Clicky

Jewish Exponent

Jewish Exponent Jewish Exponent: What It Means To Be Jewish In Philadelphia The Exponent truly is what it means to be Jewish in Philadelphia.

Since 1887, the Jewish Exponent has informed, connected and engaged Greater Philadelphia's vibrant Jewish community through our weekly newspaper, special sections and website. We are the go-to resource for local, national and international Jewish news, op-eds, blogs, calendar listings, mazel tov announcements and exclusive features. We may use Facebook comments in our print issue's Kvetch 'N Kvell letters to the editor section.

Operating as usual

Happy New Year!
01/01/2023

Happy New Year!

12/28/2022
www.jewishexponent.com

George Santos Should Resign
Before and during his recent campaign for office ...

12/28/2022
www.jewishexponent.com

Machers Share Their Resolutions for 2023
What’s in a New Year’s resolution? The cliché is that it’s a shallow promise to better yourself — like by going to the gym more.

Editorial: "The list of U.N. disappointments is long. Two more occurred over the last few weeks and have been largely ig...
12/23/2022
The United Nations, Disappointment and Irrelevance - Jewish Exponent

Editorial: "The list of U.N. disappointments is long. Two more occurred over the last few weeks and have been largely ignored. Perhaps the lack of protest or comment reflects the irrelevance of the world body."

We have long been critical of the world body known as the United Nations. Born of a noble purpose as an intergovernmental organization created to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, promote social progress, better living standards and human rights, ac...

Editorial: "The combination of so many different forms of bias — antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black hatred, anti-Asi...
12/23/2022
No ‘One Size Fits All’ in Protecting Minorities - Jewish Exponent

Editorial: "The combination of so many different forms of bias — antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black hatred, anti-Asian hatred, homophobia, transphobia and more — into a homogenized melting pot of a (White House) response risks not adequately dealing with the complexities of bias against any minority."

The announcement that the Biden administration is establishing an inter-agency group to coordinate U.S. government efforts “to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and discrimination,” shows that the White House is interested in more than a ceremonial approach to address...

Editorial: "There seems to be no limit to former president and current candidate for president Donald Trump’s narcissism...
12/23/2022
Trump for Sale - Jewish Exponent

Editorial: "There seems to be no limit to former president and current candidate for president Donald Trump’s narcissism. Nor does there appear to be any limit to his quest for cash."

There seems to be no limit to former president and current candidate for president Donald Trump’s narcissism. Nor does there appear to be any limit to his quest for cash. In a video posted last week on Truth Social, Trump promised that he would soon make a “major announcement.” Speculation reg...

Rabbi Linda Holtzman on Parshat Miketz: "Miketz falls during Chanukah, so dreams are especially important to us right no...
12/23/2022
Chanukah and Joseph Inspire Us - Jewish Exponent

Rabbi Linda Holtzman on Parshat Miketz: "Miketz falls during Chanukah, so dreams are especially important to us right now. We need dreams to give us the impetus to move ahead, to gain vision, to process all that happens in our lives and our world."

The story of Joseph is a story of dreams:

Synagogue Spotlight on...Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Center City, where leaders and members do the hard work of main...
12/23/2022
Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel Honors Long History - Jewish Exponent

Synagogue Spotlight on...Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Center City, where leaders and members do the hard work of maintaining an almost 200-year-old congregation.

Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Center City is a combination of three different synagogues that once existed in Jewish Philadelphia — Temple Beth Zion, Temple Beth Israel and the Neziner Congregation. The first to open, Temple Beth Israel, did so in 1840. That makes BZBI the third-oldest congregat...

Diners in the Greater Philadelphia area are hungry for more of their favorite Ashkenazi comfort foods, evidenced by the ...
12/22/2022
Deli Development and Bagel Boom: Area Jewish Restaurants Expand - Jewish Exponent

Diners in the Greater Philadelphia area are hungry for more of their favorite Ashkenazi comfort foods, evidenced by the growth of multiple Jewish-owned and Jewish-style food establishments.

Diners in the Greater Philadelphia area are hungry for more of their favorite Ashkenazi comfort foods, evidenced by the growth of multiple Jewish-owned and Jewish-style food establishments. Last month, Russ Cowan, owner of Famous 4th Street Deli in Queen Village, signed a lease for the space that fo...

Sam Salz, 20-year-old sophomore running back for Texas A&M from South Philadelphia, plays with No. 39 on his jersey, rep...
12/22/2022
You Should Know...Sam Salz - Jewish Exponent

Sam Salz, 20-year-old sophomore running back for Texas A&M from South Philadelphia, plays with No. 39 on his jersey, representing lamed tet melachot, the 39 categories of work forbidden on Shabbat.

Sam Salz is meticulous in matching his kippah to his football uniform: The white and burgundy of the head covering matches his Texas A&M football jersey and makes it easily visible to a crowd, he said. In a Nov. 26 primetime television broadcast, Salz can be easily recognized by his kippah as he jum...

Most COVID era Zoom groups have long since stopped gathering. But this one about Torah, prayer and Jewish philosophy and...
12/22/2022
Zoom Beit Midrash Celebrates Kiloversary, 1,000 Days of Meeting - Jewish Exponent

Most COVID era Zoom groups have long since stopped gathering. But this one about Torah, prayer and Jewish philosophy and culture continues on.

The World Health Organization declared COVID a pandemic on March 11, 2020, 1,015 days ago from this article’s Dec. 21 publication. For more than 1,000 of those days, a Zoom beit midrash has met virtually, gathering to discuss Torah, prayer and Jewish philosophy and culture. The group has hosted Ra...

You’re Jewish. It’s Christmas. Few places are open, so what to do? It’s the annual question.We have answers.
12/22/2022
Fun Activities Available for Local Jews on Christmas - Jewish Exponent

You’re Jewish. It’s Christmas. Few places are open, so what to do? It’s the annual question.

We have answers.

You’re Jewish. It’s Christmas. Few places are open, so what to do? It’s the annual question. This year, you can just stay in and celebrate Chanukah, since the final night is on Christmas. But what if you want to go out? Locally, there are more answers than just getting Chinese food and seeing ...

Gov. Tom Wolf announced on Dec. 15 nearly $4 million in funding to support security enhancement projects for 93 nonprofi...
12/22/2022
Local Organizations Receive State Security Grants - Jewish Exponent

Gov. Tom Wolf announced on Dec. 15 nearly $4 million in funding to support security enhancement projects for 93 nonprofits, including several Jewish institutions in the Philadelphia area.

Gov. Tom Wolf announced on Dec. 15 nearly $4 million in funding to support security enhancement projects for 93 nonprofits, including several Jewish institutions in the Philadelphia area. “While it’s a shame this has been necessary, I’m proud to have secured nearly $20 million over the past th...

Jewish Democrat Rue Landau is running for an at-large seat on Philadelphia's city council. If elected, she would become ...
12/22/2022
Jewish Democrat Rue Landau Announces City Council Run - Jewish Exponent

Jewish Democrat Rue Landau is running for an at-large seat on Philadelphia's city council. If elected, she would become the first openly LGBTQ+ council member in Philadelphia history.

Rue Landau’s father Mike Landau grew up at Har Zion Temple back when the Conservative synagogue was in Philadelphia’s Wynnefield neighborhood. And her mother Dotsy Landau came of age at a Reform temple, Congregation Rodeph Shalom on North Broad Street. But even though they hailed from different ...

Happy Hanukkah!
12/19/2022

Happy Hanukkah!

The Jewish Exponent's Good Life series celebrates active adults. The fourth and final installment features Paula Mandel,...
12/19/2022
Paula Mandel Turns Discarded Items Into Art - Jewish Exponent

The Jewish Exponent's Good Life series celebrates active adults. The fourth and final installment features Paula Mandel, a Conshohocken-based artist who just completed a show at the Temple Judea Museum at Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park.

No, Paula Mandel doesn’t go from house to house sifting through trash cans ...

The Jewish Exponent's Good Life series celebrates active adults. The third installment focuses on Larry Glanz, who has w...
12/19/2022
Restroom Visits Lead to a Book - Jewish Exponent

The Jewish Exponent's Good Life series celebrates active adults. The third installment focuses on Larry Glanz, who has written “The Ultimate Book of Bathroom Etiquette,” spelling out all the do’s and don’ts of something we can all relate to.

Toilet humor.

Editorial: "We agree with the members of Congress’ letter that urges a 'whole of government approach' to address poisono...
12/18/2022
No Time to Waste on Ceremony - Jewish Exponent

Editorial: "We agree with the members of Congress’ letter that urges a 'whole of government approach' to address poisonous antisemitism. But we need the right people leading the effort."

Last week, the White House hosted a roundtable meeting on antisemitism ...

Editorial: "The good news for Republicans is that they have a deep bench with a full range of choices to lead their tick...
12/16/2022
Warnock, Sinema, Trump and Biden - Jewish Exponent

Editorial: "The good news for Republicans is that they have a deep bench with a full range of choices to lead their ticket. The bad news is that Trump will not get out of the way graciously. As a result, Republicans will need to navigate a complicated minefield in their own nomination process."

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock’s victory over Republican challenger ...

Rabbi Gila Colman Ruskin on Parshat Vayeshev: "As we read this week Parshat Vayeshev, how striking are the remarkable pa...
12/16/2022
Will We Be Judahs or Einsteins? - Jewish Exponent

Rabbi Gila Colman Ruskin on Parshat Vayeshev: "As we read this week Parshat Vayeshev, how striking are the remarkable parallels between the alleged heroics of our ancestor Judah, son of Jacob, and Albert Einstein."

I just finished reading “The Other Einstein” by Marie Benedict, published in 2016.

The Jewish Exponent's Good Life series celebrates active adults. The second installment features Mordechai Rosenstein, w...
12/16/2022
Calligraphy Artist Pays Tribute to the ABCs of Judaism - Jewish Exponent

The Jewish Exponent's Good Life series celebrates active adults. The second installment features Mordechai Rosenstein, who has created calligraphy art for almost 80 years.

While studying at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art, Mordechai Rosenstein learned figure drawing and color theory, which he calls the “ABCs” of fine art, the fundamental skills needed to be an artist. But Rosenstein had a fascination with his own ABCs, which served as his fundamentals before...

The Jewish Exponent's Good Life series celebrates active adults. The first installment is about David Groverman, a Blue ...
12/16/2022
David Groverman Helps Athletes Find Jewish Identities, But First Had to Discover His Own - Jewish Exponent

The Jewish Exponent's Good Life series celebrates active adults. The first installment is about David Groverman, a Blue Bell resident who helped organize a wrestling tournament in Israel earlier this year.

David Groverman lettered in soccer, lacrosse and wrestling at The Haverford School and helped lead its wrestling team to three consecutive Inter-Academic League championships from 1968-’70. So, as he put it, you can imagine how he felt about Judaism when his religious parents told him he couldn’...

It may not be the first thing that comes to mind amid the hustle and bustle of the late fall and early winter holiday se...
12/16/2022
Choosing a Camp: Why Start Now? - Jewish Exponent

It may not be the first thing that comes to mind amid the hustle and bustle of the late fall and early winter holiday season, but now may be a good time to lock in a summer camp program for your child.

It may not be the first thing that comes to mind ...

Michael Moshkovitz, a 24-year-old University of Pennsylvania senior from Jerusalem, has spent the last two seasons playi...
12/15/2022
You Should Know ... Michael Moshkovitz - Jewish Exponent

Michael Moshkovitz, a 24-year-old University of Pennsylvania senior from Jerusalem, has spent the last two seasons playing for Steve Donahue’s Quakers. But his hoops career may be well nearing its end.

Don’t expect Michael Moshkovitz to become the eighth native Israeli to make it to the NBA.

Synagogue Spotlight on...Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen. Beth Or has lost about 100 households in the last five year...
12/15/2022
Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen Continues to Thrive - Jewish Exponent

Synagogue Spotlight on...Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen.

Beth Or has lost about 100 households in the last five years but retains an active membership of about 985 families. It is also in a good place, with a recently paid-off mortgage, 450 students in the religious school, 185 kids in the preschool and more than 100 weekly attendees at hybrid Shabbat services.

On Dec. 7, Rabbi Gregory Marx presided over the funeral of the last living founder of his synagogue: Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen. The man, who died at 104, was a member of one of the six families that started Beth Or in 1955. It was a sad day, according to Marx. As the […]

A 2022 Pen America study found more than 2,500 instances of school districts around the country taking books out of thei...
12/15/2022
Beth Chaim Reform Congregation Selling Banned Books - Jewish Exponent

A 2022 Pen America study found more than 2,500 instances of school districts around the country taking books out of their libraries and curriculums during the 2021-’22 year. A local synagogue, Beth Chaim Reform Congregation in Malvern, is trying to combat those efforts.

A 2022 Pen America study found more than 2,500 instances of school districts around the country taking books out of their libraries and curriculums during the 2021-’22 year. More than 40% of the 1,648 titles impacted contained LGBTQ+ themes and/or characters, while 40% included Black or brown char...

This year's National Menorah lighting is especially important. In a climate of increasing antisemitism, the menorah repr...
12/15/2022
A Symbol Endures: Public Menorah Lightings Withstand Controversy, Antisemitism, Pandemic - Jewish Exponent

This year's National Menorah lighting is especially important. In a climate of increasing antisemitism, the menorah represents defiance against hate, as it did 2,000 years ago when the Maccabees overthrew their Greek-Syrian oppressors, the sustained light of the menorah representing Jewish resistance.

The crowd for this year’s National Menorah lighting in Washington, D.C., is expected to exceed 4,000 guests. That’s the estimate of Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), the group that has lit the menorah and put it on display near the White Hous...

Josh Shapiro will be inaugurated as Pennsylvania's 48th governor on Jan. 17 in Harrisburg. As the day approaches, he is ...
12/15/2022
Josh Shapiro Transitions to Governor’s Office - Jewish Exponent

Josh Shapiro will be inaugurated as Pennsylvania's 48th governor on Jan. 17 in Harrisburg. As the day approaches, he is continuing to rack up wins as attorney general and putting together a transition team that reflects his diverse coalition.

In late October and early November, as Josh Shapiro’s resounding victory over Doug Mastriano in the Pennsylvania governor’s race became apparent, a new narrative emerged about the Jewish Democrat: Could Shapiro become the future of the Democratic Party in the post-Joe Biden era? And could he run...

Address

2100 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA
19103

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Jewish Exponent posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Jewish Exponent:

Videos

Category

Nearby media companies


Other Newspapers in Philadelphia

Show All

Comments

In naming their babies, modern Jews are opting for names that are either classic or contemporary.

https://www.jewishexponent.com/2022/03/30/jewish-baby-names-becoming-classic-modern/
B'nai Mitzvah tunes have changed. Minute-long TikToks and Instagram Reels have captured the catchiest minute of a song, and that’s the minute kids want to hear.

https://www.jewishexponent.com/2022/03/30/todays-bnai-mitzvah-tunes-take-tiktoks-cues/
In 2022, the standard big party is back, and it’s back in full.

“We’re seeing 200-, 250-person weddings.”

https://www.jewishexponent.com/2022/03/30/big-jewish-weddings-are-back-in-2022/
Rabbi Peter Rigler: "This portion grapples not only with the disease known as tzaraat, often mistranslated as leprosy, but also with the societal behaviors in response."

https://www.jewishexponent.com/2022/03/30/torah-applies-to-modern-day-circumstances/
Now a 2022 Tribe12 fellow, Zo Baker, who grew up in Queens, New York, hopes to rectify the lack of Jewish-specific spaces in the art world by creating an artist-in-residency program.

https://www.jewishexponent.com/2022/03/30/you-should-know-zo-baker/
33 years ago, Viktoriya Torchinsky-Field left Soviet-era Ukraine for the United States. Now she's going back, in spirit, to her native country to help those impacted by the war.

https://www.jewishexponent.com/2022/03/30/center-city-resident-returns-to-her-heritage-to-help-ukrainians/
Congregation Beth Israel, a Reconstructionist synagogue in Media, has focused on social justice in its community activity for years.

But in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the temple clarified its mission to emphasize anti-racism.

https://www.jewishexponent.com/2022/03/30/beth-israel-focuses-on-anti-racism/
Joel Burcat was a lawyer for 38 years. Now he writes environmental legal thrillers.

https://www.jewishexponent.com/2022/03/30/last-word-creating-a-protagonist-with-joel-burcat/
Jewish Federation CEO Michael Balaban and board co-chair Gail Norry visited Poland to distribute diapers, toothpaste and other items to refugees from the War in Ukraine.

https://www.jewishexponent.com/2022/03/30/jewish-federation-leaders-visit-poland-ukraine-border/
Philadelphia’s InterAct Theatre Co. produces plays that “provoke conversation” about sensitive topics, according to a recent press release.

Beginning on April 1, it will take on perhaps the most difficult conversation in Jewish life: the Israel-Palestine conflict.

https://www.jewishexponent.com/2022/03/30/new-play-explores-israel-palestine-conflict/
While COVID has changed many health behaviors, making some more fearful of going to the grocery store or getting vaccinated, health professionals have noticed it’s opened the minds of young people and prospective parents getting screened for Tay-Sachs, BRCA genes — which increase risk of breast and ovarian cancers — and hundreds of other diseases of which Ashkenazi Jews are at increased risk.

https://www.jewishexponent.com/2022/03/30/local-community-more-in-tune-with-genetic-testing-because-of-covid/
In our modern capitalist society, Jewish farmers can’t really observe the shmita year. But they can at least follow the spirit of the tradition, they say.

https://www.jewishexponent.com/2022/03/30/jewish-farmers-try-to-fit-shmita-practices-into-the-modern-world/
x

Other Newspapers in Philadelphia (show all)

WritersClearinghouse Metro Philly The Siskin Literary Review The Triangle The Philadelphia Tribune Philadelphia Daily News People Signe Wilkinson USA Herald SCOOP USA The Daily Pennsylvanian 34th Street Magazine The Daily Pennsylvanian Alumni Association Philadelphia Gay News The Temple News So South Philly