Amid the furor over federal health care reform, we should know that providing medical care for all is esteemed in Jewish tradition

By RABBI ALEXANDER DAVIS

Wading through the details and the spin of current heath care debates leaves my head confused and my heart heavy — “confused” because reforming the current system is such [...]

Actor Brad Pitt (below) plays Lt. Aldo Raine, the leader of a U.S. army squad behind the lines in Nazi-occupied France, in director Quentin Tarantino’s filmInglourious Basterds. The film, which opens Aug. 21 at the Lagoon Cinema, presents an “alternate history” of World War II, according to publicity materials. Raine’s motley crew of Jewish American [...]

Video on BBC showed Jewish mystics attempting to ward off H1N1 in Israel during a flyover.

First, religious Israelis refer to “swine flu” as “H1N1″ — pigs, of course, are treif.
On Monday, the BBC reported that around 50 spiritual leaders flew over the Jewish state, praying and blowing shofars to ward off the pandemic.
See the amusing [...]

Radio talker pours fuel on the fire of raging health care debate
“Rush Limbaugh’s remarks comparing Democrats to Nazis drew swift condemnation from many corners of the Jewish community — and also sparked a fight between Jewish Democrats and Republicans over which side isn’t doing enough to stop the use of such analogies,” writes JTA’s Washington [...]

‘O Little Town of Bet Lechem’?
Renowned Hibbing, Minnesota native Bob Dylan is set to confound his fans once more.
BullyPulpit.com reports:
Bob Dylan is recording his first Christmas album, Bullypulpit.com has exclusively learned and has been quietly compiling a collection that includes both Christmas carols and modern songs. At least four songs have reportedly been recorded for [...]

The Jewish community must organize to stop the wave of home foreclosures
By JOHN OSTFIELD
I am about to become a statistic. I am about to join millions of others in very difficult circumstances. I will have my home that I have lived in for almost 15 years foreclosed on very soon. I am a single father [...]

In a new memoir, Mark Rudd, a leader of the 1968 Columbia student strike, recounts his odyssey from communist firebrand to graying activist

By MORDECAI SPECKTOR

Mark Rudd was the face of campus protest against the Vietnam War. As the leader of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at New York’s Columbia University, he rallied [...]

By MORDECAI SPECKTOR

Three pro-Palestinian activists from the Twin Cities were denied entry into Israel last week. Karen Sullivan, a member of the Anti-War Committee, was detained at Ben-Gurion Airport last Friday, and put on a return flight on Saturday.
Sarah Martin, a member of Women Against Military Madness, and Katrina Plotz, of the Anti-War Committee, refused [...]

Jodi Livon’s book launch party will take place on Aug. 14 in Minnetonka

By ERIN ELLIOTT / Community News Editor

When Jodi Livon was a young girl, she knew things. She knew who was calling before she answered the phone, she knew if her friend was going to bump into something and she knew details about [...]

Beyond the Pale, a Toronto-based acoustic band, has released Postcards (Borealis Records), its third album, which blends klezmer, Balkan and East European styles with a range of other influences. From the first toe-tapping track, “Magura,” it’s evident that the group is “at a creative peak.” Each of the 16 songs are meant to “deliver a unique [...]