Short Takes

Holy Smokes!

06/19/2013 | Dani Klein | Special To The Jewish Week

Caterer Ari White has generated some buzz lately by launching a pop-up business to bring his kosher, Texas-style barbecue to street festivals here and as far away as Philadelphia.

Miss Israel On The Fundraising Circuit

06/19/2013 | Heather Robinson | Contributing editor

Bar Rafaeli has some competition.

On a windy Tuesday night on a rooftop overlooking Lower Manhattan, Yityish Aynaw, the first black woman to hold the title “Miss Israel,” dazzled a crowd of chic 20-, 30-, and 40-somethings who turned out to meet her at the penthouse apartment of Manhattan Internet entrepreneur Ari Ackerman.

Keeping Up With The Future

06/11/2013 | Gabriela Geselowitz | Intern

If Hillel could summarize Judaism’s teachings while standing on one foot, can modern-day sages do so while standing on one tweet?

The Name Game, Jewish Institutional-Style

06/11/2013 | Julie Wiener | Associate Editor

When the Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA) announced last week that it would end operations next month, the news signified the end of an era not just for the Jewish ed infrastructure, but for the great American Jewish acronymized organizational name.

Arab-Israeli Vocalist Blends Genres, Cultures

06/04/2013 | Sandee Brawarsky | Book Critic

At first, Mira Awad didn’t want to be thought of as a bridge between cultures. The Palestinian-Israeli singer and songwriter grew up in an Arab village in the Galilee, studied music in Tel Aviv and has written and performed with musicians of many backgrounds. She felt the weight of being an Arab in Israel who moved between cultures.

Jewish Jocks: Grasshoppers vs. Giants

06/04/2013 | Jonathan Mark | Associate Editors

Jews have often regarded themselves within the realm of American sports not unlike the Israelite scouts who imagined themselves as small and insignificant as “grasshoppers” in comparison to the Canaanites who seemed to them as giants.