Josefin Dolsten is a New York-based writer who has reported for the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel and other Jewish publications. She currently works as an account director at Fenton Communications, supporting organizations that work to advance racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive rights and more. Dolsten earned her B.A. in government from Cornell University and her M.A. in comparative religion and Jewish studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
(JTA) — The Jewish president of a U.S. teachers union came to the defense of Rep. Keith Ellison, slamming claims that the Minnesota congressman holds anti-Semitic views. On Saturday, Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers praised Ellison as “an agent of change” and called claims that he held anti-Semitic views “maddening.” Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress,…
— The Israeli Knesset has issued a new dress code, banning visitors and employees from wearing miniskirts and short dresses. The rules were based on an earlier version and were “intended to clarify, as much as possible, the ambiguity that existed in the past — while expressing sensitivity and attempting not to hurt the feelings of…
— Natan Sharansky, the chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, visited a Reform synagogue in Israel that was vandalized and received death threats last week. On Wednesday, Sharansky visited Beit Samueli, Kehillat Raanan in Raanana, meeting with representatives from the synagogue in central Israel and Israel’s Reform movement. “It goes without saying that we…
— The “overwhelming majority” of participating countries in the world’s largest regional security group, the Organization for Society and Cooperation in Europe, are not adequately reporting hate crimes, according to a new report. Of the 57 countries in the OSCE — its participating states are located in North America, Europe and Asia — 41 submitted official…
(JTA) — It’s hard to imagine that “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah would have a problem getting people to come to his party. But that is precisely what happened to him as a 13 year old when his Jewish mom insisted he have a bar mitzvah. In an interview with NPR’s Terry Gross, Noah…
— Teva Pharmaceutical Industries of Israel will market and distribute a cannabis inhaler in the country, becoming the first major medical company in the world to do so. Teva signed an agreement to exclusively market and distribute the inhaler developed and manufactured by the Tel Aviv-based company Syqe Medical, the companies said in a statement Monday….
— One hundred anti-Semitic incidents occurred in the 10 days following the presidential election, representing about 12 percent of hate incidents in the U.S. recorded by a civil rights watchdog. The report released Tuesday by the Southern Poverty Law Center looked at 867 hate incidents that occurred in the 10 days following the election of Donald Trump….
Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, whose death was late Friday, had a complicated history with Jews. Under Castro, who seized power in 1959, and his brother Raul Castro, who took over as president in 2008, Jews in Cuba were extended religious freedoms and received special rations from the government for kosher meat. But the former…
100% of profits support our journalism
