Archived News

New York magazine recently had an article, “Them vs. Them,” which is cringe-worthy for the Jewish community. East Ramapo, N.Y., has a huge ultra-Orthodox population that generally wishes to be left alone by outsiders. Several years ago, they had difficulty obtaining services for their special-needs […]

The women will take center stage as three congregations along the Jewish corridor in Metairie get together for Shavuot. Orthodox Beth Israel, Conservative Shir Chadash and Reform Gates of Prayer will have a “joint Torah venture” on May 14, on “Authority and Leadership in the […]

Lillian Hellman, author of “The Little Foxes” and many other well-known works, is perhaps the best-known Hollywood figure with roots in the Jewish community of Demopolis. But she isn’t the only one, as a presentation this month will demonstrate. Arthur Mayer “carried the Mayer name […]

New Orleans and Nashville are reportedly in line for Al Jazeera America news bureaus. Though most bureau locations have not been announced, Politico reported that the network is initially planning 12 bureaus in the United States, many in places that other media outlets ignore or […]

Abe Mitchell On Friday, heavy rain forced the 50th anniversary celebration at the University of South Alabama indoors, but that could not dampen a major announcement. The anniversary celebration included Abe Mitchell’s announcement of a $50 million gift to the university, bringing the support by […]

On May 7, 1963, Sylvan Laufman arrived in New York on a business trip. The atmosphere there was far different than the one back home in Birmingham. When he left, the Civil Rights marches in downtown Birmingham were reaching a crescendo and drawing the world’s […]

The Dalai Lama will be in New Orleans this month, and Temple Sinai will be part of the festivities through a talk by local author Rodger Kamenetz. On May 9 at 7 p.m., Kamenetz will speak on “What I Learned About Judaism from the Dalai […]

After a trilogy of successful books in the Rashi’s Daughters series, Maggie Anton set out to write a novel about a vastly different time and place. The result, “Rav Hisda’s Daughter,” was not the book she originally envisioned, taking her into a little-known world of […]

With a 13-state area to cover, the Jackson-based Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life is bringing in reinforcements. In June, Rabbi Matthew Dreffin will return to the South, joining the Institute in the education and rabbinic services departments. He will coordinate the Institute’s nine Education […]