CALEB GUEDES-REED

Shannon Sarna, author of 'Modern Jewish Comfort Food,' stands over a pot of chicken soup, one of the many comfort food recipes in her new book. (Doug Schneider/via JTA)

September 12, 2022, 2:26 am

Mac ‘n cheese kugel? ‘Modern Jewish Comfort Food’ gives classics a 21st-century spin

What happens when one gives traditional cuisine an uber-contemporary twist?

Jeremy Strong plays a Jewish father in 'Armageddon Time.' (Screenshot from YouTube)

September 8, 2022, 4:57 am

Star cast forms Jewish family in new film ‘Armageddon Time’

Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Anthony Hopkins feature in upcoming movie, already generating an Oscar buzz, about a Jewish immigrant who escaped the Holocaust

By CALEB GUEDES-REED

Jesse Eisenberg attends the LA Premiere of "Zombieland: Double Tap" in Los Angeles, October 10, 2019. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

August 19, 2022, 5:35 am

Jesse Eisenberg’s next film tracks 2 cousins exploring grandmother’s Holocaust story

He’ll direct and star alongside Kieran Culkin, exploring ‘historical trauma’ in a modern context; begins filming in March

By CALEB GUEDES-REED

Steve Carell plays a Jewish therapist named Alan Strauss in FX's new series 'The Patient.' (Screenshot from YouTube)

August 6, 2022, 3:11 am

‘The Patient’ creators defend casting Steve Carell as Jewish therapist

In latest ‘Jewface’ flare-up, Jewish writers of Hulu thriller say non-Jewish actor plays part ‘brilliantly’ in business where ‘people are pretending to be other people’

By CALEB GUEDES-REED and Gabe Friedman

Left to right, US president Joe Biden, President Isaac Herzog, singer Yuval Dayan and singer Ran Dankner during a ceremony at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, on July 14, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

July 15, 2022, 7:02 am

Israeli pop star shows fist-bumping Biden how to avoid physical contact

Religious singer declines to shake hand of president for reasons of modesty, leaving leader of the free world hanging amid his own half-hearted attempt to keep away from others

By CALEB GUEDES-REED

A plate of hummus at the Hummus Hagiva restaurant at the French Hill neighborhood in Jerusalem. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

July 8, 2022, 6:13 am

Hold your hummus: Global chickpea supply could drop 20% this year

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, weather and transportation issues are threatening global supply

By CALEB GUEDES-REED

Screen capture from video of British TV host Matt Lucas reading a page from Anne Frank's diary that describes his grandmother's cousin who lived with the Franks in 1942. (YouTube)

July 7, 2022, 2:36 pm

British TV cooking contest host discovers his family member lived with Anne Frank

BBC genealogy show probing history of ‘Great British Bake Off’ star Matt Lucas finds his grandmother’s cousin rented room in Frank home in Amsterdam, is mentioned in famous diary

By CALEB GUEDES-REED

Illustrative: Rescue personnel work in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo, in Surfside, Florida, June 25, 2021. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

June 24, 2022, 7:41 pm

Judge okays $1.2 billion settlement for Surfside collapse victims

Families of those killed in civil disaster and former residents of Miami-area tower to divide money, as complicated negotiations wrap up day before first anniversary of tragedy

By CALEB GUEDES-REED

Left: Columbia University president Lee Bollinger speaks during a graduation ceremony in New York, May 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File); Harvard President Lawrence Bacow sitting for a photograph before joining a procession though Harvard Yard at the start of Harvard University commencement exercises, May 30, 2019, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

June 19, 2022, 2:58 am

Two departing Ivy League presidents leave different legacies on Israel, antisemitism

Lawrence Bacow of Harvard and Lee Bollinger of Columbia prepare to step down in 2023, part of a sea change in schools at the center of nationwide campus debates on these two issues

By Andrew Lapin and CALEB GUEDES-REED

Adam Sandler attends the after party for the Netflix World Premiere of 'Hustle' at Baltaire on June 01, 2022 in Los Angeles, California (Phillip Faraone / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

June 8, 2022, 10:05 am

Adam Sandler’s production company making bat mitzvah-themed film

Unclear if the Hollywood star will take a role in movie version of ‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah,’ a 2005 young adult novel by Fiona Rosenbloom

By CALEB GUEDES-REED

Actors Michael Aloni and Yuval Scharf in 'The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem,' a historical series produced in Israel by Yes Studios. (Courtesy: Nati Levi)

May 21, 2022, 7:51 am

Israeli drama ‘Beauty Queen of Jerusalem’ makes Netflix debut

10 episode series follows a family of Spanish Sephardic Jews living in Jerusalem in the early 20th century, showcasing their Judeo-Spanish traditions

By CALEB GUEDES-REED and Gabe Friedman

Amar'e Stoudemire speaks in an Instagram video about his leaving the Brooklyn Nets, May 18, 2022. (Screenshot via JTA)

May 19, 2022, 9:09 pm

Amar’e Stoudemire drops Nets coaching gig to focus on Shabbat game

Former NBA star, now Orthodox Jew, reveals he told Nets coach Steve Nash he feels he is not able give his all to position because he doesn’t work on Saturdays

By Gabe Friedman and CALEB GUEDES-REED

Fernando and Josefina married in a Nazi-themed wedding in Tlaxcala, Mexico, April 29, 2022. (Jorge Carballo via JTA)

May 6, 2022, 7:46 am

Mexican couple gets married in Nazi-themed wedding on Hitler’s anniversary

Local authorities and Jewish community leaders denounce pair, who reportedly named their kids after prominent Nazi figures

By CALEB GUEDES-REED

Rapper Nissim Baruch Black is now a fixture on Israel's streets. (Courtesy)

April 28, 2022, 4:37 am

HBO to produce comedy series about Hasidic rapper Nissim Black

Israel-based musician says he hopes the show ‘Motherland Bounce’ will help dispel some misconceptions about him

By CALEB GUEDES-REED

Damon Lindelof appears in season 8 of Finding Your Roots (Screenshot via JTA)

April 12, 2022, 1:12 pm

Screenwriter Damon Lindelof learns about his family’s tragic Holocaust story

With help from Yad Vashem, writer known for ‘Lost’ and ‘Watchmen’ finds testimony detailing fate of his family in Białystok ghetto

By CALEB GUEDES-REED