9/11 anniversary, the Jewish year in review and Israel’s Academy Awards entry
9/11 anniversary
Americans are commemorating 9/11 with somber tributes, volunteer projects and a new monument to victims, after a year when two attacks demonstrated the enduring threat of terrorism in the nation’s biggest city, according to ABC News. Thousands of 9/11 victims’ relatives, survivors, rescuers and others are expected at the anniversary ceremony at the World Trade Center, while President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will head to the two other places where hijacked planes crashed on Sept. 11, 2001, in the deadliest terror attack on American soil. The president and first lady Melania Trump plan to join an observance at the Sept. 11 memorial in a field near Shanksville, Pa., where a new “Tower of Voices” was dedicated Sept. 8. Pence is attending a ceremony at the Pentagon. Trump, a Republican and native New Yorker, took the occasion of last year’s anniversary to issue a stern warning to extremists that “America cannot be intimidated.” Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks on 9/11, when international terrorism hit home in a way it previously hadn’t for many Americans.
Read more: Remembering September 11 on Google
5778 in Review
For North American Jews, the Jewish year 5778 began with tensions between Israel and the Diaspora over egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall and ended with more tension over a controversial nationality law. In between, North American Jews grappled with the impact of the #MeToo movement, the Trump administration relocated the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and actress Natalie Portman made headlines for turning down a chance to collect a top prize in Israel.
Read more: The Jewish Year in Review: #MeToo, Embassy Move, a Growing Gap Between Israel and the Diaspora
Also see: High Holidays 2018: Recipes, Traditions, Tips and More
Trump praises GOP congressman for body slamming Jewish reporter
President Donald Trump praised a Republican congressman from Montana for body slamming a Jewish reporter on the eve of a special election. At a rally in Billings on Sept. 6, Trump praised Greg Gianforte for physical attacking Ben Jacobs, a reporter for The Guardian, a London-based newspaper, on the eve of a special election in March 2017. Gianforte attacked Jacobs, who is Jewish, after he asked then-candidate Gianforte about the Congressional Budget Office’s report on the Republican health-care bill. Gianforte later apologized and announced a $50,000 donation to the Committee to Protect Journalists, part of an agreement to settle any potential civil claims. In June 2017, he was sentenced to 40 hours of community service and 20 hours of anger management, and assessed a $385 fine and a six-month suspended jail sentence by the Gallatin County justice court.
Read more: Trump praises GOP congressman who body slammed Jewish reporter
Israel to enter ‘The Cakemaker’ onto Oscar race
“The Cakemaker,” a successful indie film involving a gay and straight love triangle, will be Israel’s entry into the 2019 Academy Awards. The film, written and directed by Ofir Raul Graizer, won six awards at Israel’s version of the Oscars, the Ophir Awards, on Sept. 6, including for best picture. The best film winner at the Ophirs automatically becomes Israel’s Oscar entry. Despite having several films make it onto the best foreign language film shortlist, Israel has never won the award. The rights for a U.S. remake of “The Cakemaker” have already been sold. “I always wanted to do a story about people who don’t want to be defined by political, sexual and national identities,” Graizer told JTA in June. “These are people who say ‘I don’t care about these identities, I am who I am.’” –JTA
Mac Miller found dead at 26
Rapper Mac Miller was found dead of an apparent drug overdose on Sept. 7, TMZ reported. The 26-year-old struggled with substance abuse for years, including during a high-profile relationship with pop star Ariana Grande. According to TMZ, Miller was found by police at his home in California’s San Fernando Valley, and pronounced dead at the scene. He was about to start a concert tour next month. Miller was born to a Christian father and Jewish mother in Pittsburgh. He has talked about having a bar mitzvah and celebrating Jewish holidays growing up. He also has a Star of David tattoo on his hand. In his song “S.D.S,” he describes himself as a “Jewish Buddhist tryna consume the views of Christianity.”
Read more: Rapper Mac Miller Dies at 26 of Apparent Overdose
Don’t miss the best of Jmore each week. Go to jmoreliving.com/newsletters to sign up for our weekly Jmore Newsletter and This Week in Baltimore Eating newsletter.
Only when we see the bigger picture do we understand that God has a bigger plan, writes Rabbi Dr. Eli Yoggev.
Former Baltimorean Mindy Sager Dickler, who made aliyah in 2021, writes about the experience of living in Israel over the past week.
The city’s not a winner when little girls can’t walk through a shopping mall with their mothers without getting shot, writes Michael Olesker.
When interviewing for a job, focus on everything you have to offer a prospective employer, advises Karen Hammer of the Ignite Career Center.