Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., will join a panel of experts in a public forum discussion on the United States’ foreign policy with Iran, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Monday, April 30. The forum will be held in room 275 of Nicholson Hall at the University of Minnesota. Rep. Keith Ellison The panel will include author [...]

Well-traveled singer-songwriter from Iowa returns to the Twin Cities on May 10 By MORDECAI SPECKTOR I met God on the edge of town / Where the wind meets the stillness Where the darkness meets the light / Where the ocean meets the sky Where the desert meets the rain / Where the earth meets the [...]

The Tikvah group of the Minneapolis Chapter of Hadassah will hold its 2012 Installation Brunch 10 a.m. Sunday, May 6 in the party room at Greenbriar, 10505 Cedar Lake Rd., Minnetonka. A light brunch will be followed by the installation of officers, and comedy will be performed by Gloria Fredkove. The cost is $15 per [...]

Aish Minnesota will host world-renowned speaker and author Rabbi Ken Spiro 7 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 15 at Oak Ridge Country Club, 700 Oak Ridge Rd., Hopkins. He will present “A Nation that Dwells Alone: Why Does the Whole World Pick on Tiny Israel?” A VIP reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. Rabbi Ken Spiro [...]

Michael Tilson Thomas, the grandson of Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky, wrote, hosted and conducted The Thomashefskys: Music and Memories of a Life in the Yiddish Theater. The show was broadcast in March on PBS’ Great Performances and was released on DVD on Tuesday. Recorded in April 2011 in Miami Beach, it stars Judy Blazer as [...]

Remembering Yaakov Just on Israel’s Memorial Day By MOSHE GIT From the inception of the State of Israel, the custom has been to dedicate the day prior to Israel’s Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut) to the memory of the fallen soldiers, without whose sacrifice the state would not exist or endure. That day is known as [...]

Dr. Harry Friedman dies at the age of 96 By ERIN ELLIOTT BRYAN / Community News Editor Dr. Harry Friedman, described by his mother as her “little American baby,” grew up to become a beloved and well-respected Minneapolis ophthalmologist, and a founder of Mount Sinai Hospital and the Phillips Eye Institute. He mentored several generations [...]

Crossing the Borders of Time: A True Story of War, Exile, and Love Reclaimed, by Leslie Maitland, Other Press, 512 pages, $27.95. Reviewed by NEAL GENDLER Had Leslie Maitland set out to write a gripping romance novel, she hardly could have exceeded this fascinating account of her mother’s life. Crossing the Borders of Time is [...]

The American Jewish World is a media sponsor for this year’s Twin Cities 64th Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) Celebration. The organized Jewish communities on both sides of the Mississippi River have joined forces, along with a host of synagogues, Jewish agencies and groups, for events on Sunday, April 29, including a solidarity walk in [...]

Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz along with family members of First Lt. Hila Bezaleli lay a wreath for the fallen soldier at Mount Herzl on April 22. Bezaleli, 20, was killed when a heavy lighting fixture collapsed during rehearsals for the upcoming Independence Day ceremony at Mount Herzl. (Photo: Gal Ashuach/IDF Spokesperson’s Unit) JERUSALEM (JTA) — [...]