For a Jewish baseball purist, Cuba beckons
A Canada-based baseball fan who has befriended and assisted Cuban ball players is fundraising to honor the nation’s Hall of Famers and is gearing up for his 30th trip to the island.
For poker champ Ari Engel, kipah works to his advantage
Winning one recent tournament, this son of an Orthodox rabbi took home $136,500. Engel estimates that he has grossed $5 million playing poker over the last decade.
Argentina’s president adopts Jewish godson to counteract werewolf legend
Yair Tawil was adopted under a law passed in the 1920s to counteract an old legend that a seventh son born after six boys with no girls in between becomes a werewolf whose bite can turn others into a werewolf.
Take JTA’s 2014 news quiz
What made headlines (in Israel, the U.S. and around the world) in 2014? Test your knowledge — and see how you score.
Million-dollar ‘Chocolate Bar': First-grade buddies raise seven figures for rare disease
Two young classmates at a Los Angeles Jewish day school raised $1 million to find a cure for Glycogen Storage Disease.
USY drops ban on interdating
At its annual conference, the Conservative movement’s youth group voted to relax its rules barring its teenage board members from dating non-Jews. USY also decided against requiring the board to be Shabbat observant.
With French ultimatum, European votes on Palestine recognition gain traction
In the run-up to the French parliament’s vote urging the government to recognize Palestine, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said his country would recognize Palestine in two years if peace talks fail.
Top Headlines
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Penn group nixes Chris Hedges as speaker following Israel-ISIS comparison
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Egyptian court cancels annual pilgrimage to rabbi’s grave
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Palestinian throwing rocks at cars shot to death by Israeli soldiers
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Rebuilt Polish synagogue to become Jewish museum
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Cambodian man jailed in stabbing deaths of Dutch Jewish U.N. worker, daughter
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Paris suburb honors jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti
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Hamas prevents orphans from entering Israel for coordinated visit
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Arab countries ban release of ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’
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DCJCC chief: Theater J head Ari Roth not fired over politics
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Israeli actions save Palestinian baby who collapsed at border
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Israel shuts Gaza border crossing following Palestinian rioting
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Lindsey Graham in Jerusalem: Senate vote coming on Iran sanctions bill
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Stabbing tutorial being shared on Palestinian social media
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Apartment firebombed in Jewish neighborhood of eastern Jerusalem
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Two teens arrested in firebombing that severely injured Israeli girl
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Two headstones smashed at Dutch Jewish cemetery
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Kosher restaurant to open in Tokyo
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French police arrest fourth suspect in Creteil rape and robbery
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Child victim of West Bank firebomb attack doing better
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French Jewish students slammed for alleged Bennett snub
More In the TelegraphThe Telegraph
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A Foxman’s bashert and a chance subway meeting
By Uriel Heilman December 29, 2014In The New York Times’ Vows column, the ADL’s Abraham Foxman kvells about the recent wedding of his son, Ariel, to a Cuban-American man who converted to Judaism. More ▸
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From the Archive: Jewish teens and interfaith dating
By Julie Wiener December 27, 2014While the American Jewish community has become increasingly accepting of intermarriage, teens questioned restrictions on interdating even when marrying out was still taboo. More ▸
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BBC TV’s director fears for the future of Jews in the UK
By Gabe Friedman December 26, 2014“I’ve never felt so uncomfortable being a Jew in the UK as I’ve felt in the last 12 months,” Danny Cohen told an Israeli television anchor at a conference in Jerusalem. More ▸
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Estonia’s kosher food problem yields smartphone solution
By Cnaan Liphshiz December 23, 2014Is it kosher? There’s an app for that, thanks to two Estonian Jewish innovators. More ▸
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For third night of Hanukkah, three sundaes. Geltwich anyone?
By Anthony Weiss December 23, 2014In Portland, a dessert enthusiast and local sensation creates a three-course “meal” for Hanukkah. More ▸
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Singing praises — and not — for Christmas remake of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’
By Hillel Kuttler December 23, 2014Is it a betrayal of the Jewish singer-songwriter to rewrite his iconic song for a Christian holiday? More ▸
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From the Archive: Cuban Jews under the embargo
By Gabe Friedman December 20, 2014While Fidel Castro’s 1959 ascent to power had a catastrophic effect on Cuba’s once friendly relationship with the U.S., the revolution’s impact on the island’s Jewish population — and Israel — was less clear, at least at first. More ▸
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A military miracle: Hanukkah care for U.S. armed forces personnel
By Raffi Wineburg December 19, 2014For the last seven years, Kosher Troops has been sending care packages to American-Jewish servicemen and women across the globe. More ▸
& Features
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For a Jewish baseball purist, Cuba beckons
By Hillel Kuttler December 28, 2014A Canada-based baseball fan who has befriended and assisted Cuban ball players is fundraising to honor the nation’s Hall of Famers and is gearing up for his 30th trip to the island. More ▸
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5 poker tips from champ Ari Engel
By Ari Engel December 28, 2014A professional poker player who has grossed an average of $500,000 per year over the last decade offers some key advice for players. More ▸
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For poker champ Ari Engel, kipah works to his advantage
By Uriel Heilman December 28, 2014Winning one recent tournament, this son of an Orthodox rabbi took home $136,500. Engel estimates that he has grossed $5 million playing poker over the last decade. More ▸
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Carolyn Starman Hessel, Jewish world’s book maven, turns the page
By Beth Kissileff December 26, 2014She’s been called “the Jewish Oprah” for her ability to help authors find audiences and has enjoyed enormous clout among publishers. Now after 20 years on the job, she’s retiring. More ▸
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Million-dollar ‘Chocolate Bar': First-grade buddies raise seven figures for rare disease
By Tom Tugend December 24, 2014Two young classmates at a Los Angeles Jewish day school raised $1 million to find a cure for Glycogen Storage Disease. More ▸
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In Dallas, a storied Jewish ‘Christmas Day Classic’ turns 50
By Hillel Kuttler December 24, 2014It all started when 16 friends came together on Christmas 1964, and started a Jewish sports tradition that would span decades. More ▸