Mark D. Zimmerman

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Lines formed overnight and crowds surged into shopping malls and big box stores as the Christmas shopping season began on the day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday. Meanwhile, in Israel, ads appeared all over television last Thursday night touting sales taking place in stores on Friday. What name […]

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Marvel Comics writer Stan Lee died last week at the age of 95. Lee created hundreds of characters including Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Ant-Man. Lee intentionally did not identify any of his characters as Jewish, though he noted how Judaism influenced his writing, stating

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was in the news last week, as she suffered three broken ribs from a fall in her office. What is unique about the chambers of Justice Ginsburg in the Supreme Court building? A. Justice Ginsburg’s chambers is the only room in the Supreme

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Actor Alec Baldwin was in the news last week, as he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a man during a parking dispute. Baldwin has been in the middle of many controversies in the past, including what Israel-related event? A. The Dominican newspaper El Nacional ran an article about Donald Trump and

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Ariana Grande is in the news following the announcement of her breakup with Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson. Grande was raised Catholic, but turned away from the religion because of the theology regarding homosexuality, in solidarity with her gay brother, Frankie. She now studies kabbalah and has been

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Lotto fever has hit the country, as the Mega Millions first prize in this week’s drawing will be at least $1.6 billion, an all-time high amount. Israel offers its own lottery, known as Mifal HaPayis, with a variety of games including a bi-weekly 7-number drawing, as well

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York –Tensions are rising in the Middle East, as Turkey has accused Saudi Arabia of murdering a Saudi journalist working for the Washington Post inside the Saudi embassy in Istanbul. There is a long Jewish history in Turkey, going back to at least the 5th century BCE. And according to

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Neilah is the closing service at the end of Yom Kippur. The service includes many of the same traditional liturgical prayers chanted throughout the High Holidays, including Ashrei, Selichot, and Avinu Malkeinu. Unique to Neilah is the chanting of the El Nora Alila, a Sephardic hymn attributed to Moses ibn Ezra. Within the

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York –Senator John McCain passed away last week. Among the things McCain will be remembered for was his willingness to work “across the aisle” when he believed it was in the best interest of the American people. For example, McCain and Democratic Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin were the primary co-sponsors