Haredi hit squad: Rabbi Mendel Epstein, 69, was known as “the Prodfather” for his gruesome practices on men unwilling to divorce their wives. Matthew Shaer chronicles his eventual downfall. (GQ)

Righteous Muslim Gentiles: As Jewish-Muslim tension rises globally, a new PBS documentary sheds light on the Muslims who harbored Jews during World War II. (Washington Post)

Defamation or delusion?: The case of a Florida Jewish woman who sued her stepson’s evangelical ministry for claiming she converted to Christianity is coming to court after 12 years. (Sun-Sentinel)

Black Jewish siddur: Marginalized by mainstream Judaism, New York’s Hebrew Israelites have created their own prayer book, enshrining their communities’ nearly 100-year history into prayer.  (Tablet)

Rescuing refugees: Canadian philanthropist Yank Barry has saved 1,218 Middle Eastern non-Jewish refugees, surpassing his goal of 1,200 — the number of Jews Oskar Schindler saved during the Holocaust — and earning himself the nickname “The Jewish Schindler.”  (Jerusalem Post)

JTA Staff This article was posted by JTA staff.