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All content by Josefin Dolsten
Shais Rishon

Rabbi Shais Rishon, an Orthodox anti-racism advocate, is turning his gaze to Jewish texts

Josefin Dolsten
March 8, 2021

‘It’s a call to action’: A Yiddish theater company puts on a Sinclair Lewis play that imagines US falling into authoritarianism

Josefin Dolsten
October 28, 2020

A small but growing number of Orthodox rabbis are officiating same-sex weddings

Josefin Dolsten
October 28, 2020

For the first time ever, Stockholm has a Swedish-born rabbi

Josefin Dolsten
October 23, 2020

Some queer Jews are finding meaning in the laws of family purity, traditionally observed by married Orthodox couples

Josefin Dolsten
October 21, 2020
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat speaks during a press conference in the West Bank city of Jericho, Feb. 15, 2017. (Flash90)

Top Palestinian official Saeb Erekat in ‘critical’ condition with COVID-19 in Israeli hospital

Josefin Dolsten
October 19, 2020

When Christian is Jewish: Living a Jewish life with a non-Jewish name

Josefin Dolsten
October 14, 2020

Israeli Orthodox leader: Judaism does not forbid same-sex couples from building a family

Josefin Dolsten
October 12, 2020

Sukkot, the pandemic and a lynching come together in a multiracial Jewish dancer’s new art installation

Josefin Dolsten
September 30, 2020

Sweden allocates $1.1 million to start work on its first Holocaust museum

Josefin Dolsten
September 29, 2020

An Orthodox multiracial family in Montana wants to break taboos about adoption

Josefin Dolsten
September 24, 2020

How Ruth Bader Ginsburg went from the Notorious RBG to Ruth the Tzaddik

Josefin Dolsten
September 22, 2020

Jews have lived in Bahrain for 140 years. The country’s peace deal with Israel changes their lives.

Josefin Dolsten
September 15, 2020

Yeshiva University rejects LGBTQ club, saying it will support students in other ways

Josefin Dolsten
September 4, 2020

Los Angeles pop-up The Bad Jew serves ‘porkstrami’ and other nonkosher takes on Jewish deli food

Josefin Dolsten
August 31, 2020

‘It’s not the same and everybody knows it’: Jewish campus life goes virtual

Josefin Dolsten
August 27, 2020

Taking a page from ‘Vagina Monologues,’ a new book explores taboos around women’s sexuality and gender in the Orthodox world

Josefin Dolsten
August 17, 2020

They thought a Jewish school in Oakland would be able to accommodate their gender-fluid child. It wasn’t that simple.

Josefin Dolsten
August 13, 2020
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a military base in Ramla, Israel, Aug. 4, 2020. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90) 

In a diplomatic breakthrough, Israel normalizes ties with United Arab Emirates and suspends West Bank annexation

Josefin Dolsten
August 13, 2020

This Holocaust survivor turned architect designed a memorial honoring Albanians who saved Jews

Josefin Dolsten
August 11, 2020

A rabbi and dad is starting an online Jewish day school to help families get through the pandemic

Josefin Dolsten
August 3, 2020
Alexa Rae Ibarra immersed in the lake at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires to complete her conversion to Judaism. (Courtesy of Ibarra)

They wanted to convert to Judaism, but the mikvahs were closed. So instead they went to Jewish summer camp.

Josefin Dolsten
July 29, 2020
Authors presented their books virtually during the Jewish Book Council's annual conference. (Courtesy of Jewish Book Council) 

The Jewish Book Council’s annual event goes virtual — and offers a peek into authors’ living rooms

Josefin Dolsten
July 17, 2020

Jewish communities are finally paying attention to Jews of color. Here’s the long road to how they got there.

Josefin Dolsten
July 15, 2020
Bari Weiss, guest speaker at L’Chaim event

Bari Weiss, opinion editor with anti-Semitism focus, resigns from The New York Times

Josefin Dolsten
July 14, 2020
Rabbi Lauren Henderson, left, meets with outgoing Or Hadash rabbis Analia Bortz and Mario Karpuj. (Courtesy of Henderson) 

What it’s like to start a job as a rabbi mid-pandemic

Josefin Dolsten
July 8, 2020

Los Angeles has a major homelessness problem. These Jewish groups are helping by opening their parking lots.

Josefin Dolsten
July 2, 2020

Becoming a rebbetzin: What it’s like to come out as transgender when you’re married to the rabbi

Josefin Dolsten
June 30, 2020

Inside Elat Market: The store at the nexus of Los Angeles’ Persian Jewish community

Josefin Dolsten
June 15, 2020

Persian Jews are coming out of the closet and breaking down long-held taboos in their community

Josefin Dolsten
June 15, 2020

‘We have to be there’: 5 Jews on taking part in the George Floyd protests

Josefin Dolsten
June 5, 2020
Protesters march in New York in response to the death of George Floyd. (John Lamparski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

130 Jewish groups, ‘outraged’ by George Floyd killing, pledge to fight systemic racism

Josefin Dolsten
June 2, 2020

John Eaves wants to be the first black and Jewish member of Congress

Josefin Dolsten
June 1, 2020

‘Believe us’: Black Jews respond to the George Floyd protests, in their own words

Josefin Dolsten
May 31, 2020

These kosher NYC restaurants have closed permanently since March

Josefin Dolsten
May 19, 2020

Conservative movement allows livestreaming on Shabbat and holidays during pandemic

Josefin Dolsten
May 14, 2020

Their own lockdown: How Swedish Jews are dealing with the country’s lax coronavirus policy

Josefin Dolsten
May 14, 2020

This Jewish medical student is helping reduce racial disparities in coronavirus testing

Josefin Dolsten
May 14, 2020

This Jewish lawyer is dressing as the Grim Reaper to protest Florida beach reopenings

Josefin Dolsten
May 8, 2020

For those in the process of becoming Jewish, the pandemic means delayed or altered conversions

Josefin Dolsten
May 7, 2020

Young Jews are falling in love during the pandemic — without having met in person

Josefin Dolsten
May 4, 2020

‘We don’t have time’: Rabbi launches Jewish climate change initiative during coronavirus crisis

Josefin Dolsten
April 29, 2020

A Paris chef is making mouthwatering kosher meals for Jewish doctors and nurses — for free

Josefin Dolsten
April 27, 2020

Throwing candy at the computer: What celebrating your bat mitzvah looks like in the time of the coronavirus

Josefin Dolsten
April 24, 2020
A man takes part in a protest to reopen Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, April 20, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images) 

Some governors are letting houses of worship reopen. Synagogues aren’t going for it.

Josefin Dolsten
April 23, 2020

Rosh Hashanah by Zoom? Synagogues are already planning for a socially distanced High Holidays

Josefin Dolsten
April 21, 2020

With services online, many synagogues are seeing greater attendance — at least for now

Josefin Dolsten
April 20, 2020
Members of the media wear protective masks film outside the Young Israel of New Rochelle, a suburban New York town at the center of a coronavirus outbreak in Westchester County, March 10, 2020. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

Revising previous guidance, Orthodox groups say no shared Passover seders should take place

Josefin Dolsten
April 6, 2020
Journalist Bethany Mandel started an initiative that delivers kosher meals to observant Jewish health care providers and their colleagues. (Courtesy of Mandel)

6 Jewish coronavirus initiatives you can support from home

Josefin Dolsten
April 1, 2020

A Jewish day school turns its art center into a medical face shield factory

Josefin Dolsten
March 31, 2020
Women's mikvahs in Israel, like this one in the settlement of Alon Shvut, are still open. (Gershon Elinson/Flash90) 

Why Jewish communities are keeping mikvahs open amid the coronavirus outbreak — for now

Josefin Dolsten
March 20, 2020

To stop the coronavirus, New Jersey rabbis decide to shut down their Jewish community

Josefin Dolsten
March 12, 2020
Masbia kosher supervisor Pesach Gittleson assembles boxes containing food for people who may be quarantined or unable to obtain food due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Alexander Rapaport)

Preparing for the ‘worst-case scenario’: Jewish aid groups scramble amid the coronavirus outbreak

Josefin Dolsten
March 11, 2020

From ‘Spock’ greetings to chopstick Torah pointers, synagogues are rethinking practices amid the coronavirus outbreak

Josefin Dolsten
March 10, 2020

A 4th-generation Vermont Orthodox Jew is starting the state’s first Jewish day school

Josefin Dolsten
March 2, 2020

Jeffrey Epstein ‘played no meaningful role’ as Wexner Foundation trustee, independent review concludes

Josefin Dolsten
February 25, 2020

The US Holocaust Museum asked New Yorkers for their family artifacts from WWII. Here are 9 incredible donations.

Josefin Dolsten
February 21, 2020
Top left, clockwise, Yosef Rapaport, Laura Shaw Frank, Marques Hollie and Dana Sussman appear in a New York City campaign in the wake of recent anti-Semitic attacks. NYC Commission on Human Rights

New York City’s latest tactic to combat anti-Semitism: An ad campaign featuring diverse Jewish New Yorkers

Josefin Dolsten
February 19, 2020

Conservative movement apologizes for list of innovative rabbis that featured only men

Josefin Dolsten
February 14, 2020

In Sweden, where anti-Semitism has risen, ‘Big Brother’ catches contestants confessing Jew hatred

Josefin Dolsten
February 14, 2020
Participants in a memorial service on the one-year anniversary of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., Feb. 14, 2019. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

2 years after the deadly school shooting, Jews in Parkland say they still don’t feel secure

Josefin Dolsten
February 14, 2020
Leslie Wexner, left, and Ed Razek pose backstage at the 2016 Fragrance Foundation Awards presented by Hearst Magazines in New York, June 7, 2016. (Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Fragrance Foundation) 

Report that Les Wexner ignored harassment at Victoria’s Secret renews misgivings among recipients of his prestigious Jewish fellowship

Josefin Dolsten
February 10, 2020

Jews fleeing Cuba made Miami their home. Now a synagogue they built is struggling.

Josefin Dolsten
February 4, 2020

Trump’s Middle East peace plan has 99 problems, but Israeli engineers say a tunnel ain’t one

Josefin Dolsten
January 29, 2020

Prominent liberal writer Peter Beinart leaves Forward for progressive Jewish Currents

Josefin Dolsten
January 29, 2020

Republican Jewish group endorses Trump’s peace plan while J Street says it would ensure Israeli ‘illegal’ occupation ‘becomes permanent’

Josefin Dolsten
January 28, 2020

Morocco opens $1.5 million center dedicated to Jewish culture in city of Essaouira

Josefin Dolsten
January 24, 2020

Meet the Jewish travel blogger who soon will have visited every country

Josefin Dolsten
January 16, 2020
A demonstrator holds a poster in front of the U.S. Capitol during a climate protest in Washington, Dec. 27, 2019. (Eva Hambach/AFP via Getty Images)

500 rabbis and Jewish leaders call for action against climate change

Josefin Dolsten
January 15, 2020
Elior Koroghli, right, with her parents, brother Matanel and half-sister Elizabeth Koroghli Damavandi in front of the menorah they lit at the party. (Kang Predi and Teh Ranie)

The granddaughter of a Cambodian princess had a bat mitzvah

Josefin Dolsten
January 14, 2020
Jason Greenblatt after speaking at Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck, N.J., Jan 12, 2020. (Josefin Dolsten) 

Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s former Middle East negotiator, isn’t sure that Israelis and Palestinians are ready for peace

Josefin Dolsten
January 14, 2020

New York is trying to reform the Orthodox yeshiva system, which some graduates say barely taught them to speak English

Josefin Dolsten
January 13, 2020

Teens at a mostly African-American school in Brooklyn have questions about Jews. A class about the Holocaust provides some answers.

Josefin Dolsten
January 9, 2020

Sen. Tom Cotton accuses Soros-funded think tank of fostering anti-Semitism

Josefin Dolsten
January 8, 2020
The Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center in Miami is popular among Latin American Jews. (Josefin Dolsten)

How Miami became a haven for Venezuelan Jews

Josefin Dolsten
January 7, 2020
A member of the Ramapo police stands guard in front of the house of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg in Monsey, N.Y., Dec. 29, 2019. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

What is causing the rise in anti-Semitism in New York?

Josefin Dolsten
January 2, 2020

New York Democrats condemn anti-Semitic attacks, but admit they’re not sure why they are happening

Josefin Dolsten
January 2, 2020
Susan Choi attends the

‘Trust Exercise’ author Susan Choi on why she hasn’t explored her Jewish background in her writing

Josefin Dolsten
December 20, 2019
Hasidic members of Misaskim, which provides services for the care of the dead, stand in front of the K'hal Adas Greenville synagogue in Jersey City, N.J., next door to the JC Kosher Supermarket, the site of the deadly shooting that left three dead. Dec. 11, 2019. (Laura E. Adkins/JTA)  

Jersey City official refers to Jewish ‘brutes,’ asks if residents are ‘brave enough’ to explore shooters’ message

Josefin Dolsten
December 17, 2019
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop speaks to reporters at the scene of the shooting at a kosher market, Dec. 11, 2019. (Jennifer Brown/City of Jersey City)

Jersey City’s Jewish mayor didn’t wait to call the kosher store shooting an anti-Semitic attack. Here’s why.

Josefin Dolsten
December 13, 2019
A police officer stands in front of the crime scene near JC Kosher Supermarket in Jersey City, N.J., the site of a deadly shooting, Dec. 11, 2019. (Laura E. Adkins/JTA)

Officials believe Jersey City shooters were motivated by anti-Semitic and anti-police views

Josefin Dolsten
December 12, 2019
Jewish Labor Committee President Stuart Appelbaum presenting Hillary Clinton with a poster portraying the Jewish immigrant experience in the U.S. at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, Dec. 9, 2019. (Josefin Dolsten)

Hillary Clinton urges Jewish labor activists not to ‘walk away’ ahead of 2020

Josefin Dolsten
December 9, 2019
President Donald Trump speaks at the Israeli-American Council's annual conference in Hollywood, Fla., Dec. 7, 2019. (Noam Galai)

Jewish groups denounced Trump’s insinuations about Jewish wealth. So why do some say they went easy on him?

Josefin Dolsten
December 9, 2019

Speaking to Israeli-American group, Trump slams Jews who ‘don’t love Israel enough’

Josefin Dolsten
December 7, 2019
Sayles Hall on the campus of Brown University in Providence, R.I. (Lane Turner/Globe Staff via Getty Images)

Brown U committee urges divesting from companies ‘facilitating human rights abuses in Palestine’

Josefin Dolsten
December 3, 2019
Kamala Harris failed to gain steam among the crowded field of Democratic contenders after a promising start. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images)

Kamala Harris drops out of 2020 presidential race

Josefin Dolsten
December 3, 2019
Israeli stamps showing Jewish-American astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman, who brought a Torah scroll along with him into space. (Space Torah Project)

Israeli stamps show the first Torah scroll flown in space

Josefin Dolsten
November 26, 2019

New Arab group says it’s time to stop boycotting Israel

Josefin Dolsten
November 22, 2019

Sacha Baron Cohen calls social media ‘the greatest propaganda machine in history’

Josefin Dolsten
November 21, 2019

Meet the Puerto Rican Jew behind the El Bloombito parody Twitter account

Josefin Dolsten
November 20, 2019
Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds refused a Nazi command to identify Jewish American soldiers. (Yad Vashem)

In Veterans Day address, Trump told story of American who defied Nazi command to identify Jewish soldiers

Josefin Dolsten
November 13, 2019

These Jews made Time magazine’s new list of ‘rising stars’

Josefin Dolsten
November 13, 2019

The Actors’ Temple: Inside the synagogue where Broadway’s biggest stars used to pray

Josefin Dolsten
November 12, 2019
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman speaks at the Jewish Federation of North America's annual General Assembly in Tel Aviv, Oct. 24, 2018. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Jewish Federations holding invitation-only conference instead of annual General Assembly

Josefin Dolsten
November 6, 2019

A Jewish photographer has been capturing Alexander Vindman and his twin for nearly 4 decades

Josefin Dolsten
November 6, 2019

A Chabad couple in New Jersey built an immersive village for kids with autism

Josefin Dolsten
October 31, 2019
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel speaks at a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers of the 1973 Yom Kippur War at the National Hall of Remembrance in Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, Oct. 10, 2019. (Flash90) 

‘Super-juicy’ TV show about Benjamin Netanyahu in the works

Josefin Dolsten
October 31, 2019

Presidential hopeful Michael Bennet: I think about my family’s experience during the Holocaust every day

Josefin Dolsten
October 29, 2019
Andrew Rehfeld delivers his inaugural address as president of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion at the Plum Street Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 27, 2019. (Courtesy of HUC)

Reform movement’s rabbinical school inaugurates Andrew Rehfeld as president

Josefin Dolsten
October 29, 2019
The main library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Wikimedia Commons)

University of Illinois student government passes resolution saying anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are different

Josefin Dolsten
October 28, 2019
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A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.