The Kvetch-Up: Why are people still surprised that anti-BDS campaigns don’t work?

By Chloe Sobel March 14, 2016

Welcome back to our weekly news round-up, where we try our long-winded best to summarize the Jewish news of the week. If you read something here that you want to say something about, get in touch: editor@newvoices.org. Jay Sanderson, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, told Haaretz that Israeli government officials need…

Read More...

Jewish People’s Assembly demands accountability from Federations

By Chloe Sobel November 6, 2015

This Sunday, thousands of people will arrive in Washington, D.C. for the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. Just outside the GA, they’ll be joined by the Jewish People’s Assembly, a protest that its organizers from Open Hillel expect to draw around 100 attendees. The protest, according to its website, has three…

Read More...

On (Re-)Building the Proud Diaspora Jew

By Amram Altzman January 26, 2015

Growing up in my sheltered, American, religious Zionist, Orthodox bubble, I was told that there were two options for me, especially in light of the Holocaust: I could live in Israel, or I could live in America. The term “Diaspora Jew,” or the idea that there could exist a group of Jews outside of Israel…

Read More...

What Stake Should American Jews Have in Israeli Affairs?

By Amram Altzman June 2, 2014

  Israel has always been always at least somewhat present in my life. Though I have only visited once, as a Jew who was raised in a Jewish educational system, Zionism came part-and-parcel with my religious education. In school, I learned Modern Hebrew as a second language and was exposed to Israeli culture and food….

Read More...

Five Better Uses for Hillel’s $18 Million in Funding

By Carl Levitt February 4, 2014

1. Give $18 million to Carl Levitt. It is a truth universally acknowledged that life after college is hard. With $18 million, I, Carl Levitt, could pay off my creditors and perhaps even live comfortably for the rest of my days. After four grueling years studying at this institution, $18 million would be the least…

Read More...

Occupy Passover; ultra-Orthodox military draft; and more. [Required Reading]

By John Propper February 20, 2012

The responsibility of Jewish federations [Forward] With the economic recession hitting many organizations, religious or otherwise, with hard times, leaders must make choices to ensure survival. But are some federations unfairly compromising the well-being of their employees in the process? The Jewish Daily Forward takes a look: “In this flip exchange lies a serious issue….

Read More...