The Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem launched the world’s largest online database of Jewish art. The Bezalel Narkiss Index of Jewish Art is a collection of digitized images and information about Jewish artifacts from all over the world. The online collection includes more than 260,000 images of objects and artifacts from 700 museums, synagogues and private collections in 41 different countries, as well as architectural drawings of 1,500 synagogues and Jewish ritual buildings from antiquity to the modern day. The public can access the Bezalel Index of Jewish Art and search more than a quarter of a million images, with accompanying details and descriptions, either by simple keyword search, or according to such categories as Iconographical Subject, Origin, Artist, … [Read more...]
JNF Illegally Loaned $500K To CEO, NYS Regulators Say
According to the Forward: "One of the American Jewish community’s most iconic charities appears to have broken New York state law by loaning its CEO over $500,000 to help him buy property... Now, New York regulators are demanding that JNF quickly recover the half-million dollar loan it made to its CEO, Russell Robinson, and another, smaller loan it made to its chief financial officer, Mitchel Rosenzweig. The loans, made in the 2015 fiscal year, appear to have violated a state law barring charities from lending money to their officers... After being alerted to JNF’s loans by an inquiry from the Forward, the office of New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent a letter to the organization on July 25, demanding that the loans be fully repaid by the end of the year. For more, … [Read more...]
Building the First Public Mikvah in Birobidzhan, in Russia’s Far East
The first-ever public mikvah is currently under construction in the famous Yiddish-speaking city of Birobidzhan in Russia’s Far East. It’s being built in anticipation of the 20th anniversary of the revival of the Jewish community in the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Republic, which Stalin established as an alternative Soviet Zion in the distant reaches of Siberia. The next closest ritual bath lies in the city of Khabarovsk, some 200 kilometers away, making it difficult for Jewish families to maintain the laws of family purity. Birobidzhan-born Rabbi Eliyahu Riss - a graduate of Jewish educational and rabbinical institutions in Moscow (a nine-hour flight away) and Israel - has been active in the city and region since he and his wife, Anna, returned in 2012. They have managed to strengthen … [Read more...]
Pew releases survey of U.S. Muslims
The early days of Donald Trump’s presidency have been an anxious time for many Muslim Americans, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Overall, Muslims in the U.S. perceive a lot of discrimination against their religious group, are leery of President Donald Trump and think their fellow citizens do not see Islam as part of mainstream American society. At the same time, however, Muslim Americans express a persistent streak of optimism and positive feelings. Overwhelmingly, they say they are proud to be Americans, believe that hard work generally brings success in this country and are satisfied with the way things are going in their own lives - even if they are not satisfied with the direction of the country as a whole. Indeed, nearly two-thirds of Muslim Americans say they are … [Read more...]
Holocaust Survivors of Iasi Death Trains to receive Compensation Pensions
Jewish survivors of the Holocaust era “death trains,” pogrom and subsequent open ghettos in Iasi, Romania are now eligible to receive compensation pensions. The announcement follows the Claims Copnference’s early July negotiations with the German government. Approximately 15,000 Jews were murdered between the Iasi pogrom and “death trains.” Some Jews who survived the massacre of the pogrom were forced onto train cars where they were left for days while the train traveled between towns, killing most of the occupants through suffocation, dehydration and madness. Those Jews left behind in Iasi were forced to live in a designated section of the town set up as an open ghetto, under curfew, in constant fear of deportation to labor camps, enduring regular beatings and cruelty by both German and … [Read more...]
Hebrew College President, Rabbi Daniel Lehmann, to Step Down
Rabbi Daniel L. Lehmann, under whose stewardship Hebrew College has set the standard for Jewish learning and leadership for a pluralistic world, will step down from his position as president during the next academic year. As president for nearly a decade, Rabbi Lehmann has led Hebrew College to become a national center of pluralistic Jewish education, focusing on the intersection of rigorous intellectual exploration, spiritual creativity, and communal transformation. “After nine extraordinary and deeply fulfilling years at Hebrew College, I have decided it is the right time, both personally and institutionally, for a change. It has been a distinct privilege and blessing to lead this venerable institution and I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a vibrant and committed … [Read more...]
Jonathan (Jon) Woocher, PhD, z”l
It is with sadness we share news of the untimely passing of Jonathan (Jon) Woocher, PhD, z”l. Jon, 70, was a long-time educator; a friend and colleague to many of us, and an early advisor to eJP. Jon worked for 27 years at JESNA as President and then as Chief Ideas Officer, where he headed the Lippman Kanfer Institute, an action-oriented think tank for innovation in Jewish Learning and Engagement. Jon joined Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah in 2013 as its first President and became Senior Fellow in September 2016. Among Jon's many notable achievements was convening the first-ever Consultation on Jewish Social Entrepreneurship and New Leadership Development (New York, Sept. 2008) under the Lippman Kanfer banner. Jon is survived by his wife, Sherry, two children and one … [Read more...]
Lynn Schusterman Honored as a Builder of Jerusalem
Philanthropist Lynn Schusterman received the Builder of Jerusalem award from Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Wednesday night. The award recognizes those who demonstrate a deep personal commitment to the city and whose work is helping to shape a promising future for Jerusalem. … [Read more...]
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