, “and I would probably not attend.” |
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Director Woody Allen poses on the red carpet on Monday at the Venice Film Festival. (Getty) |
Has Woody Allen ever told you how lucky he is? The director’s 50th film received a standing ovation this week when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Our contributor AJ Goldmann was in the theater and offers up his review. Earlier in the day, AJ attended a press conference with Allen who expounded on the role that dumb luck and blind chance — major themes in much of his work — play in his life. “I’ve had, over my lifetime, much undeserved praise and an enormous amount of attention and respect,” Allen said. “And so I’ve had nothing but good fortune and I hope it holds out.” Read the story ➤ Opinion | Why carrying Narcan is a mitzvah:The first opioid overdose reversal medication approved for over-the-counter purchase arrives in pharmacies this week. Rabbi Jay Michaelson argues that, while some critics say the medicine’s wide availability may encourage opioid use, it’s a much-needed harm reduction tool and represents an inherent Jewish value. “If the only way to save someone’s life is to drive to the hospital on Shabbat,” he writes, “then that’s exactly what you must do.” Read his essay ➤ Opinion | By targeting the ADL, Elon Musk has chosen Jews as his scapegoat:“Rather than confront his own failures, Musk is crafting a narrative whereby powerful, wealthy Jews are responsible for tanking the value of his company,” writes Joel Swanson, a Ph.D. student studying modern Jewish history. “Musk needs to portray himself, the richest man on earth, as an insurgent against the real elites (Jews), represented by groups like the ADL.” Read his essay ➤
And one more: New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday briefed reporters about his recent trip to Israel. “We are all dependent on the survival of Israel,” Adams said, “because connected to the survival of Israel is the future of how are we going to survive some of the major challenges that we’re facing across the globe.”
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WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY |
Taylor Swift performs on her Eras Tour, which includes 146 dates across five continents over two years. (Getty) |
🎶 Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is set to be the biggest in music history. But new dates announced for 2024 have left some planning Jewish lifecycle events scrambling. One Indianapolis family changed the date of their daughter’s bat mitzvah next year because of a lack of hotel availability and their hunch that middle school girls might choose the concert over their party. (Jewish Insider) 🇺🇸 President Biden picked Jack Lew, an Orthodox Jew who led the U.S. Treasury under President Obama, to be the next U.S. ambassador to Israel. The appointment must be confirmed by the Senate. (JTA) 🇮🇱 An Israeli police officer was lightly wounded during a shooting attack on Tuesday in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian assailant was shot and killed. (Haaretz) 😞 At least 155 Arab citizens of Israel have been killed by members of their own community so far in 2023, double or even triple the number of such homicides for similar periods in recent years. The gun violence is largely attributed to gangs and organized crime. (New York Times) 🇺🇦 Ukraine welcomed its first new full-time rabbi since the war began. Rabbi Mendy Halperin, with his wife Mushky and 4-month-old son Ari, crossed the border last week to join the Chabad of Chernovtzy in the western part of the country. (Chabad) 👃 The makeup artist who styled Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein says he’s sorry about the prosthetic nose, and was surprised that some thought it was an antisemitic caricature. The goal, he said, “was to portray Lenny as authentic as possible.” (JTA) ⚾ Matisyahu, the Jewish reggae-style rapper, threw out the first-ever matzo ball pitch at a Mets game this week. (Instagram) Shiva calls ➤ Jewish sailor Bill Pinkney, the first Black person to circle the globe solo, died at 87 ... Judy Reznick, a Brooklyn Nets superfan affectionately known as “Mrs. Whammy,” died at 87 … Shabtai Shavit, a former Mossad chief who helped forge peace with Jordan, died at 84 … Dolores Wine, who for 20 years worked as the office manager at the Tribeca Synagogue, died at 80.
What else we’re reading ➤ Inside the neo-Nazi fitness club run by a British prison officer …. Deciphering the Russian mercenary Wagner Group’s love for Wagner …. 10 Jewish Amy Winehouse moments (and photos) from a new book on her life.
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Robert Peary, right, made a discovery that would impact observant Jews forever. (iStock/Wikimedia) |
On this day in history (1909): Explorer Robert E. Peary announced to The New York Times that he had reached the North Pole on April 6. The findings of explorers like Peary forced observant Jews to consider particularly difficult halachic questions: Much of Jewish religious observance is tied to marking sunset and sunrise, which is often impossible at the Earth’s poles where the sun neither rises nor sets for long periods.
In honor of National Read a Book Day, and in a completely blatant attempt at self-promotion, read an excerpt from a new book by yours truly. (Please. And thank you.)
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Archaeologists in Israel announced this morning that they discovered four 1,900-year-old Roman swords in a cave near the Dead Sea, which experts believe were from the famous Bar Kochba revolt, a rebellion by the Jews against the Roman Empire. “We’re talking about an extremely rare find, the likes of which have never been found in Israel,” said Eitan Klein of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Watch footage from the discovery in the video above, and read more about it here. --- Thanks to Talya Zax for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Beth Harpaz for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at editorial@forward.com. Hope you have a fantastic day. |
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