The Books Stolen by the Nazis That Made It Back to the Jewish Victims’ Heirs
The Nazis looted millions of books from Jewish families during the Holocaust. German libraries’ online databases are helping put the situation right
Jewish culture
The Forward, 122-year-old U.S. Jewish Publication, Ends Its Print Edition
The Forward began publication in 1897 and will continue to exist online in English and Yiddish ■ 40 percent of staff laid off
Michael Chabon Adapting His Alternative History Setting the Jewish State in Alaska for TV
CBS Studios and Israeli Keshet Studios acquired the script developed by Chabon and Ayelet Waldman
Editorial The Time Has Come for Civil Marriage in Israel
Growing number of Israeli couples who avoid the rabbinical establishment need an alternative that would guarantee their basic rights
Can You Spot What Is Wrong With These Swimsuits?
“I was so taken aback. It was very stressful. The only thing you feel you have some power with is social media,” says Israeli swimwear designer who had an unpleasant surprise while browsing Macy’s website
Opinion Amos Oz, My Father, Left Us With Words That Can Still Change the World
Those who think that the hope for a better, different Israel died with Amos Oz did not really know him. His words were a kind of invention - so hope would not die
A Secular, Democratic Haven for Jews? What Early Zionist Figures Would Think of Israel Today
Has Israel become what Zionist thinkers Chaim Weizmann, Haim Nahman Bialik and Lea Goldberg envisioned?
Belgium's Flemish Region Bans Jewish and Muslim Methods of Ritual Animal Slaughter
Flemish Region passed the measure in July despite adamant objections by faith community leaders
In Photos Death Is a Job, and Someone's Got to Do It
An assignment to cover a funeral at a Hod Hasharon cemetery led photojournalist Assaf Friedman to undertake a series of images of people whose job it is prepare bodies for their final resting place
After 100 Years, Israel's Oldest Newspaper Turns to a New Audience
With a staff of six, some of them not even in Israel, the Hungarian-language newspaper Új Kelet is published every other month. After being bought by a vegan 'hipster', the veteran paper is turning to a younger, wider audience
It Takes a Lot to Render Simon Schama Speechless – but Netanyahu Managed It
In an interview with Haaretz, the acclaimed historian behind ‘The Story of the Jews’ explains why he considers it his duty to speak out on hot political subjects, whether that be Trump, Brexit or right-wing Israeli politicians
Frank Sinatra's Kippa Was Bought for $10,000. But Why Did the Famous Singer Even Have One?
The story behind Sinatra's hand-knit yarmulke was untold until now
The 11 Books I Wish I'd Read in 2018
Or, why new novels by Gary Shteyngart and Meg Wolitzer, and nonfiction books on the Mossad and the Kishinev pogrom, should make your end-of-year reading list
Leaders of 'Jewish Taliban' Sect Arrested in FBI-Interpol Operation in Mexico
Five leaders of the radical ultra-Orthodox Lev Tahor group have been nabbed; sect has faced allegations of kidnapping, child abuse and sexual abuse
Senior Rabbi Implores Family Not to Cremate Rona Ramon, Widow of First Israeli Astronaut
Ramon, who lost husband Ilan in the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster, asked to be cremated to spare her family another funeral ■ Rabbi tells family that when someone requests not to be buried 'they are not listened to'
The '90s Pop Star Who Left Sweden for Israel in Pursuit of a Less Stressful Life
Swedish pop sensation Army of Lovers scandalized sexual convention in the '90s. But one member of the band, now living in Tel Aviv, doesn’t miss stardom. He only wants to do yoga in the sun
Sacha Baron Cohen, Posing as Israeli Anti-terror Expert, Gets U.S. Lawmakers to Endorse 'Kinderguardians'
The scheme includes a fake instructional video featuring children’s songs and 'gunimals' - weapons adorned with soft toys - that would purportedly help kids confront school shootings
Pure Blood, Tinder and Skype: The Utopia Envisioned a Century Ago by the Father of Israeli Art
In 1918, Boris Schatz, founder of the Bezalel Academy of Art, conceived of the future Israel as a high-tech, peace-loving, vegetarian country where free love reigned supreme. But a eugenics program was also part of his vision
The Brilliant Jewish Art Scholar Who Survived WWII and Killed Himself Once His Career Took Off
Robert Klein was a Jewish immigrant in France who survived World War II, studied medicine, philosophy and art, and put an end to his life in mysterious circumstances. The discovery of a trove of his unpublished works is causing a stir among art historians
Marvel Superhero Creator Stan Lee Dies at 95
Lee was widely credited with adding a new layer of complexity and humanity to superheroes. His characters were not made of stone - even if they appeared to have been chiseled from granite
Opinion The TV Series That Offers a Possible Solution to Israel’s Problems
'Autonomies,' an acclaimed dystopian drama about the formation of two entities – the Haredi Autonomy in Jerusalem and a secular State of Israel in Tel Aviv – shows how Israel’s various cultures could live better with each other separately
The Surprising Letter Tolstoy Wrote to Israeli Author Amos Oz
While he still awaits recognition from the Nobel committee, Amos Oz recently received another, unexpected literary honor
Film on Forgotten Holocaust Resistance Fighter Rocks Dutch Box Office
The highest grossing Dutch film of the year, 'The Resistance Banker,' highlights Walraven van Hal, who bankrolled the anti-Nazi resistance in Holland
Film on Nazi-turned-Austrian President Sheds Light on Rise of Far Right
Ruth Beckermann's 'The Waldheim Waltz,' Austria’s entry into the Oscars’ foreign film race, investigates the roots of far-right populist movements in Europe
Marilyn Monroe's Jewish Prayer Book Goes Up for Auction
Monroe converted to Judaism in 1956 prior to her marriage to Jewish-American writer Arthur Miller. The prayer book was previously put up for auction in 2017 and went unsold
Drake Has His Own Brand of Jewishness
The Canadian rapper, who told Rolling Stone that he's 'proud to be Jewish' is a slippery enigma who changes roles and even accents from song to song, all the while keeping his place on top of the charts
Art Collection Containing Pieces Looted From Jews to Be Exhibited at the Israel Museum
The collection, which has been valued at over $1 billion, had been hidden away by the son of German art dealer Hildebrand Gurlitt and was discovered by chance in 2012
Opinion The Lie of Shiri Maimon: She Didn’t Win Over Broadway, Only Sara Netanyahu
The Israeli performer, who appeared before the prime minister and his wife in New York, is more court singer than star
Gal Gadot to Star in New Agatha Christie Film Adaptation
In 'Death On The Nile,' starring and directed by Kenneth Branagh, Gadot will play a wealthy heiress whose murder catalyzes the plot
The Little-known Language Spoken by Jews Across the Medieval Arab World
Less known than Yiddish or Ladino, Judeo-Arabic was spoken by Jews from Iran to Spain, from Yemen to Syria. The 99-year-old doyen of Maimonides' tongue, says that during Golden Age of Islam, Jewish culture in Arab lands was 10 times greater than that of Ashkenazi Jewry