Hazel Homer-Wambeam, the first Jewish Miss Wyoming, stands on stage wearing a pink gown and a crown a top her blonde curly hair. Her hand is over her mouth and she is holding a bouquet of roses.
14 Nov
Culture, Latest

First Jewish Miss Wyoming Heading to National Stage

Hazel Homer-Wambeam hails from a small but mighty Jewish community in Laramie, Wyoming. With only 1,150 Jews in the whole Cowboy State and no synagogue in sight, the Jews of Laramie gather in a local Masonic Temple for services, meet for potluck dinners and join in dance and song. Homer-Wambeam took her deep-rooted love for dancing and singing from Laramie to the talent portion of the Miss Wyoming competition where, in June, she was named the first Jewish crown holder. In December, Homer-Wambeam will head to the national competition to vie to be only the second Jewish Miss America in the program’s history. The first was Bess Myerson, who competed as Miss New York during World War II in 1945.  “I can imagine that Myerson brought on a lot of hope for people, and sadly in the...

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21 Dec
Latest, World, Zoominars

Health care for all in Mali: A Jewish Call to Action with Drs. Ari Johnson and Jessica Beckerman

To address the child and maternal mortality crisis in Mali, Dr. Ari Johnson and Dr. Jessica Beckerman co-found Muso, a non-profit advancing child and maternal health which has developed a new, proactive model of universal health care in Mali. Today, Muso provides health care to more than 370,000 people and the communities it serves have achieved rates of child mortality lower than that of any country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Johnson and Beckerman join Moment Senior Editor George Johnson, who also happens to be Ari’s dad, for a conversation about the health care crisis in Africa and how the couples’ Jewish commitments have motivated and energized their inspirational work.

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13 Oct
Jewish World, Latest, Zoominars

The State of Jewish Journalism with Andrés Spokoiny, Philissa Cramer and Sarah Breger

President and CEO of the Jewish Funders Network Andrés Spokoiny, Editor in Chief of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency Philissa Cramer and Moment Deputy Editor Sarah Breger discuss the role Jewish journalism plays inside and outside the Jewish community, how COVID-19 has changed the media landscape and the future of Jewish media.

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25 Aug
Latest, Zoominars

The Message of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel with Susannah Heschel and Rich Michelson

Susannah Heschel, professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College and Richard Michelson, author of As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom, discus the partnership between these two great leaders and what it means for our time.

This zoominar is part of the Martha’s Vineyard Jewish Book Festival, in partnership with Moment Magazine, the Chilmark Library and the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center.

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08 Apr
Jewish World, Latest

The Purple Gang: Kosher Kings of Detroit

The Purple Gang was the only Jewish gang to ever dominate the underworld in a major American city. But judging by their obscurity in the decades following their demise, you would hardly know it. A new book chronicles the gang’s rise, fall, and subsequent vanishing act. In The Elusive Purple Gang: Detroit’s Kosher Nostra, Gregory A. Fournier captures the fast and furious reign of the Purples as they ruled the fourth largest city in America. At their height, the Purples counted no more than 50 members. But the gang’s power and influence extended far beyond their own ranks to City Hall and the Detroit Police Department through a network of bribes. This influence, along with a terrified citizenry, allowed them to operate with impunity for several years. The gang was a confederation of independent crews controlled by...

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20 Mar
Jewish World, Latest

Jewish Objects Project Round-up

“I’m not materialistic, but I believe in the power of things to evoke people, places, days of one’s life.” These words inspired us to launch the Jewish Objects Project, where we asked Moment readers to share photos and stories of things that inspire meaning and memories of their own. Below is a collection of some of our favorites.

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04 Dec
Arts & Culture, Latest

6 Questions for Comedian-Slash-Scientist Adam Ruben

Longtime science lover Adam Ruben spends his days in a lab coat, peering down a microscope in search for a malaria vaccine. But by night, the Sanaria Inc researcher takes to the stage, cracking up crowds as a professional comedian in Washington, DC. Ruben performs at Capital Fringe Festival and the Kennedy Center, co-hosts the Science Channel’s Outrageous Acts of Science and teaches a stand-up comedy course at Johns Hopkins University. He is also the author of Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School. Ruben's comedy often draws on his Jewish upbringing, and he is the second-place winner of the Funniest Jewish Comic Contest at the Laugh Factory in Times Square. Moment asks him about his how his upbringing influences his comedy, and what science and stand-up have in common.—Maggie Miller Q: You’re a full-time molecular biologist, but you...

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22 Mar
Culture, Religion

Changed from Darth Vaderberg at Ellis Island

Breaking news in "people you didn't know were Jewish": Darth Vader. Yes, some Lucasphiles say that Darth Vader's chestplate (right), revealed in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, has Hebrew lettering, suggesting Jewish roots. Interpretations of the text vary, but one fan with a little too much time on his hands argues that the text translates to "His deeds will not be forgiven until he merits." So, Darth Vader: closet Jew? Maybe. After all, he does atone at the end, an idea that is pretty darn Jewish, and the chestplate is vaguely High Priestly. On the other hand, he is, you know, a fictional character who lived a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Vive le mystere!

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