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Josefin Dolsten is a staff writer for JTA covering the intersection of religion, politics, and gender. Prior to joining JTA, she wrote for the Forward, Times of Israel and Psychology Today. She received an MA in Jewish Studies and Comparative Religion from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a BA in Government from Cornell University.

Latest

• The Reform movement’s rabbinical group appoints its first female leader

  November 15, 2018 3:31pm

  NEW YORK (JTA) — The Reform movement’s rabbinical wing has appointed Rabbi Hara Person as its first female chief executive. The Central Conference of American Rabbis, which represents 2,100 Reform rabbis around the world, made the announcement on Thursday. Person succeeds Rabbi Steven Fox, who is retiring in June after 13 years as CEO. With more…

• 5 unique kosher foods you’ll be eating in 2019

  November 15, 2018 3:23pm

  SECAUCUS, N.J. (JTA) — Once a year, this swampy neighbor of New York City turns into kosher food heaven. Jews from across the country gather at the Meadowlands Exposition Center for the world’s largest kosher food trade show, Kosherfest. There’s plenty of nosherai, Yiddish and kippahs to go around at an event where attendees skew…

• NY Yiddish ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ show is extended and moving to a new theater

  November 15, 2018 2:31pm

  NEW YORK (JTA) — A production of “Fiddler on the Roof” in Yiddish has been extended and will move to a new theater. The producers announced Wednesday that the show will be moving to the off-Broadway venue Stage 42. The all-Yiddish production has been playing off-Broadway at the Museum of Jewish Heritage since opening in…

• How a rabbi saved 4 Torah scrolls from being destroyed in the California wildfires

  November 12, 2018 5:52pm

  (JTA) — The death toll and damage continue to rise in California in the wildfires ravaging the state. More than 6,400 homes have been damaged and at least 31 people have been killed, according to CNN. Like other Californians, Jewish residents are evacuating their homes and dealing with the devastating fallout of the fires. Synagogues,…

• Sarah Silverman: I’m lucky I don’t have to sew a Jewish star on my clothes

  November 12, 2018 12:21pm

  (JTA) — Sarah Silverman was just given one of the highest celebrity honors — a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But her acceptance speech wasn’t so light hearted. “In a scary time when anti-Semitic crime is up 57 percent since 2016, it’s not lost on me how lucky I am to be given…

• How an Iranian asylum seeker raised over $1 million for the Pittsburgh synagogue

  November 9, 2018 1:48pm

  (JTA) — Khashayar “Shay” Khatiri doesn’t like taking too much credit for the money he raised for the Pittsburgh synagogue where a shooting took place last month. “It’s not my fundraiser,” Khatiri, 29, said in a phone interview with JTA on Thursday. “It’s the fundraiser that I started, but it belongs to everybody who donated.”…

• Comedy writer apologizes for having tweeted anti-Semitic jokes

  November 8, 2018 4:43pm

  (JTA) — Comedian and writer Travon Free apologized for having made anti-Semitic jokes on Twitter. Free, who has written for the TBS series “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” apologized after tweets he had written in 2010 and 2011 started circulating Wednesday on social media. “My poor attempts at humor…

• Actress Alyssa Milano won’t speak at Women’s March unless its leaders condemn Farrakhan

  November 7, 2018 5:10pm

  (JTA) — Actress and activist Alyssa Milano said she won’t speak at the next Women’s March if it is organized by two current leaders who will not condemn anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan. In an interview with the Advocate published last week, Milano criticized Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour for not distancing themselves from the Nation of…

• The Jewish women who won midterm elections

  November 7, 2018 4:40pm

  (JTA) — Tuesday night’s midterm elections were hailed as a victory for gender parity, as an unprecedented number of women won bids to serve in Congress. More than 100 women were elected to serve in the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to final vote tallies and projections. It’s a group that includes 11…

• Jared Polis elected first Jewish governor of Colorado

  November 6, 2018 10:13pm

  (JTA) — Jared Polis will be the first Jewish governor of Colorado as well as the country’s first openly gay man elected governor. The 43-year-old Democrat, who has been representing the state in the House of Representatives since 2009, is projected to beat Republican Walker Stapleton after Tuesday evening’s election. Prior to entering politics, Polis…