Apatow interviews other comedians about their craft

Apatow, known for films such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, interviews a range of performers, including Jerry Seinfeld, Mel Brooks, Steve Martin, Harold Ramis, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman, Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen. The conversations span generations and different styles of comedy, from stand-up and television to film and screenwriting. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

The mystery of an old statuette

“I recently discovered that I am about twenty-five percent Sephardic Jewish,” she said. “During World War II, that could have been enough to send me to a ghetto or a death camp. Today, it could make me eligible to apply for Israeli citizenship.” {Yakov Nayerman}

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International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA, Yakov Nayerman

The fight against terrorism and antisemitism: Oct. 12, 2026

The Department of Justice confirmed that the search was done with judicial concurrence.  It was part of a continuing criminal probe focusing on possible fraud committed by Omar’s late father when the family immigrated to the U.S.  The congresswoman was just a girl at the time. (SDJW staff roundup)

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International, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Israel’s Oct. 27 election may be inconclusive, deadlocked

There are heated debates among Israelis over who is right, but at the same time, all parties are contributing to the creation of a new political impasse—even those calling for unity while excluding those who governed the country on October 7, 2023, that is, the current governing coalition. (Alex Gordon)

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Alex Gordon, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish fiction so improbable it’s likely to have a counterpart in real life

It’s not strange in the “look how clever we are” way. It just keeps sliding between things , a little mystery, a little romance, a synagogue power struggle, a scene that’s straight-up funny, and about a third of the way in I gave up trying to guess where it was going. (Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.)

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Fiction, Michael Mantell, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire

The fight against terrorism and antisemitism: Oct. 11, 2026

President Donald Trump may be backing off Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the Dec. 3 firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, who has been paralyzed in a wheelchair since the 2009 Fort Hood, Texas, shooting for which he was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others. [SDJW staff report]

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Israel, News Media, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Resilience from mass shootings a stop and go process

I have wondered about the spiritual significance of October 7 occurring on Simchat Torah. Not because I believe G-d intended this tragedy, but because our calendar now brings these moments together, asking us to hold grief and renewal in the same sacred space. (Betzy Lynch)

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Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

‘The Children’s Train’ probes displacement in post-WWII Italy

In the aftermath of World War II, a train carries children away from the poverty of southern Italy toward the possibility of a better life. For one young boy, the journey brings opportunity, but it also forces him to confront difficult questions about family, love and where he belongs. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food