Public celebrations of Juneteenth have been held in African American communities for generations, especially in the South, but they are a relatively new phenomenon in Jewish communities.
A “beef” is just a mean poetry contest, but the stakes of this one felt higher for Jewish fans of hip-hop like me. A loss for Drake, who has celebrated his Jewishness in his art, is a loss for Jews.
When she graduates next year, Asher will become the first Black American woman ordained as a cantor — and one of only two Black cantors in the country, according to the other one, Cantor David Fair.
As he mixed matzah ball ingredients in a bowl during a recent episode of his online cooking show, Tsutomu Shimura reminisced about his bubbe. “I grew up going to Jewish delis with my grandmother,” Shimura said while preparing “Judon” — Japanese udon noodles with a Jewish twist.
Although I did not know her well, I had the privilege of sharing the stage with Ahdaiyah and the New Jerusalem Fire Choir several times during my years in Israel.