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Jeopardy's rabbinic clue, NBA star looking for shidduch, new series from creators of 'Shtisel,' DNA test gives man surprise about dad, and 7 Jews who fascinated us in 2021.
OUR LEAD STORY YU’s historic 50-game streak faces its most serious test: The Maccabees have lived up to the miracle their name represents. The team that was once thought a longshot to win one game has now outlasted 50. To put that in perspective, YU men’s basketball has not lost in more than two years. But there’s a chance their historic win-streak could finally end at 7:30 p.m ET tonight. Here’s why…
The competition: While YU is certainly a good team, it has also benefited from a relatively easy schedule. The Maccabees have yet to play a ranked opponent during the streak. Until now: No. 4-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University has a size advantage over YU and a lot of experience playing on the road against formidable teams.
Midwestern Jewish resilience: Wesleyan is in Bloomington, Illinois, a town about halfway between St. Louis and Chicago with a synagogue dating back more than a century. The close-knit Jewish community has survived in part thanks to new arrivals associated with the university. “We like to say that we are small but mighty,” said Beth Robb, a Wesleyan alumna and member of Moses Montefiore Temple. Our Louis Keene has a preview of the game ➤ ALSO FROM THE FORWARD Forward Shortlist – 7 American Jews who fascinated us in 2021: They range in age from 23 to 71, and are spread across the U.S. from Los Angeles to Long Island. They are fathers and daughters, writers and readers, activists and community builders. They love Passover — and coffee. After 26 years of producing the Forward 50, an annual list of the “most influential American Jews,” we’re trying something different. Some lesser-known names. Different criteria. See who made the list ➤
Opinion | My wife gave me a DNA test kit for Hanukkah. What it revealed changed my life: “At the age of 73 I had just received a stunning revelation that would upend everything I thought I knew,” writes Jay M. Ritt. Born in the Bronx, Ritt thought he knew his family. His mom was indeed his mom. But the tests showed that her obstetrician was his biological father. The doctor had artificially inseminated her. Read the essay ➤
In new role, the ‘Anthony Fauci of the New York City Council’ aims to fight COVID and antisemitism:Mark Levine will be sworn in as Manhattan Borough President this weekend. He credits his track record on health issues to his late father, Marshal, a physician, and his social activism to his mother, Adele, who marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma in 1965. “I still can’t believe I’m going to have this opportunity,” he told our senior political reporter, Jacob Kornbluh. Read the interview ➤
Not even Alexander Vindman is safe from Larry David’s warped worldview: The season finale of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” featured, among other things, David pilfering a pair of shoes from a Holocaust exhibit. But the coup de grâce was a cameo by Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman, the man who testified before Congress against President Trump – and blows the whistle on David. “Once Vindman enters the realm of David’s idiosyncratic moral code, he begins to legitimize it,” writes our PJ Grisar in an analysis of the show. Read the story ➤ WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY 🤔 “What is rabbi?” Angela Buchdahl, senior rabbi of Manhattan’s Central Synagogue, was a clue on “Jeopardy!” Wednesday night. A picture of Rabbi Buchdahl in a tallit was shown as the $800 clue in a category called “I am woman.” The contestant answered correctly. Buchdahl is a member of the Forward’s governing board. Her appearance comes amid a string of notable Jewish clues on “Jeopardy!” in recent months – including one about cholent, the slow-cooked Shabbat stew, and an entire category devoted to Yiddish theater. (JTA)
✡️ Israel’s chief rabbi, David Lau, told Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that he would not approve any future conversions to Judaism if the government continues to advance a plan to ease the process and dilute his control over it. Lau said the plan would “result in a split of the Jewish people.” (Jerusalem Post)
🏀 Amar’e Stoudemire, the former NBA player who converted to Judaism in 2020, said he’s ready to remarry and looking for a “shidduch” – dates set up by an old-fashioned matchmaker. Stoudemire, who divorced from Alexis Welch in April, gave out his email address so fans could send suggestions. (JTA)
👍 Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said his choice to head the Jewish Agency is Ruth Calderon, a former Knesset member and Talmudic scholar. She is one of a handful of candidates competing for the high-profile job. With an annual budget of nearly $400 million, the agency is the largest global Jewish nonprofit. (Haaretz, Forward)
🧢 A firearms store in Kansas City refused to let a Muslim woman use the gun range unless she removed her hijab, a federal lawsuit alleges. A store manager said the concern was that shrapnel could cause the hijab and skin to burn; customers are allowed to wear baseball hats. (Kansas City Star)
📺 The studio that brought you Israeli hits “Shtisel” and “Fauda” is developing a new TV series about the behind-the-scenes happenings of Israel’s politics. Called “Aleph,” it’s being written by Odelia Karmon, a former press adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu. (Variety)
ON THE CALENDAR On this day in history: Sandy Koufax, who declined to pitch the opening game of the 1965 World Series in observance of Yom Kippur, was born on Dec. 30, 1935. Koufax’s Dodgers lost that 1965 game, but won the championship. “There was no hard decision for me,” the pitcher said in an ESPN documentary released in 2000. “It was just a thing of respect. I wasn’t trying to make a statement, and I had no idea that it would impact that many people.” Read why Koufax’s decision still matters today and see our roundup of to the 10 greatest moments of his career ➤
Last year on this day, we reported that Jonathan Pollard, recently released from prison, had landed in Israel with his wife, Esther. “We are ecstatic to be home at last after 35 years,” Pollard said while standing next to Benjamin Netanyahu on the tarmac.
VIDEO OF THE DAY Nissim Black, an Orthodox Jewish rapper, recently debuted the music video to his new single, “Adored,” filmed on location at the Dead Sea in Israel.
––– Act before the end of the year: As 2021 comes to a close, now is your chance to power independent Jewish journalism in the year ahead. Show your support for the news you trust and make a tax-deductible donation to the Forward today to help support initiatives like this newsletter. Donate now ➤
Thanks to Nora Berman and PJ Grisar for contributing to today’s newsletter. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at editorial@forward.com.
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