FAMILY: Wife Jill and daughter Marlee, 14 HOBBIES: Cooking and gardening SYNAGOGUE: Temple Emanuel SPECTATOR SPORTS: Olympic swimming and golf HOME TOWN: Cincinnati ALMA MATER: Iowa State You can go home again, according to Rick Ehrlich. No, the 45-year-old swimmer won't repeat his 1985 experience when he returns to Israel for the 18th World Maccabiah in July 2009. More...

JERUSALEM- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni flew to the Qatari capital of Doha in the Persian Gulf last week with an ambitious goal: changing moderate Arab attitudes toward Israel. More...

Vera Goodkin, a child survivor of the Holocaust who was rescued by the Swedish diplomat, Raoul Wallenberg, will be the keynote speaker at Yom Hashoah the annual community observance of the Holocaust. The observance will take place on Wednesday, April 30, 7:30 p.m., at the Weinberg Jewish Community Campus. More...

(Adapted from an article prepared by Naomi Lipstein, Jewish Federation of Central NJ) Julia Abramovich was 9 years old when she learned she was Jewish. Her mother kept Julia's Jewish identity a secret until that age, out of fear that little Julia wouldn't understand the danger of publicizing her religion on the cold streets of Borisov, Belarus, where she grew up. More...

WASHINGTON- Jimmy Carter's meetings with Hamas officials last week do not technically violate U.S. policy against negotiating with terrorists, but they do counter the principle and may well undermine the former president's professed desire to support Middle East peace efforts. More...

Adath Emanu-El IAN MICHAEL FIEDLER, son of Vicky and Joel Fiedler, on Apr. 5. JESSE S. CONCA, daughter of Cheryl Sperber and Michael Conca, on Apr. 12. Cong. Beth El ANDREW SOLL, son of Lauren and Jonathan Soll, on Apr. 5. More...

SHIRLEY (nee Walder) BECKETT, of Voorhees, died on April 11. Wife of the late Gustave Beckett. Mother of Robert (Arlene) Beckett. Sister of Jack Walder. Grandmother of three and great-grandmother of three. More...

SUNDAY, APRIL 27 CONG. M'KOR SHALOM Join us from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. as the House Committee tackles a variety of projects in the building. All skill levels welcome. Call 424- 4220 for details. More...

SATURDAY, MAY 3 Mosaic Outdoor Club of Phila. Trip to the country fair at the W.B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences featuring activities and a BBQ chicken dinner. The group will meet at the school sign in front of the dairy barn at 11:30 a.m. Call Gale at 215-331-8194 for details. More...

FRIDAY, MAY 2 ADATH EMANU-EL Tot Shabbat service from 5:45-6:30 p.m. Open to families with children up to second grade. All are welcome. Call 608-1200 for details. Family Shabbat service at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome. Call 608-1200 for details. More...

The 2008 presidential election is among the most interesting and important elections in years. The Democratic contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama looks like it could go all the way to the summer convention, with the victor facing off against John McCain. The policy and personality differences could not be sharper. More...

Mark Twain said that it is easier for a lie to work its way around the world before the truth can put its pants on. And that was 80-100 years before the Internet. Now it's even faster. My office is continually inundated with hoaxes that sound real. The Internet makes it easy. More...

As an evangelical Christian organization with warm and mutually supportive relationships with the Jewish community we have noted the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) sponsored New York Times advertisement on March 28, More...

Q. Law you'd repeal? A. Talking on a cell phone while driving- Tracey Diamond, Human Resources, Jewish Federation A. Legalization of marijuana- June Eisner, Famous Household Wizard A. More...

Full Story

I was asked to write a Yom Hashoah - Holocaust Memorial Day piece. Yet I am aware that this issue of the Voice is being delivered and read right smack in the middle of the festive holiday of Pesach. I feel I cannot ignore Pesach, but I must also address Yom Hashoah. So I started to consider the common threads that run through both holidays. More...