Peter Ephross

New ‘Encyclopedia Judaica’ goes from Aachen to Zyrardow

Published on October 26, 2006

The new "Encyclopaedia Judaica" is to be published Dec. 8 by Macmillan Reference USA and Israel's Keter Publishing. The 22 volumes contain more than 21,000 entries on Jewish life.

This Time They’re Ready for the Wave

Published on December 29, 2005

Some 50 South Indian villagers are spread out along the sandy beach. Women clad in brightly colored saris converse in groups, while men repair fishing nets. Teenage boys playfully tackle each other.

Then, the residents of Vellakoil get some news from fellow clansmen: Dangerous weather is on the way.

A year ago, when the tsunami hit, 19 died in this village of less than 500; 14 were children. And everyone's house and belongings were washed away.

This time, they are ready.

Women’s Lib Rises in Wake of Disaster

Published on December 29, 2005

A Developing Reputation
Special Report - A Jewish Appeal to Remember and Rebuild
This Time They're Ready for the Wave

Kosher Slaughter Controversy Erupts

Published on December 2, 2004

It's not every day that people affiliated with a strident animal rights group talk turkey with those who oversee kosher slaughter.

But that's exactly what happened this week, when an unpaid adviser to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) discussed allegations of improper slaughtering practices at an Iowa kosher meat plant with the head of the Orthodox Union's kashrut division.

Alan King a Model for Seinfeld, Crystal

Published on May 13, 2004

Many young Americans know comedian Alan King's work -- they just don't realize it.

Genetic Mutations Linked to Cancer

Published on October 30, 2003

More information about health can only help -- even if the information isn't so positive.

That seems to be the lesson of a new study confirming that Ashkenazi Jewish women with particular genetic mutations have a high risk of contracting breast cancer.

Rudolph Linked to Anti-Jewish Ideology

Published on June 5, 2003

Eric Rudolph was arrested Saturday in western North Carolina after a five-year search by investigators. In total, he is believed to be responsible for four bombings, in which two people were killed and 150 people injured.

Remembering the Comedians

Published on February 6, 2003

Walking into Lillian Lux's Lower East Side home in New York is like entering a museum of Yiddish theater. The apartment holds a photo of Lux and her husband -- the late Yiddish actor Pesach'ke Burstein -- from an appearance in Argentina in the late 1930s. There also is a picture of Lux, Burstein and their actor-son, Mike, who now lives in Los Angeles, at a benefit for wounded Israeli soldiers.

Kerry’s Jewish Roots

Published on February 6, 2003

First it was then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Next it was Gen. Wesley Clark, the supreme allied commander of NATO during the war in Kosovo. Now it's Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry whose Jewish roots are being reported.

Kerry? The Massachusetts senator, the quintessential WASP-y looking politician with an Irish-sounding name?

Yup.

Two of Kerry's grandparents were Jewish, it turns out.

His Name Was Chaim Potok

Published on July 25, 2002

Chaim Potok was a novelist who paved the way for a younger generation of religious American Jewish writers -- and a Jewish scholar who worked tirelessly to bring Jews and Judaism closer together.

Remembering the Comedians

Published on May 16, 2002

Walking into Lillian Lux's Lower East Side home in New York is like entering a museum of Yiddish theater.

Surreal in the City

Published on September 13, 2001

Even for North American Jews used to thinking about security issues at home -- and confronting terrorist acts in Israel -- the series of horrific acts that struck Tuesday came as a devastating, unimaginable blow.

Out of Bounds

Published on April 26, 2001

A New York Knicks basketball player has more to worry about this week than his team's current opponent in the NBA playoffs -- despite his apology.

Defending Greenberg

Published on April 12, 2001

Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg has built a reputation as a man of letters, but not of the kind that have swirled around him lately.

In the latest volley in an escalating war of words, a majority of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council is defending Greenberg, the embattled council chair, against a campaign to unseat him over his role in the Marc Rich pardon scandal.

Orthodox Hoopster Skips Big Game for Shabbat

Published on March 8, 2001

Add Tamir Goodman's name to the small Hebrew school sports pantheon.

Defending Israel

Published on October 12, 2000

The organized North American Jewish community's reaction to the violent events in the Middle East can be summed up in a few words: solidarity with Israel.

Starting Over

Published on September 14, 2000

Millions of immigrants have flocked to the United States looking for streets paved with gold. Lenny Krayzelburg, who came to Los Angeles from Odessa, Ukraine, in 1988 is searching for gold as well - but in a pool at Sydney's Olympic Games.

Small-Town Surprise

Published on August 24, 2000

It's not easy working for a Jewish vice-presidential candidate

Changing Attitudes

Published on August 10, 2000

When Al Smith campaigned for U.S. president - and lost - in 1928, his Roman Catholicism was used against him. When John F. Kennedy successfully ran for president in 1960, he felt the need to make speeches that distanced himself from the pope.

Motivated by Hate

Published on May 4, 2000

Some Jewish facilities in Pittsburgh are under increased security following last week's shooting rampage that killed five minorities, including one Jewish woman.