Blogs

It was no ordinary marriage proposal. Rotem Langer is a 31-year-old disabled veteran of the Israeli army whose speech was affected by his injuries. “Sometimes I forget words,” says Rotem. “I didn’t want that to happen when I proposed to Shelly.”

Vivid purple, yellow and green feathers grow out of his face, peacock feathers crown his head, and green feathers wrap around his neck.  A beard pokes through and a trenchcoat covers his body. An avian humanoid or a man in a Purim costume?

Rabbi Chanina taught, "I have learned much from my teachers. I have learned more from my colleagues than my teachers. But I have learned more from my students than from all of them." (Babylonian Talmud, Taanit, 7a)

Secretary of State John Kerry today named veteran Jewish political operative Ira N. Forman to be the administration's Special Envoy and head of the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.

He brings to the job nearly 40 years of experience working at the intersection of the Jewish community and the political world, winning bipartisan respect. He served as the Jewish Outreach Director for President Obama's 2012 reelection campaign.

The Jewish Studies Center at Baruch College hosted an ambitious and absorbing program, “Jewish Arts and Identity in the Contemporary World” on May 7th. Three panels – on theater, music and the visual arts - were the core of the conference complemented by a performance by Audrey Flack and the Art History Band.

House Republicans made their 37th attempt to repeal Obamacare last Thursday and for the 37th straight time failed.  Actually it passed the Republican-controlled House but it is DOA at the Democrat-controlled Senate, and everyone knew that.  So why try?  

Republicans make no secret that it's easier to keep up these meaningless votes that risk passing legislation that President Obama might claim as an achievement, even if they get to share the credit.

Sometimes a leader is a person with a title and a desk at an organization. Other times they do something truly remarkable. They set an example.

House Republicans intend to make their 2,917th futile attempt to repeal Obamacare this week. Why try again when they know it will ultimately fail like all the other attempts?  Speaker John Boehner has a unique excuse: he said the new members of the 113th Congress haven't had a chance to vote on it yet. 

Iran named to chair UN Conference on Disarmament. 

I wonder what Mother’s Day is like in other families. The ones without kids on the autism spectrum.