By Daniel Treiman
When J Street’s supporters gather in Washington later this month for the dovish Israel advocacy group’s first national conference, they will have no shortage of things to celebrate. In the year and a half since its launch, the self-proclaimed “political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement” has made itself a major player in the Jewish community — and, for many, its enfant terrible. While other dovish Jewish groups have attempted, over the years, to influence America’s Mideast policy debates, none has managed to generate anything comparable to J Street’s potent combination of grassroots enthusiasm, inside-the-Beltway political cachet and media buzz.Read More
By Daniel Treiman
The Sulzbergers may daven Episcopalian, but the newspaper they own has a surprising interest in the kosher status of Girl Scout cookies.
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By Daniel Treiman
Don Rickles is on a roll. The famed insult comedian now has an Emmy to his name. He earned his statuette in the category of outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program for the documentary “Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project,” which is, of course, about him.
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By Daniel Treiman
“Tropic Thunder” — this summer’s Ben Stiller-directed hit about a motley crew of mega-stars who get more than they bargained for when they enlist in a big-budget Vietnam War flick — has offended its way to box-office success. Robert Downey Jr. spends most of the film in blackface, and the movie’s portrayal of the mentally disabled has drawn pickets. Jews aren’t spared, either — or at least not Jews of the obnoxious Hollywood mogul variety.
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By Daniel Treiman
Baseball’s “rabbi” has lost his Major League
smicha.
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