Sam Kestenbaum is a contributing editor and former staff writer for the Forward. Before this, he worked for The New York Times and newsrooms in Sana, Ramallah and Beijing. Contact him at kestenbaum@forward.com and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum and on Instagram at @skestenbaum.
In Brooklyn, the progressive left is fracturing over charges of anti-Semitism. A group of Jewish activists pamphleted an open mic event held last week at Brooklyn Commons, a progressive gathering space in Boerum Hill, condemning the venue’s leadership for partnering with “anti-Semities and white nationalists” — and the scene descended into chaos. The crowd shouted….
Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban says he is receiving death threats after baiting Donald Trump on Twitter ahead of Monday’s presidential debate. “Unfortunately, we’ve been getting death threats,” said Cuban, “and Trumpians have been trying to hack everything we have, so I’ve had to spend too much time on security and protecting my family. So that’s…
The race is on to reach a “Lost Tribe of Israel” in West Africa. The Igbo of Nigeria have long believed themselves to be descended from the Israelites of the bible, an oral history passed on for generations. And now there is a competition brewing between Messianic Jews, who teach Jesus Christ is the Messiah,…
The actor Ato Essandoh is taking on a particularly challenging role in the new NBC drama “Chicago Med,” which centers around life in an emergency room. He not only has to learn how to convincingly play a cardiothoracic surgeon — Essandoh also has to take on the role of an Orthodox Jew. “His head is…
A Jewish Yankee fan is alleging officials failed to investigate his complaint against a fellow fan who tauntingly grabbed his yarmulke of his head during a September 12 baseball game at Yankee Stadium. Ben Lapin, an Orthodox Jew, told the Daily News that a man sitting behind him grabbed the yarmulke off his head while…
A former lawmaker for the far-right Jobbik party in Hungary, who stepped down when he discovered his own Jewish roots, is now immigrating to Israel. In an interview with the Hebrew website Ma’ariv, Csanad Szegedi said he wants to parter with Israeli groups to coordinate in the fight against the type of anti-Semitism he once…
The eccentric one-time TV star and kabbalistic “Hebrew priestess” Roseanne Barr said she would pick Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, if she had to choose. “I think he’s trying to wake people up and she’s trying to put them to sleep,” Barr said of Trump, speaking to the Canadian website the Star. “Sometimes when you…
The disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner allegedly sexted with a 15-year-old for months, according to an explosive Wednesday post from the Daily Mail. Weiner allegedly wrote the teenager lewd messages for months, sent her shirtless pictures of himself, and asked her to dress up in “school girl” outfits for him on a video messaging application. He…
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