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Ben Sales
Ben Sales
Piles of ruined books from United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston. The congregation lost many of its prayer books and replenished them through donations. (Courtesy of United Orthodox Synagogues via JTA)
September 19, 2017, 4:09 am
How Houston’s synagogues are handling the High Holidays after Harvey
Jewish houses of worship suffer flooding, million of dollars in damage, but community buoyed by donations, finding makeshift solutions
By Ben Sales
Sarah Chandler leads a twist on the kapparot ritual in which participants hug chickens rather than swinging them over their heads. (Courtesy of Chandler/via JTA)
September 17, 2017, 4:34 am
Hug a chicken and 4 other twists on traditional High Holidays rituals
In recent years, Jewish educators keen on more engagement and relevance have been reclaiming Judaism's season of atonement through innovation and change
By Ben Sales
Mezuzas on sale by Doorpost Blessings. (doorpostblessings.com)
September 16, 2017, 10:23 am
‘Christian mezuzah’ maker says Jewish roots behind her Doorpost Blessings
They look nearly identical to the ones that have adorned Jewish homes for millennia, but Karen Goode's creations bear verses from the New Testament
By Ben Sales
Volunteers in Atlanta’s Orthodox Jewish community coordinate homes for evacuees from Hurricane Irma, which is set to hit Florida this weekend. (Courtesy of Adam Starr via JTA)
September 8, 2017, 10:17 pm
Jews fleeing Hurricane Irma are taking refuge in Atlanta’s synagogues
The number of families seeking shelter with Atlanta’s Orthodox community is up to 250 — and growing
By Ben Sales
Floridians in Tampa filling sandbags to prepare for Hurricane Irma, September 5, 2017. (Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
September 6, 2017, 2:57 am
Bubbe lives in the path of Hurricane Irma. Now what?
Communal agencies are helping prepare Florida's disproportionate number of Jewish elderly for what officials say could be the worst storm to hit the state in decades
By Ben Sales
Rabbi Shai Held, a co-founder of Mechon Hadar, a traditional egalitarian yeshiva, has just released a book of Torah commentaries. (Courtesy of Mechon Hadar/via JTA)
September 1, 2017, 12:42 pm
How Rabbi Shai Held is shaping the conversation around love and politics
The scholar wants to overcome the stereotype that ‘secular Jews are political activists' and 'religious Jews do mitzvahs,' saying he's 'never heard of a more false dichotomy'
By Ben Sales
The Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Maryland has increased police presence at both of its campuses in light of security threats. (Courtesy of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School/via JTA)
August 31, 2017, 5:50 pm
Post-Charlottesville, Jewish schools increase security with bomb threats in mind
While institutions are taking precautions, drastic change isn't on the curriculum
By Ben Sales
Michael Duke, associate editor of the Houston Jewish Herald-Voice, abandoned his SUV in the flooding but still managed to write his articles. (Courtesy of Duke via JTA)
August 31, 2017, 4:33 am
Not even Harvey could stop this family from publishing Houston’s Jewish paper
Chased from their home by flooding, owners of Houston Jewish Herald-Voice preserve newspaper's streak of not missing an edition since 1908
By Ben Sales
Ivanka Trump with her business partner Moshe Lax in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 29, 2014. (Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for DuJour Magazine via JTA)
August 30, 2017, 5:37 am
Ivanka’s ex-business partner faces ‘mountain’ of legal woes
Moshe Lax, an Orthodox Jew, reportedly remains close to US president's daughter even as lawsuits pile up
By Ben Sales
Rescue workers and volunteers help residents make their way out of a flooded neighborhood after it was inundated with rain water following Hurricane Harvey on August 29, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Scott Olson/Getty Images via JTA)
August 30, 2017, 5:31 am
Texas Jewish summer camps reopen to host Houston victims
As Harvey leaves thousands homeless, retreats near Austin offer to shelter families, supervise children
By Ben Sales
A Living Church of God congregation in San Diego celebrates the Feast of Tabernacles -- the church's name for Sukkot -- in 2016. (Courtesy of the Living Church of God/via JTA)
August 26, 2017, 8:14 pm
Christians who celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur a growing trend
Some congregations maintain some of Jesus's Jewish traditions by following the holiday schedule set out in the Old Testament
By Ben Sales
Illustrative image of American Muslim men praying at a mosque in Jersey City, New Jersey, on December 7, 2015. (AFP PHOTO/JEWEL SAMAD)
August 26, 2017, 3:55 am
US Muslims want to increase mosque security, are turning to Jews for help
Cooperation between two communities grows, focusing on how to prevent attacks and handle hate crimes
By Ben Sales
A synagogue in Airmont, NY, a town that has seen its haredi population boom in recent months as families seek larger houses at a more affordable price. (Ben Sales/JTA)
August 24, 2017, 6:12 am
With slurs and petitions, small-town Americans revolt as ultra-Orthodox move in
Anti-Semitic vandalism is meant to discourage Haredim blazing new trails for larger houses with yards, but the newcomers say they're just pursuing the American dream
By Ben Sales
The Peter Stuyvesant statue in New York City stands in a Manhattan square named for him. (Wikimedia Commons)
August 23, 2017, 3:12 am
Should New York City remove statues of its anti-Semitic Dutch governor?
Amid US debate over the removal of Confederacy leaders' statues, Israeli NGO Shurat Hadin is calling to tear down memorials to 17th century Jew-hater Peter Stuyvesant
By Ben Sales
Naseema, a refugee from Afghanistan who did not give her last name, chops mushrooms for shakshuka, August 11, 2017. (Ben Sales/JTA)
August 19, 2017, 3:48 pm
Culinary boot camp prepares refugees for work in NY kitchens
Emma’s Torch, a nonprofit organization and brunch place named for Emma Lazarus, trains migrants to earn a living as professional chefs
By Ben Sales
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