By George Castle, Special to Chicago Jewish News Irony permeated Lenny Bruce’s standup routine, and cemented his place in pop culture and political history. The greatest Jewish stand-up comic ever, as rated by Comedy Central,…

By George Castle, Special to Chicago Jewish News Cindy Stern always picks winners when she journeys to Israel every year to scout potential screenings for her annual Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema. But this year,…

By George Castle, Special to Chicago Jewish News True, abiding friendship lasts through the decades and the separation of miles and alights at a Skokie kitchen table, all parties freer than ever. Here were Nathan…

By Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Judaism is a tough religion to observe. I travel a lot to give speeches, appear in media, and promote Jewish values and support for Israel. I love nature, history and exposing…

By Rabbi Zoe Klein Miles As I prepare for this Yom Kippur, when we stand before the Judge of Truth, open the ledger of our deeds and recite our confessions both personal and communal, one transgression…

By Tova Hartman When my late father, Rabbi David Hartman, took his first pulpit in the Bronx in 1955, he could not stop thinking about all the congregants who would come to him with questions about…

By Joseph Aaron, Editor What a lousy year. 5779, now thankfully coming to a close, was a year filled with tragedy and heartbreak, filled with disgusting behavior, filled with Jews that acted shamefully. 5779 was…

By George Castle, Special to Chicago Jewish News “Missy” Isaacson got game. Just 5-foot-1 in high school at Niles West, she was a Basketball Jane, having proudly worn the No. 4 of all-heart idol Jerry…

By George Castle, Special to Chicago Jewish News The professional divorce between Lou Lang and Rabbi Yehiel “Mark” Kalish may be one of the most bizarre in Illinois’ byzantine political history. The concept of longtime…