Mark D. Zimmerman

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Emmanuel Lubezki won the Oscar for Best Cinematography for the film The Revenant. Lubezki, a Jewish-Mexican with family roots in Bolshevik Russia, has now won this award three years in a row (having previously won for Gravity and Birdman). When Leo DiCaprio won the Best Actor award

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Republican frontrunner Donald Trump (okay, take a second and read those words again!) has drawn criticism from some Israel supporters because of his recent comments on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, when he stated, “Let me be sort of a neutral guy,” while declining to say who was

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — In the 2015 case of Zivotofsky v. Kerry, the Supreme Court tackled the issue of whether passports of American citizens born in Jerusalem should list their birthplace as “Jerusalem” (as was the practice since Israel’s founding) or “Jerusalem, Israel” (as advocated by Zivotofsky). The court ruled that passports could continue

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — The focus today is on Iowa, site of the first 2016 caucuses for President. Iowa’s first Jewish settler dates back to 1833, when Alexander Levi arrived in Dubuque from New Orleans and helped develop lead mines. More recently, a Jewish resident of Postville, Iowa, referred to Jewish life in that town

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, NEW YORK — Sarah Palin is in the news for her endorsement of Donald Trump for president. What member of her family has a name which is of Jewish origin?   A. Her daughter Willow, who was born on Sukkot and is named after the willow branch that is part of

MELVILLE, New York — Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom has aroused controversy by her critical remarks concerning Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. There have been Jews in Sweden for many years. What is perhaps the first record of a Jewish presence in Sweden?   A. Jews were well established throughout much of Europe by the Middle Ages; however, there

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — What is David Bowie’s Jewish connection?   A. Bowie performed at a concert at Park Hayarkon in Tel Aviv in 1990, during the time of the first Intifada. During the performance, he altered the lyrics of his song, Space Oddity, singing, “Ground Control, we need Salaam. Ground Control, we need Salaam.

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — The Orthodox Union has given kosher certification to a medical marijuana product produced by Verio Health of New York. In regard to this, Rabbi David Bleich, a Yeshiva University professor and authority on Jewish medical ethics, did NOT make which of the following statements? A. He said that medicinal marijuana

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — The Beatles are once again in the news, as they have finally allowed their music to be streamed on such music services as Spotify and Apple Music. What was the Jewish connection to the Cavern, the Liverpool nightclub where the Beatles performed regularly at the start of