Body of suspected Boston Marathon bomber buried

Published on May 9, 2013

The body of suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried and is no longer in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, where it had been held at a funeral home, the Worcester Police Department said on Thursday.

Boston bombing suspect’s family struggles to find burial site

Published on May 6, 2013

The body of suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev remained in limbo on Monday as his family searched for a cemetery that would accept him.

Three men charged with undermining Boston bombing probe

Published on May 1, 2013

U.S. authorities on Wednesday charged three men with interfering with the investigation of the Boston Marathon bombing, saying they hid fireworks and a backpack belonging to one of the suspected bombers as a manhunt was under way.

Obama: ‘The entire country is behind the people of Boston’

Published on April 19, 2013

President Barack Obama called Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino on Friday to offer ongoing federal help in the Boston bombing investigation, and to express condolences for a police officer killed in the search for suspects.

John Kerry says he hopes to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks

Published on January 24, 2013

Senator John Kerry, nominated to be the next U.S. secretary of state, said on Thursday he hopes for a revival of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Worcester, Mass., synagogue, day school building seized by IRS

Published on December 24, 2012

A building housing a synagogue and Jewish day school in Worcester, a city in central Massachusetts, has been seized by the Internal Revenue Service.

Harold Grinspoon: Visualizing Jewish ‘Voices’

By Tom Teicholz
Published on December 20, 2012

Here’s a challenge: Let’s say you had $1.1 million to give away on a program to inspire people working in Jewish organizations as well as the people who find themselves in their public spaces.

Hospitals battled to protect patients as Sandy raged

Published on October 30, 2012

At one New York hospital where backup generators failed, staff carried premature babies down more than a dozen flights of stairs in one of the more dramatic moments for healthcare workers during powerful storm Sandy.

Romney, Ryan and Florida Jews

By Raphael Sonenshein
Published on August 15, 2012

In 1992, Paul Tsongas of Massachusetts mounted a strong campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. The pundits considered him a brainy guy who was willing to take on the sacred cows of Social Security and Medicare. Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas, by contrast, seemed like a flawed candidate. Tsongas stung Clinton by calling him “pander bear.”

Could candidate pledges curtail the influence of Super PACs?

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on January 24, 2012

Massachusetts pension board completes Iran divestment

Published on January 4, 2012

The Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management board announced that it divested all holdings in companies tied to Iran’s energy industry.

Veteran congressman Barney Frank won’t run in 2012

Published on November 28, 2011

Longtime U.S. Rep. Barney Frank will not run again for his Massachusetts seat in 2012.

Mass. to change ‘12 primary away from Rosh Hashanah

Published on July 7, 2011

Massachusetts' secretary of state said he would change the date of the 2012 state primary to avoid a conflict with Rosh Hashanah.

Massachusetts, Israel invest $2 million for joint R&D

Published on June 30, 2011

Massachusetts and Israel will invest $2 million for collaborative research and development projects in the fields of life sciences, clean energy and technology. The agreement, to support innovation and entrepreneurship, was announced Wednesday by Gov. Deval Patrick at the annual Biotechnology Industry Organization convention in Washington, D.C. It is a joint venture between Israel's Office of the Chief Scientist, the U.S.-Israel Science and Technology Foundation and three Massachusetts economic development agencies.

Second female “rabba” to be ordained

Published on April 28, 2011

A second woman will be ordained under the title rabba. The Academy of Jewish Religion in Riverdale is set to ordain Kaya Stern-Kaufman, 47, of Great Barrington, Mass., at a ceremony on May 12, the New York Jewish Week reported Wednesday.

Gov. Deval Patrick to lead Mass. trade tour of Israel

Published on February 9, 2011

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick will lead a state trade delegation to Israel. Patrick, a Democrat, will tour Britain and Israel from March 7 to 17, his office said Tuesday, according to the Boston Globe.

Reform launches special-needs summer programs

Published on January 11, 2011

The Union for Reform Judaism has launched two new summer programs for children with special needs. Camp Chazak in Massachusetts, opening this summer, is for middle-school children with communication and social delays. It has recreational and therapeutic programming. Like the Reform movement’s existing programs for autistic teens -- the Mitzvah Corps program at Camp Kutz in Warwick, N.Y., and the Camp Nefesh program at Camp Newman in Santa Rosa, Calif. -- the new camp aims to provide a Jewish experience to youngsters often left out of mainstream opportunities.

Vocal Musicians Make a Joyful Noise

By Lauren Korduner
Published on January 1, 2004

Human voices converge on the same note, echoing a haunting harmony -- arousing complicated emotions.

This has been the buzz surrounding an award-winning Jewish a cappella group, Shir Appeal, a group of college students from Massachusetts, who will bring their hypnotizing harmonies to Orange County's Temple Bat Yahm (TBY) for Shabbat evening service, Jan. 16. The group was named after Tufts University's mascot -- Jumbo the Elephant. The Hebrew phrase shir hapeal means "song of the elephant."