Ben Sales
By Ben Sales
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Fast Forward Park East: Fired rabbi says accusations of synagogue coup are ‘completely unfounded, and personally hurtful’
(JTA) In his first public comments since being fired from Park East Synagogue two weeks ago, Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt defended himself against charges of an “insurrection” and illegal activity and raised concerns about his former congregation’s future. Goldschmidt was abruptly fired from Park East, the wealthy Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, by the…
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News A world-famous rabbi, a popular assistant and a succession crisis: Inside the rupture at Park East Synagogue
NEW YORK (JTA) — Near the start of his Rosh Hashanah sermon last month, Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt asked congregants a question: “Is there a person in your life that you feel you have done everything you could do to reconcile with, yet nothing works?” The sermon was about the biblical rivalry between the young David…
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Fast Forward Park East Synagogue pushes out assistant rabbi, sparking protest
NEW YORK (JTA) — Park East Synagogue, a Modern Orthodox congregation on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, fired its popular assistant rabbi after the longtime head rabbi rebuffed a congregant-led push to “revitalize the synagogue.” Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt, 34, had been working for the synagogue for a decade and was known for his outreach to Russian-speaking…
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News Hebrew translation, where are you? Sally Rooney boycotting Israel with new novel
CORRECTION: This article has been corrected to note that Rooney is boycotting Israeli publishing houses, not a Hebrew translation of her novel. In a statement Tuesday, Rooney said that while she would not publish with an Israeli press, she would be happy to sell Hebrew translation rights to another publisher in a way that complies…
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Fast Forward A Proud Boys-affiliated rabbi in Florida is offering to endorse COVID-19 vaccine exemption requests
(JTA) — Who are the rabbis writing religious exemption letters for Jews (and others) who oppose COVID-19 vaccine mandates? One answer came this week when a New York City teacher said she’d gotten a letter from a rabbi who was penalized by Chabad for his anti-vaccination rhetoric. Another answer came Thursday in a Miami New…
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Fast Forward Poway synagogue shooter gets life without parole in state court sentencing
(JTA) — The man who opened fire at a synagogue in Poway, California, in 2019 will spend the rest of his life in prison. The shooter, who attacked the Chabad of Poway with an automatic rifle on the last day of Passover, killed one person, Lori Gilbert Kaye, and injured three, including the synagogue rabbi…
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Fast Forward Anchorage mayor defends anti-maskers who wore yellow Stars of David in protest – then apologizes
(JTA) — The mayor of Alaska’s largest city defended anti-mask protesters who wore yellow Stars of David in reference to the Holocaust, calling their use of the Nazi-era symbol a “credit” to the Jewish people. Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson opposes both mask and vaccine mandates, but as as Alaska experiences a severe COVID-19 outbreak, the…
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Fast Forward After a fight, Seattle City Council won’t bar police from training with Israeli forces
(JTA) — In a contentious meeting last week, the Seattle City Council narrowly voted down legislation that would have prohibited the city’s police department from conducting training with Israeli forces. The bill, which was defeated by a vote of 5-4 at the council’s meeting on Sept. 20, was conceived following the May conflict between Israel…
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