School's new logo resembles Nazi insignia, how Jews can respond to climate crisis, archaeologists make surprising finds at Warsaw Ghetto site, and an Israeli startup builds a flying car. |
My own childhood copy of the Birnbaum prayer book. (Benyamin Cohen) |
He wrote a beloved prayer book. But his gravestone misspelled his name. Many of us grew up in synagogues that used what we called the Birnbaum Siddur, a prayer book edited by Philip Birnbaum, who died in 1988. So it came as a surprise that the eight-word gravestone honoring Birnbaum, an author, teacher and translator so careful with words, had no fewer than three errors. A birth: Birnbaum’s prayer book, “HaSiddur HaShalem,” was widely used in both Orthodox and Conservative congregations, selling more than 300,000 copies. First published in 1949, it was a departure from the formal prayer books of an earlier generation because of its accessible language, clear directions and scholarly notes. A death: Birnbaum died at 83, and was buried in a cemetery outside New York City. He left no heirs and a monument company installed a headstone that added an extra ‘l’ to his first name, listed the wrong year of his birth, and referred to him as “renouned author.” The stone sat, undisturbed and largely unnoticed, for 34 years. A reckoning: A young scholar doing research on Birnbaum stumbled across a photo of the gravestone online and reached out to rabbis from the shul where Birnbaum spent his later years. Within weeks, they raised $3,000 to replace the stone with one that not only corrects the mistakes but adds a Hebrew verse adapted from the High Holiday liturgy. “He instructed the mouths of his nation,” the verse reads, “so that they should not err in their language or falter in their speech.” A keepsake: Ari L. Goldman, who penned Birnbaum’s obituary in The New York Times, writes about the gravestone saga in a new essay for the Forward, weaving in his own memories of the iconic prayer book. “One of my prize possessions is the Birnbaum used by my late mother,” he writes. “She would regularly kiss the siddur both before and after she prayed. On its cover and many of its pages I can still see her lipstick.” Read the story ➤ |
Mormon Temple weddings require garb not usually seen outside the holy space – but recreated for Hulu's 'Under the Banner of Heaven.' (Michelle Faye/FX) |
Mormonism and Judaism are dominating television. Is that good for representation? The past few years have seen an explosion of shows about religious people, especially Orthodox Jews and Mormons. In the wake of each show, rabid curiosity dominates the internet, and viewers who have little real-world contact with Jews or Mormons extrapolate one scandalous story to represent an entire swath of people. Are these shows about representing Judaism and Mormonism, wonders our culture writer, Mira Fox, or are they really about reinforcing mainstream Christianity? Read the story ➤ Opinion | At every level, Jews must push for divestment from fossil fuels: Chloe Maxmin, a state legislator in Maine, has a plan to combat the climate crisis, and a background to back it up. As a student at Harvard, Maxmin co-founded a group that successfully pushed the university to divest from fossil fuels in 2021. Her new plan is to encourage all Jewish communal organizations, including synagogues, to take their investment dollars away from the industries causing the climate emergency. “It’s not about helping synagogues recycle,” Maxmin writes, “it’s about synagogue members helping to reform a deadly aspect of the global financial system and keep fossil fuels in the ground.” Read her essay ➤ But wait, there’s more… A suburban Atlanta elementary school sparked outrage when it revealed its new logo – which resembled a Nazi insignia.
Hours after meeting with Orthodox leaders in Borough Park, former Mayor Bill De Blasio quit the crowded race for Congress in a heavily Jewish district.
Opinion | The monkeypox surge is only the latest example of marginalized peoples’ needs being ignored by the government.
Responding to an opinion essay we published Monday arguing that the Anti-Defamation League had strayed from its core mission and become more partisan, the organization says the author distorted its record and ignored examples that undermine her argument. |
WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY |
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker at a news conference after the hostage-taking in January. (Getty) |
🕍 Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who overtook a hostage-taker at a Texas synagogue in January, began his new job at a 280-family Reform congregation in Winston Salem, N.C. He’s told the congregants he wants them to undergo active-shooter training – but not let fear prevent them from participating in community. “We can’t be afraid to walk out the door,” he said. “We can’t be afraid to walk into this door.” (Religion News Service) 🤦 An Israeli reporter snuck into Mecca, triggering an outcry in Saudi Arabia. It’s illegal under Saudi law and prohibited by Muslim jurisprudence for non-Muslims to enter Mecca’s holy sites. The reporter and his employer, Channel 13, apologized. (JTA) ✈️ The case against two London soccer fans who harassed a visibly Jewish passenger on a flight to Belgium with an antisemitic song has been tossed out because of a technicality. Prosecutors were unable to determine whether the incident took place in British airspace and, therefore, within the court’s jurisdiction. (Sky Sports) 🏃♀️ Nikki Haley, the former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., hinted that she will run for president in 2024 during an event this week hosted by Christians United for Israel. Speaking about a new Iran deal, Haley said “If this president signs any sort of deal, I’ll make you a promise, the next president will shred it on her first day in office.” (Jewish Insider) 🇮🇹 A U.S. rabbi is reviving an Italian hamlet by restoring its Jewish roots, which were nearly severed five centuries ago when the Inquisition forced Jews to convert to Christianity. The town now has an aging population and the rabbi is helping repopulate the area with Ukrainian refugees. (AP) 🎤 Ben Platt, Tony Award-winning star of “Dear Evan Hansen” and proud product of a Los Angeles Jewish education, wore a “Choice” button to sing the national anthem Tuesday night at Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. (Forward) Mazel tov ➤ To H&H Bagels, the iconic New York eatery, on celebrating its 50th anniversary this week. If you live outside the tri-state area (and don’t want to order online), here’s how to make a New York bagel in your own kitchen. What else we’re reading ➤ Children are being born from sperm harvested from Israeli soldiers who get killed. It’s causing a controversy … Pink, the Jewish pop star, channeled her rage against neo-Nazis into a new song … An Israeli startup that is developing a flying car aced its first hover test.
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Tom Cruise portrayed the German colonel instrumental in Operation Valkyrie in a 2008 film about the mission. (MGM) |
On this day in history (1943): The German-led Operation Valkyrie, an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, failed. The members of the Reserve Army were appalled by the atrocities Hitler had committed and planned to seize government buildings to free the German people of their loyalty to him; they also sought to arrest high-ranking Nazi officers. After the plot failed, about 5,000 Germans were punished and executed. On the Hebrew calendar, it’s the yahrtzeit of Elijah Baal Shem of Worms, a rabbi and kabbalist, who died in 1636. In honor of National Pennsylvania Day, here are 15 Jewish facts about the Keystone State.
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(Robert Wilczyński/Warsaw Ghetto Museum) |
Nearly 80 years after the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, archaeologists in Poland are working to exhume the site of the underground bunker known as Miła 18, which was used by the Jewish Combat Organization. On May 8, 1943, while surrounded by Nazi soldiers, some 120 of the resistance fighters committed suicide inside the building. In June of this year, a new round of archaeological research began in the former ghetto area, conducted by the Warsaw Ghetto Museum and a team of scientists from the U.S. and Poland. Archaeologists at the site found children’s shoes, stove tiles, ceramic floor tiles, fragments of crockery, tools and other objects. See photos of what they found ➤
––– Play today’s Vertl puzzle, the Yiddish Wordle Thanks to Nora Berman, Mira Fox, Amanda Rozon, Jodi Rudoren, Rina Shamilov, Jake Wasserman and Talya Zax for contributing to today’s newsletter. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at editorial@forward.com. |
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