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Sundown: Unkosher Jews and a Kosher Christian

Plus one gate opens and another closes in Jerusalem

by
Hadara Graubart
April 21, 2010
(iStockphoto)
(iStockphoto)

• In the Los Angeles version of the NYC eatery Traif, a Jewish chef and his partner have opened a new restaurant called Animal in Fairfax, a heavily Orthodox neighborhood, where “they manage to incorporate pork into pretty much everything.” [New Yorker (subscription only)]

• Also in confusing news from L.A., the Jewish Journal interviews mega-pastor Joel Osteen (who doesn’t eat pork!). [JJ]

• The Jaffa Gate to Jerusalem’s Old City has been reopened after two months of renovation as part of a $4 billion project, which, shockingly, has caused tension between Israel and the Palestinians. [AP]

• Elswehere in that city, despite a Jewish tradition that it’s good luck to give money to the needy at the Western Wall, security forces have resorted to posting pictures of known panhandlers for exclusion from the area, where they have been gathering in increasing numbers. “[W]e already know them by heart. Some people even dream about them from time to time,” said one guard. [Ynet]

• Gay Israelis struggle with ways to start a family, with increasing numbers turning to U.S. women as surrogate mothers. [MinnPost]

Hadara Graubart was formerly a writer and editor for Tablet Magazine.