Ben Harris
By Ben Harris
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News Jonathan Sacks, former UK chief rabbi and Jewish ‘intellectual giant,’ dies at 72
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom whose extensive writings and frequent media appearances commanded a global following among Jews and non-Jews alike, has died. Sacks died Saturday morning at age 72, his Twitter account announced. He was in the midst of a third bout of cancer, which he had announced…
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Fast Forward Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says he is being treated for cancer
(JTA) — Former British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks announced he has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing treatment. In a statement posted to his Twitter feed Thursday afternoon, Sacks’ office said he had been “recently diagnosed” with an unspecified cancer and hoped to return to work “as soon as possible.” “He remains positive and…
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Fast Forward Adin Steinsaltz, acclaimed scholar who made the Talmud more accessible, dies at 83
(JTA) — Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinzaltz, the acclaimed scholar whose landmark translation of the Talmud enabled a vast readership to access one of Judaism’s most canonical texts, has died. Steinsaltz died Friday at 83 in Jerusalem. Steinsaltz’s monumental translation of the 63 volumes of the Babylonian Talmud made the arcane rabbinic debates and folkloric tales…
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Fast Forward Are families fleeing Jewish day schools? Far from it, but it’s complicated.
(JTA) — In the last academic year, Syracuse Hebrew Day School had a grand total of 34 students enrolled in grades K-6, down from a high-water mark of 165 students decades ago. The 60-year-old school in central New York, the only Jewish day school for 75 miles, has seen its fortunes sink along with those…
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News Bertram Korn, 64, Former Editor Of Philadelphia Jewish Exponent
(JTA) — Bertram Korn, the former editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent and longtime Jewish activist, died in July 5 from COVID-19. He was 64. Known to his friends as Buddy, Korn served as executive editor of the Exponent from 1994 to 1997 and was involved in establishing the Philadelphia branch of the media watchdog…
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Fast Forward Poway Chabad Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein pleads guilty to tax fraud
(JTA) — The rabbi who lost a finger in a shooting attack on a Chabad synagogue in Poway, California, in 2019 pleaded guilty to tax fraud. Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein pleaded guilty Tuesday in a scheme in which donors contributed to his synagogue but then got most of the money back, enabling the donor to claim…
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Fast Forward Netanyahu admits Israel reopened ‘too soon’ after surge of COVID diagnoses
(JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the reopening of the economy amid the coronavirus occurred “too soon” Facing a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, Netanyahu took responsibility for the decision to reopen the country a month ago after severe early restrictions were put in place to halt its spread. “We…
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News Lester Wax, 74, Vintage Car Enthusiast With International Reputation
(JTA) — Lester Wax loved cars, but his pride and joy was a 1931 LaSalle that looks like it could have belonged to Daddy Warbucks. Wax purchased the car in the summer of 1969 for $325 and restored it with help from his father, an auto mechanic who owned a couple of gas stations. The…
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