Women learn their Jewish heritage at Shirat Hayam’s pop-up Mishnah gathering

SALEM – Faith Kramer opened the door – the front of which was adorned in big, colorful letters spelling her name – clad from head to toe in bright turquoise, white hair curling at her ears, and said, enthusiastically, “Welcome to my house!” The greeting was clearly a courtesy because few, if any, introductions were […]

The Israel we know has fallen

In what appears to be a tragic convergence, in the week of Tisha B’Av, when we mark the destruction of the Temple, attributed by our sages to bitter hatred among Jews, the Knesset has passed the first piece of judicial reform that has torn Israeli society asunder. When the President of Israel speaks publicly about […]

Rabbi David Meyer leaves a lasting legacy at Temple Emanu-El

MARBLEHEAD – There is no exact formula for becoming the ideal rabbi for a congregation, but over the last 31 years, Rabbi David Meyer seems to have come up with one that has allowed congregants to grow spiritually while connecting to a broad and strong Jewish community. The soft-spoken Meyer, who grew up in Kansas […]

A Holocaust story unknown to most: The journey from a Greek island to Auschwitz

RHODES, Greece – Almost every visitor to this Dodecanese island arrives with a guidebook in hand. I recommend instead a book called “One Hundred Saturdays.” It is Michael Frank’s story of the hundred Saturdays he spent taking the testimony of Stella Levi, a woman unknown to most Jews but whose story begs to be known. […]

With Joe Biden, Jewish Americans have a strong ally in the White House

For the past 66 years, the federal government has produced bound editions bearing the title “Public Papers of the Presidents.” Hardly anyone ever opens these books; I have spent a lifetime covering and studying presidents, and even I seldom pierce them. But there is reason to hope that, sometime in the future, someone might open […]

Arthur J. Epstein, business executive and philanthropist, dies

Arthur Joseph Epstein, who rose from modest roots in Malden to become a business executive and philanthropist, died on Sunday, March 21, 2023. He was 86. While in high school, Arthur worked in his father’s Wakefield factory, Mystic Enterprises. After his father passed when Arthur was 16, he took on more responsibilities at Mystic. Arthur […]

Editorial: Honoring our community leaders, and supporting the Jewish Journal

The North Shore, and Greater Boston, are blessed with dedicated, compassionate community Jewish leaders. While they are volunteers, many see their work as a 24-hour job. And over the last three years during the pandemic, the pressures of the job have been intense. As people moved online and away from in-person gatherings, the work continued […]

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