World News
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NBA star Domantas Sabonis’ wife says he is converting to Judaism
(JTA via J. The Jewish News of Northern California) — When the Sacramento Kings face the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA playoffs starting this weekend, they will be led by their Lithuanian-American — and soon-to-be-Jewish — center, Domantas Sabonis. The 26-year-old All-Star is in the process of converting to Judaism,…
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Evan Gershkovich, Judy Blume among 10 Jews on Time’s 2023 ‘Most Influential’ list
(JTA) — The journalist who was arrested in Russia last month and the Biden administration’s antisemitism envoy are among the 10 Jewish members of Time magazine’s “100 most influential people of 2023.” The magazine’s annual list, released Thursday, includes politician, business titans, artists and innovators from around the world, from President Joe Biden to a…
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Man arrested in massive intelligence leak case allegedly railed against Jews in online rant
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Jack Teixeira, the National Guard airman arrested on charges of leaking a large trove of U.S. intelligence documents, reportedly recorded himself making antisemitic and racist slurs before opening fire on a target. The Washington Post first reported the video of the antisemitic rant, which was shared with members of the chat group…
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Dan Snyder to sell Washington Commanders to Jewish billionaire Josh Harris for record $6 billion
(JTA) — Dan Snyder, the Jewish owner of the Washington Commanders football team who is under multiple investigations over sexual harassment and toxic workplace culture allegations, has agreed in principle to sell his NFL franchise to a group led by Jewish billionaire Josh Harris for a record $6.05 billion. Snyder and his wife and co-owner…
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Swiss historical drama ‘Labyrinth of Peace’ shatters the myth of Switzerland’s neutrality in WWII
It’s Switzerland in 1945 and the war has just ended. A group of deeply traumatized, ragged-looking Jewish teenagers recently liberated from Buchenwald have been sent to live in a former Swiss school building. A young Swiss woman named Klara cares for them, while her new husband, Johann, runs her family’s textile business, whose success is…
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Adir Michaeli, maestro of the babka, bakes his way into the heart of Manhattan
(New York Jewish Week) — In a city where love of babka borders on a religion, Adir Michaeli, founder of Michaeli Bakery, is the (you’ll pardon the expression) high priest of the confection. You may not know his name, but if you love good babka, you probably know his product. Michaeli, 39, was once the…
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For theatergoers at Broadway’s recent spate of Jewish shows, attendance is a form of witness
(JTA) — Jewish stories have had top billing on Broadway this season — and Jewish audiences have been flocking to the theater. Audiences have lined up to see Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt,” the multigenerational saga of a Jewish family in Vienna, and the devastating consequences of the Holocaust upon its ranks. They have packed the house…
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DC to declare an official Mimouna day to celebrate end of Passover
WASHINGTON (JTA) — It’s official: The mayor of the U.S. capital wants Washingtonians to celebrate the end of Passover with a traditional North African Jewish party. In a proclamation set to be signed this weekend, Mayor Muriel Bowser will be urging her constituents to celebrate Mimouna, a feast that marks the end of the holiday…
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Hillel Silverman, longtime rabbi whose congregant killed JFK’s assassin, is dead at 99
(JTA) — “If you want to know about my brother, Jack Ruby, you should talk to Hillel Silverman. He was our rabbi in Dallas for 10 years before President Kennedy’s assassination, and he knew Jack very well.” It was 1976, and I had convinced Eva Rubenstein Grant — a loud woman with an even louder…
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Israeli soccer star Manor Solomon is making waves as a rare Jew in the English Premier League
(JTA) — For decades, Jewish players have been increasingly rare in English professional soccer. Since 1992, only one British-born Jew has appeared in the Premier League, the country’s top tier and arguably the best soccer league in the world. But this year, an Israeli has been turning heads with his play in the league, to…
