New York News

Round-The-Year Burials

11/13/1998 | by Stewart Ain | Staff Writer

Jewish cemeteries will now be open on all secular holidays under a new, five-year contract ratified last week that ended a seven-month work stoppage at eight New York area Jewish cemeteries — the longest in history. Until now, families that wanted a funeral on holidays, such as Christmas Day or July Fourth, had to hope cemetery personnel could convince work crews to come in on their day off.

The Victors And The Vanquished

11/13/1998 | by Adam Dickter | Staff Writer

Following his impressive victory last week, few people are remembering that in the early days of the Charles Schumer campaign, the buzz was that his Senate bid was “going nowhere.” Pundits predicted he would drop out of the race in time to hold onto his House seat.

‘I Saw Houses Turned Over’

11/13/1998 | by Steve Lipman  | Staff Writer

Philip Gelman knew, even before he stepped on a Tegucigalpa-bound American Airlines flight last week, that the synagogue and most other buildings in the capital of Honduras had suffered heavy damage during Hurricane Mitch.But he wasn’t prepared to see it.
“Fortunately, it was dark” when the Manhattan native, president of the Jewish community in Tegucigalpa, returned to Honduras. “Part of me really didn’t want to see what was here.”

Sinatra And The Jews

11/13/1998 | by Eric J. Greenberg  | Staff Writer

In Pete Hamill’s wonderful new riff on Frank Sinatra, we learn about the enormous positive impact “Old Blue Eyes” had on the immigrant Jewish community and other ethnic newcomers to America in the years following the Depression.

A Code For A New Age

11/13/1998 | by Eric J. Greenberg | Staff Writer

Clinton and Lewinsky. The general manager of the New York Mets. Teens shaving their heads and piercing their tongues. High schoolers killing their classmates with guns.
Popular culture in America is not providing a pretty picture to those interested in teaching their kids ethics and morals.
But how should they be taught? Whose ethics?
And what are morals, anyway?

The Brawl About Paul

11/13/1998 | by Eric J. Greenberg | Staff Writer

He’s the most famous and controversial convert in Jewish history. And he’s also been widely misunderstood these past 2,000 years, say people who study his work. So yet another effort was made last week to shed light on the contribution or obstacles presented by Paul of Tarsus to Jewish-Catholic relations.