WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israel’s U.S. Ambassador Michael Oren said New York Times columnist Tom Friedman “strengthened a dangerous myth” when he said Congress was “bought and paid for by the Israel lobby.”
“This allegation is profoundly disturbing,” Oren told JTA. “The term ‘Israel lobby’ implies the existence of a Zionist cabal wielding inordinate economic and political [...]

Marlene Solomon, of Golden Valley, enjoys a collection of more than 60 Hanuka menoras that she’s gathered over nearly 50 years
By ERIN ELLIOTT BRYAN / Community News Editor
Marlene Solomon once had just one menora.
“Everybody’s grandmother had one with the two lions,” Solomon told the AJW. “I had one like that.”
But when she ended her [...]

Hasidic reggae star Matisyahu shaved his beard, a symbol of his ongoing spiritual journey
By ADAM SOCLOF
NEW YORK (JTA) — The world’s most famous Hasidic Jew has shaved his beard.
With a declaration Tuesday morning that he was “reclaiming” himself, Jewish music star Matisyahu — a.k.a. Matthew Miller — shaved his signature beard and wrote, [...]

Minnesota’s Michele Bachmann announced she has lined up a donor to ‘personally pay’ for the U.S. embassy’s move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
By ADAM KREDO
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Iran’s nuclear program appears to be racing ahead. The Middle East peace process is in shambles. And a series of recent flare-ups have highlighted ongoing tensions [...]

Hanuka cover art by Levi Feller, winner of the 2011/5772 AJW Hanuka Cover Contest.

Keep reading for more on the artist and artworks by the runners-up.

Park Square Theatre brings back Gershwin show written by local musician Joe Vass
By ERIN ELLIOTT BRYAN / Community News Editor
Joe Vass has always loved the music of composer George Gershwin, and other songwriters from the early to mid-20th century — music from what is known as the Great American Songbook. But when [...]

The Anatomy of Israel’s Survival, by Hirsh Goodman, Public Affairs, 288 pages, $26.99.
Reviewed by NEAL GENDLER
Hirsh Goodman used to be infuriated by the question of whether Israel can survive; of what other country is such a question asked?
But now, he says, “there is much merit to the question, for both Israel and its [...]

We thank You for the heroism, for the triumphs, and for the miraculous deliverance of our ancestors in other days, and in our time.
— From the Hanuka prayer “Al Hanisim (For the Miracles)”
After our Thanksgiving feasts this year, we witnessed a disturbing pattern of consumerism run amok. Trying to get a jump [...]

The Lubavitch Cheder Day School will host a Hanuka breakfast 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 18 at Lubavitch House, 400 Marie Ave. W., West St. Paul. The event will include face painting, balloon twisting, cookie decorating, a mini raffle, made-to-order omelets and more.
The cost is $12 for adults and $8 for kids. For [...]

Jews today are challenged to apply their experience and beliefs in defense of those suffering bullying, violence and legalized prejudice based on their sexual and gender identity
(Editor’s note: The following article is an abridged version of Rabbi Stock Spilker’s Kol Nidre sermon.)
By RABBI ADAM STOCK SPILKER
Kol Nidre is the sanctuary of the soul [...]