The Menorah That Defied Hitler Lights Up & Other Orthodox Jews in the News

Religious Women’s Noga Dance Troupe Awarded Minister’s Prize
Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) announced that one of the two winners of the 2017 prize for dance would be the religious young women’s Noga Dance Troupe founded at Orot Israel Academic College for Education’s iin Elkana, Samaria. The establishment of a Department of Dance at the women’s campus of Orot College was a pioneering and totally new phenomenon in Israel’s religious Zionist world and the subsequent founding of the acclaimed troupe served as another first.

Friction Among the Faithful
In Orthodox Jewish Midwood, two generations of the devout find themselves at odds over the future. To understand the tension in the insular and religious community of Orthodox Jews in Midwood, a place where everyone shares the same deep devotion to their faith, look no further than two liquor stores that sit only three blocks from each other but are in fact generations apart.

Go Ahead, Bite Into That Bacon Cheeseburger. It’s Kosher.
While the embassy is still on its way, 2017 brought Jerusalem one clearly American emblem: the cheeseburger. Since opening its doors in January of this year, the aptly named Crave has been serving the local clientele a variety of dishes well-known to the American eater: In addition to the cheesy Craveburger, the menu includes burritos bursting with meats and vegetables, grilled sliders, Philly-style steak and cheese nachos, a tall Reuben sandwich and much more.

Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Leader Shteinman Dies at 104
Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, the spiritual leader of Israel’s non-hasidic ultra-Orthodox Jews of European descent and one of the country’s most influential and powerful rabbis, died on Tuesday. He was 104. Hundreds of thousands took part in a funeral procession in the central part of Bnei Brak.

Lighting the Menorah Under the Swastika’s Shadow
A Menorah that began its life in Nazi Germany will be lit this Chanukah in Israel. “In 1932, just before Hitler’s rise to power, the Posner family’s menorah shone brightly for all their neighbors to see. Its light — and the meaning behind it — was made all the more incandescent given the symbol of Jew-hatred hanging from the building across the street.”

This 16-Year-Old Girl Can Crush You At The Gym
Naomi Kutin, a high-school junior from Fair Lawn, NJ, has been nicknamed “Supergirl” ever since she broke a world record in 2012 by squatting 215 pounds in the 97-pound weight class at the tender age of 9. A modern Orthodox Jew who always competes wearing a T-shirt under her singlet for modesty reasons, she is the subject of “Supergirl,” airing Dec. 18 on PBS. “It was a great opportunity to show people that you can be an Orthodox Jew and a world-class powerlifter and still be religious.”

Make These Reuben and Breakfast Latkes for Hanukkah
As we head into the second night of Hanukkah, Jamie Geller, author of “The Joy of Kosher,” joins Megyn Kelly TODAY to demonstrate how to make a delicious holiday treat: latkes. Among her “next-level” latkes: a Reuben latke and even a breakfast latke.

If You Want To Take Control Of Your Career, Find A Friend
As the CEO 360i, Sarah Hofstetter is in a position to see how the young women at the agency perceive themselves through the self-review portion of the semi-annual review process, too often seeing a disconnect between their actual skills and achievements and the story they tell about themselves. Hofstetter remembers struggling with effectively articulating her achievements early in her career, too, and asks, how do we become our own best cheerleaders?

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