According to CNN.com, which did extensive exit polling thoughout the day yesterday, American Jews overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama over John McCain. Jews, which make up but 2% of the American population, voted 78%-21% in favor of Obama, which is the highest percentage among all religions. Overall, Obama received over 63 million votes, or about 52% of the popular vote, to go with 349 electoral votes. McCain received about 55.8 million votes, around ...
I remember in either Time Magazine or Newsweek a couple of years ago, they ran a feature about people traveling to India to receive medical care at a fraction of the cost of the United States. The doctors are for the most part trained in US hospitals, but since insurance is not the rabid and ruthless industry that it is here, everything is cheaper. In fact, travel agencies were offering package deals, including ...
Some 6th graders near St. Louis are in trouble after taking Spirit Week too far. What started as "Hug a Friend Day" quickly evolved and became "Hit a Jew Day." According to school officials, 10 of the school's 35 Jews were somehow hit. A link may be found here. ...
In the upcoming election, we have two very qualified choices for President. John McCain has been a government servant for 26 years, and nobody can deny his heroism in Vietnam. Barack Obama is an inspiring speaker and has many people believing that government can do good for the people of this country and that he is the man to lead us. They have different opinions on a variety of issues. However, ...
On Wednesday night, an Orthodox man boarded a United Airlines flight from JFK to San Francisco. Before the flight took off, he went to the back of plane to daven, probably Mincha (Maariv could have waited). The crew asked him to sit for takeoff, but since he was in the middle of the Amidah he couldn't interrupt. His friends ...
Every year on Patriots Day, a Massachusetts holiday celebrating the start of the Revolutionary War in Concord, thousands of people run the Boston Marathon. While not as famous as its New York counterpart, over 25,000 runners take part. It usually falls on Pesach, many times Chol HaMoed, and Jews from all over the country join the race as well. ...
In September I started my position as Donor Relations Representative at the Jewish Communal Fund. What is the JCF, you may ask? I certainly did when I first arrived. However, in the six months since I started, I have learned much about the way the Jewish community is funded, how people give, and their motivations. The Jewish Communal Fund is a donor-advised fund located in New York City. What a donor-advised fund does is simplify the charitable process. Let's say you're someone who gives $5000 to charity every year. You probably give anywhere from $200 to $1000 to many different places, to try and support as many places as possible. Come tax time, you have to find this pile of receipts to certify your donations to the government. What we do is simplify all of that. Instead of writing anywhere from 10 to 100 checks during the year, you make out one check to us for that larger amount and open a fund with us. You get one receipt from us for that total amount, and that is your tax deduction. The money is invested, tax-free, and grows as the market grows (not as much in the last 2 months, but still enough to make it worthwhile). When you want to send money to an organization, you send us a "grant recommendation" and we send the money to the organization for you, usually within 3 business days. There is no need for you to write dozens of checks or spend money on stamps. We do all the leg work for you. What happens if the organization is not in our database? We have someone here who researches these organizations to make sure they are certified tax-exempt by the IRS. ...
The Herzl/Rocky Mountain Hebrew Academy from Denver, CO might be in danger of losing a tournament championship game before they ever set foot on the court. In the midst of a championship basketball tournament, if RMHA wins one more game, they can play for the title. However, the championship game takes place next Shabbos, March 8. The school petitioned the Colorado High School Activities ...
I recently came across a review for the 2001 movie, "Trembling Before G-d." For those of you who are not familiar with it, the movie tells the story of several previously Orthodox Jews who are homosexual, and details their struggles with being gay and Orthodox. Many times, these people were essentially kicked out of their communities or sent to be "rehabilitated" or "cured." Many rabbis came out ...
I often hear that people vote for a particular candidate over another one is their stance towards Israel. "Oh, he's great for Israel, he's got my vote" or "They are terrible towards Israel - no way!" When did the Jewish vote start to focus on a single issue? And has a President's feelings towards Israel at any point in the last 60 years really ...
