<p>(<a href=”http://www.jta.org”>JTA</a>) — On Friday, for the third time since September, Timothy Reif found himself standing in the New York District Attorney’s Office to accept a modernist drawing that the Nazis looted from his family.</p> <p>With him in the room was a relative of another family that survived the Nazis and that — in an... The post Another Nazi-looted Schiele painting has been returned to heirs of ‘Cabaret’ inspiration Fritz Grünbaum appeared first on The Forward ..read more

(JTA) — After three years of mostly not speaking, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former President Donald Trump had a warm reunion on Friday, with the Republican presidential candidate taking the opportunity to accuse the Biden administration of bringing the world to the brink of war. “If we win, it will be very simple,... The post Trump, meeting with Netanyahu, says we are ‘close’ to World War III because of Biden appeared first on The Forward ..read more

Among the approximately 700,000 voters who cast “uncommitted” in Democratic primaries this spring to protest President Joe Biden’s position on the war in Gaza, there are some Vice President Kamala Harris will never win over and those she will never lose.  “She’s already been bought,” said Warren Fry, a Roanoke, Virginia, teacher who drove to... The post Angry about Gaza, will uncommitted voters commit to Kamala Harris? appeared first on The Forward ..read more

For years, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania was able to execute a balancing act that eludes many Jewish politicians: vocally supporting Israel while maintaining close ties with Arab and Muslim voters. After Shapiro became attorney general in 2017, he helped lead opposition to the Trump administration’s travel ban targeting Muslims. A longtime state representative, he... The post Shapiro’s position on Gaza tests close bonds with Arab, Muslim community appeared first on The Forward ..read more

In this week and month and year of unprecedented news events, I invite you to suspend disbelief for the time it takes you to read this newsletter and consider one more: Joe Biden devotes his lame-duck presidency to not just ending the war in Gaza and bringing home the hostages, but forging a lasting Middle... The post Why Israel and the Palestinians need Joe Biden now more than ever appeared first on The Forward ..read more

The people thirst for Doug Emhoff. Online, thanks to a viral photo of Emhoff at age 20, giving a dopey little smirk to the camera in a blue Laguna Beach tee, legions of commenters are alternately drooling and congratulating Kamala Harris on her husband. “Wait THAT’S what Doug looked like back in the day? Okay,... The post Is Doug Emhoff hot? It may matter more than you think appeared first on The Forward ..read more

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims he is doing everything in his power to bring home the hostages held by Hamas, and he made their fate a prominent aspect of his speech to the U.S. Congress this week. But at home, he stands widely accused to doing everything in his power to scuttle a deal.   His... The post Is Netanyahu really trying to scuttle a hostage deal? appeared first on The Forward ..read more

(JTA) — When pictures of a mural in Norway depicting Anne Frank wearing a keffiyeh began circulating online this week, Jewish voices swiftly denounced it as a hateful form of anti-Israel protest. “Depicting a Holocaust victim with a keffiyeh is a gross distortion of history,” the European Jewish Congress wrote in a statement. “Such acts... The post Norwegian street artist defends mural of Anne Frank in a keffiyeh appeared first on The Forward ..read more

(JTA) — A new excavation has unearthed parts of the Great Synagogue of Vilna, once the oldest and most important building for Lithuanian Jews before it was destroyed by the Nazis and razed by the Soviets. Archeologists found the synagogue floor decorated with red, black and white flowers, along with the remains of a vibrant... The post Archeologists uncover floor of the Great Synagogue of Vilna, destroyed by the Nazis and Soviets appeared first on The Forward ..read more

This summer in Paris, Israeli athletes will proudly compete as citizens of Israel. Six Palestinians will be competing too — but not as citizens of Palestine, because there is no nation of Palestine.  This year has seen the question of Palestinian statehood gain extraordinary attention, with 143 member states voting to admit Palestine to the... The post Palestinians will compete at the Olympics — without a state to represent. Here’s why Jews should be outraged appeared first on The Forward ..read more