Short Takes

UJA-Fed. Brings Russians Further Into Fold

09/25/2012 | Helen Chernikoff | Staff Writer

For the first time in almost 20 years, UJA-Federation of New York has brought a new agency into its network: COJECO, the Council of Jewish Émigré Community Organizations, which is the central coordinating body of New York’s Russian Jewish community, said Roberta Leiner, senior vice president of agency relations at the federation.

Israeli Films, Now Streaming

09/19/2012 | Molly Livingstone | Special To The Jewish Week

Looking for a little Israeli culture but don’t want to leave your house? Well, how about streaming an award-winning Israeli movie with your choice of snack: popcorn or bamba (Israel’s snack of choice, peanut-butter puffed goodness). Make it the ultimate movie night with one of the Israeli classics like “Sallah Shabati” or even a film in movie theaters right now.

Seeking Teen Activists

09/19/2012 | Hannah Dreyfus | Editorial Intern

At age 13, Zak Kukoff of Thousand Oaks, Calif., would watch his autistic younger cousin sit alone on the playground. “It’s not that students didn’t want to be her friend — they just didn’t know how,” he said. “It hurt me to see.”

Film Fest Titan’s Farewell

09/11/2012 | George Robinson | Special To The Jewish Week

Richard Peña is going out with a bang.

Feeding Frenzy In Brooklyn

09/11/2012 | Julie Wiener | Associate Editors

With the weather still hot, summer camp over and the children restless, the last week before school starts can be a challenge for many parents.

All the more so for haredi parents, who on average have more than three times the number of children as other New York Jewish parents, according to a recent UJA-Federation of New York study. While many of the children receive federally subsidized meals at camp and school, during that last week of summer — with no food programs — low-income families often struggle to get everyone fed.

Holocaust Railroad Case To Proceed

09/04/2012 | Stewart Ain | Staff Writer

For the first time, the U.S. Court of Appeals has found that a case may be brought against a foreign national railroad in a Holocaust-related case that seeks billions of dollars.

Late last month, the court in Chicago refused to dismiss a suit against the Hungarian State Railroads (also known as the MAV) brought by Hungarian victims of the Holocaust who claimed the railroad must compensate them for the property it took from them in violation of international law.