Gabrielle Birkner
By Gabrielle Birkner
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Life Telling White Supremacists Apart
White supremacists have a lot in common — the hatred of Jews, not least among those things. But the racist groups that find themselves under the white supremacist umbrella also have their share of ideological differences. Slate’s invaluable Explainer column this week reveals why Odinist racism is incompatible with Christian Identity racism, and teaches us…
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Life Media Roundup: ‘Bad’ Jewish Moms Get the Last Laugh
• With the release of Ayelet Waldman’s “Bad Mother” and Lenore Skenazy’s “Free Range Kids,” self-proclaimed “bad” Jewish mothers are having their moment. • A breast cancer diagnosis brought Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz closer to her Jewish heritage, according to a Moment magazine profile of the Florida Democrat. • Jewess has a Q&A with Tamar Snyder, the founder…
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Life A Flu by Any Other Name
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox top health official earlier this week said that, within the Jewish state, “swine flu” would be called “Mexican flu.” Perhaps he thought that all the talk of the potentially deadly flu associated with pigs would cause a run on pork chops, bacon and deli-style ham — even though the outbreaks have been having…
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Life Gail Hareven’s New Yorker Debut
Where the Forward goes, The New Yorker follows — in this instance, at least. In February, the Forward brought you an excerpt from Gail Hareven’s recently released novel “The Confessions of Noa Weber” (Melville House) — the author’s 11th book, but her first to be translated into English — and this candid Q&A. This week,…
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Life Treating Eating Disorders in Orthodox Women
Observant Jews seeking help for anorexia or bulimia have long had the added burden of finding treatment programs that will accommodate their religious practices, such as adherence to the laws of kashrut and Sabbath observance. But now a nationwide network of eating disorders treatment facilities has launched a track specifically for observant Jewish women. The…
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Life Bridal Diary: Embracing My Inner ‘Top Chef’ — or Not
I nearly had a panic attack at my bridal shower last week, and I blame Williams-Sonoma. In advance of my June wedding, my mother, aunt and cousin graciously hosted a festive brunch in my honor. There, an all-female crowd offered up thoughtful advice on enduring marriages, and toasted with Champagne my forthcoming nuptials. Then…
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Life Watch King Abdullah’s ‘Meet the Press’ Moment
During an interview Sunday with David Gregory on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” King Abdullah of Jordan said that all of the problems in the Middle East stem from the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He told a seemingly incredulous Gregory: Unless we solve the core issue of the Israeli-Palestinian, Israeli-Arab challenges, then we will always be an…
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Life Media Roundup: Mikveh and the Single Girl, Nude Ladies Parties
• “The Good Body,” a follow-up to “The Vagina Monologues” by playwright Eve Ensler, top right, centers on a Jewish woman of a certain age who undergoes surgery to make sex more pleasurable for her husband. • Rabbi Andrew Sacks thinks more mikvehs should open their doors to non-married women. • Jeffrey Zaslow, the Forward’s…
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FIRST PERSON As a rabbi, he helped others mourn. So why wouldn’t his daughter say kaddish for him?
In Case You Missed It
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Yiddish טשיקאַווער ראָמאַן וועגן פֿרוי וואָס זוכט אַ גײַסטיקע היים אין ירושלים — דורך ייִדישUnique novel about woman who seeks a spiritual home in Jerusalem — through Yiddish
די העלדין פֿון „דאָ איז נאָך אַלץ דאָ“ טראָגט אױף זיך דעם לאַסט פֿון איר באָבעס חורבן־טראַװמע.
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Fast Forward Many Israelis are celebrating Trump’s win, seeing him as more likely to back their country
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Fast Forward Eugene Vindman, whose Jewish immigrant story played a role in Trump’s impeachment, elected to Congress
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Fast Forward Anxiety, concern and hope: How swing-state rabbis, and their communities, are reacting to Trump’s win
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