Talk of the Table // Foods To Beat The Heat

Not all Jewish food is the heavy, hearty fare meant to sustain Eastern European ancestors through dark, cold winters. But Jews, of course, don’t come from just Eastern Europe—many come from hot-weather climates and have a culinary canon that suits the heat. Here are some of the best Jewish foods to indulge in when the temperature soars.

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A Symposium on Anti-Semitism: Where does it come from and why does it persist?

https://js.hscta.net/cta/current.js// A symposium with: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Michael Barkun, David Berger, Bent Blüdnikow, Robert Chazan, Phyllis Chesler, Jeremy Cohen, Irwin Cotler, Mohammed S. Dajani Daoudi, Hasia Diner, Leonard Dinnerstein, Stuart Eizenstat, Avner Falk, Eva Fogelman, Ira Forman, Zvi Gitelman, Michael Goldfarb, Michel Gurfinkiel, Jonathan Judaken, David Kertzer, Brian Klug, David Mamet, David Nirenberg, Emanuele Ottolenghi, Cynthia Ozick, Dina Porat, Alvin Rosenfeld, Ari Roth, Shlomo Sand, Maxim Shrayer, Charles Asher Small, Eli Valley, Hans-Joachim Voth, Sergio Widder, Xu Xin. From Nadine Epstein: I’ve been very lucky in the anti-Semitism department. All four of my grandparents fled pogroms, conscription and discrimination in Eastern Europe, but I grew up in New Jersey, able to participate fully in all aspects of American life. During travels to far-flung corners of the world, I never felt in danger...

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The Last Synagogue Standing

Jewish life in Detroit isn’t dead. In fact, it’s having a hipster rebirth // We’re across the street from a strip club called Cobras advertising something called “The Grind Downtown,” and we’re dancing with the Torah. Through downtown Detroit, a group of 100 or so is parading down the sidewalks of Griswold Street and Grand River Avenue, hoisting the scrolls and chanting Hebrew songs in honor of Simchat Torah.

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From Iraq With Love

by Sala Levin Located at the geographic crossroads of Asia, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, Israel is a kettle of culinary confluence. Perhaps the best embodiment of the global influence on contemporary Israeli cuisine is the humble sabich. What is sabich? A sandwich, yes, by most definitions, but also a citizen of the world, a uniter of cultures, an heirloom of a tradition of traipsing and transience. But before we get too lofty, the tangibles: Sabich, practically speaking, is a sandwich sold on street corners and in shops across Israel. It’s a pita stuffed with fried eggplant and a hard-boiled egg, then topped off with typical Israeli accoutrements: hummus, tahini, cucumber and tomato salad, pickles, plus a dousing of a mango pickle dressing called amba—itself a legacy of close ties between Jewish traders in Iraq...

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