John Kunza
By John Kunza
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Life Let’s talk about the imposter syndrome that follows converting to Judaism
We don’t really talk about the imposter syndrome that comes after converting to Judaism. I identified as being Jewish since a very young age. Very young. Be it born with a Jewish soul, or lost Jewish lineage in my family tree wanting to be finally heard, I always knew that I was a Jew before…
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News Tikkun olam to the Talmud, Jews double down on identity at protests
Jewish protesters are putting their own spin on the signs they carry to Black Lives Matters rallies across the country. In Brooklyn, home to the largest Jewish community in the United States, signs have included religious and secular tropes, generally sharing a common theme— invoking Jewish identity. Here are just a few of the images…
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News “It should call out to every Jew:” Crown Heights rallies for Black Lives Matter
“This is such a blessing. I’ve been here through riots and we had different uprisings and different things that went on in the Crown Heights community between Blacks and Jews. This to me is, I’m almost choked,” said Felicia Gomes, 55, a lifelong Crown Heights resident after stumbling upon a Black Lives Matter solidarity march…
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Life “Not that kind of Jew:” Why I put on tefillin for the first time at 36
Not that kind of Jew. In the year since I moved to the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, I must have said this dozens of times in response to the enthusiastic calls of Chabad emissaries encouraging me to try wrapping tefillin. I’ve made plenty of excuses, both to myself and to the people on the…
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News Conservative Movement green lights livestreaming on Shabbat, holidays
The Conservative/Masorti movement of Judaism has okayed the use of livestreaming on Shabbat and holidays. “[T]he Conservative/Masorti movement of Judaism adopted a teshuvah (or responsum) this week that could allow for the livestreaming of services on Shabbat and festivals, particularly during the Jewish High Holidays this fall,” the movement announced in a press release Thursday…
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News Jews, allies condemn New York mayor’s tweet blaming ‘Jewish community’ for Satmar funeral
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a message to the “Jewish community” Tuesday night after several hundred people attended the funeral for a Satmar rabbi in Williamsburg, prompting Jews and allies outside the insular world of the Satmar sect to condemn the mayor for his generalization. In a string of tweets, the mayor…
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News Despite social distancing rules, crowd shows up for Brooklyn rabbi’s funeral
At least 100 people gathered Friday outside of the the Chabad Lubavitch’s headquarters in Brooklyn to pay their respects to a rabbi who passed away earlier in the day. Rabbi Aharon Yaacov Schwei, 86, was a prominent figure in the Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Jewish community and held many top roles within the Chabad organization. Despite…
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News Photos from New York’s “No Fear. No Hate.” solidarity march
Some 25,000 people marched across the Brooklyn Bridge Sunday taking part in the “No Fear. No Hate” solidarity rally, here are a few of our favorite photos from the day. John Kunza is the audience editor at The Forward. Follow him on Twitter at @johnkunza.
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