The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/rich-tenorio/ News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World Wed, 02 Sep 2026 23:06:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2018/11/toi_icon_512-200x200.png Rich Tenorio | The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/rich-tenorio/ 32 32 Toy story: From teddy bears to Tiddlywinks, how Jews helped shape American childhood https://www.timesofisrael.com/toy-story-from-teddy-bears-to-tiddlywinks-how-jews-helped-shape-american-childhood/ Mon, 31 Aug 2026 23:37:24 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3888493 New book 'Playmakers' by sociologist Michael Kimmel looks at how children of Jewish immigrants built the dolls, games, books and comics that became cultural touchstones in the US

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]]> Did medieval Jews hide a ‘secret synagogue’ in tarot cards? Boston exhibit turns over clues https://www.timesofisrael.com/did-medieval-jews-hide-a-secret-synagogue-in-tarot-cards-boston-exhibit-turns-over-clues/ Wed, 20 May 2026 15:17:08 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3808235 'Torah in the Tarot,' named for researcher Stav Appel's book of the same name, runs through June at the Vilna Shul, makes claim the deck was created by early crypto-Jews

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]]> From child laborer to union leader: Too-relevant story of 20th-century immigrant Pauline Newman https://www.timesofisrael.com/from-child-laborer-to-union-leader-too-relevant-story-of-20th-century-immigrant-pauline-newman/ Sun, 26 Apr 2026 03:13:24 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3782167 In 'For the Love of Labor,' ToI contributor Cathryn J. Prince follows the Lithuanian-born labor activist who blazed trails fighting sexism and classism in her new homeland, America

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]]> Was Henri Matisse’s sojourn in Vichy France de facto collaboration or quiet resistance? https://www.timesofisrael.com/was-henri-matisses-sojourn-in-vichy-france-de-facto-collaboration-or-quiet-resistance/ Sat, 18 Apr 2026 04:52:32 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3729469 In his new book 'Matisse at War,' Christopher C. Gorham explores the renowned artist's troubled but prolific life under the Nazis during WWII, and his family's role in the French underground

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]]> How an upstart rabbi was excommunicated over his prayer book for a ‘new US Judaism’ https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-an-upstart-rabbi-was-excommunicated-over-his-haggadah-for-a-new-us-judaism/ Mon, 06 Apr 2026 05:53:26 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3794103 Mordecai Kaplan's vision of a unified, reconstructed religion for American Jews was plagued by backlash but launched a new denomination. Now he's the subject of a new biography

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]]> New drama tells true story of Holocaust survivor who helps scores of troubled teens https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-drama-tells-true-story-of-holocaust-survivor-who-helps-scores-of-troubled-teens/ Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:43:39 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3773458 In US theaters March 11, 'The Optimist' portrays how big-hearted toy store owner Herbert Heller came to open up about his experiences - and how his talks impacted youth in distress

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]]> Did the founder of Hadassah – Israel’s ‘mother’ – support a one-state solution? https://www.timesofisrael.com/did-the-founder-of-hadassah-israels-mother-support-a-one-state-solution/ Mon, 16 Feb 2026 23:23:45 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3455893 In her biography, 'Henrietta Szold: Hadassah and the Zionist Dream,' author Francine Klagsbrun shows how the acclaimed activist fought against misogyny and for the rights of all children

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]]> New PBS series examines bittersweet ties that have historically bound US Blacks and Jews https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-pbs-series-examines-bittersweet-ties-that-have-historically-bound-us-blacks-and-jews/ Wed, 11 Feb 2026 02:24:37 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3751035 For Black History Month, docuseries 'Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History' parses what has unified and divided the communities, amid today's renewed tensions

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]]> New documentary reveals saga behind Elie Wiesel’s world-famous Holocaust memoir ‘Night’ https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-documentary-reveals-saga-behind-elie-wiesels-world-famous-holocaust-memoir/ Tue, 27 Jan 2026 03:52:23 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3741650 In 'Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire,' airing on PBS in the US on January 27, filmmaker Oren Rudavsky examines the Nobel laureate through his 'lifelong attempt to give his life meaning'

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]]> New documentary depicts the lawsuit that humbled Henry Ford – and revved up US Jewry https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-documentary-depicts-the-lawsuit-that-humbled-henry-ford-and-revved-up-us-jewry/ Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:31:13 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3735646 After its world premiere at the Miami Jewish Film Festival on Sunday, 'Sapiro v. Ford' is making the Jewish festival rounds

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]]> Two long-time negotiators dissect what’s at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-long-time-negotiators-dissect-whats-at-the-heart-of-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/ Wed, 31 Dec 2025 01:46:27 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3702861 In new book 'Tomorrow is Yesterday,' Jewish US diplomat Robert Malley and veteran Palestinian negotiator Hussein Agha team up to look at the hard truths behind the stalled two-state solution

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]]> How ‘Natural Woman’ Carole King defied societal expectations to achieve pop stardom https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-natural-woman-carole-king-defied-societal-expectations-to-achieve-pop-stardom/ Sun, 28 Dec 2025 00:33:30 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3645078 Former Forward editor Jane Eisner's new biography tracks the Jewish artist from her native NYC to California, where she recorded hit album 'Tapestry,' through multiple marriages in Idaho

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]]> Slain journalist Daniel Pearl’s father charts recent ‘Zionophobia’ rise in new book https://www.timesofisrael.com/slain-journalist-daniel-pearls-father-charts-recent-zionophobia-rise-in-new-book/ Tue, 23 Dec 2025 02:46:13 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3710390 In 'Coexistence and Other Fighting Words,' Judea Pearl tracks post-Oct. 7 denial of Jewish self-determination, defending Israel on multiple fronts, while coining some notable phrases

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]]> Let Jean Meltzer’s new Hanukkah-themed romance put the spark in your Festival of Lights https://www.timesofisrael.com/let-jean-meltzers-new-hanukkah-themed-romance-put-the-spark-in-your-festival-of-lights/ Fri, 19 Dec 2025 08:02:17 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3710311 The American Jewish author and onetime rabbinical student adds to the winter holiday canon with 'The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah,' the People of the Book's answer to 'A Christmas Carol'

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]]> Lone Star of David: How a short-lived plan saw persecuted European Jews reroot in Texas https://www.timesofisrael.com/lone-star-of-david-how-a-short-lived-plan-saw-persecuted-european-jews-reroot-in-texas/ Sat, 29 Nov 2025 00:59:44 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3558196 In her new book 'Melting Point,' Rachel Cockerell chronicles her ancestors' involvement in an obscure movement - exclusively in their own words

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