Thanksgiving travel, romaine warnings, Time Magazine cover and more
Expect record-breaking Thanksgiving travel
AAA projects 54.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving, a 4.8 percent increase over last year. The 2018 holiday weekend will see the highest Thanksgiving travel volume in more than a dozen years (since 2005), with 2.5 million more people taking to the country’s roads, skies, rails and waterways compared with last year. The Thanksgiving holiday period is defined as Wednesday, November 21 to Sunday, November 25.
See more: AAA’s Thanksgiving travel forecast
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Don’t eat the romaine!
Americans should not eat any romaine lettuce amid concerns over a new E. coli outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Nov. 20. Consumers should throw away any romaine lettuce, and retailers and restaurants should not sell or serve it, the CDC said. At least 32 people in 11 states have gotten sick from the same strain of E. coli in the outbreak. The illnesses started in October and have hospitalized at least 13 people, including one with a kind of kidney failure, the CDC said. No deaths have been reported, and no recalls have been issued. U.S. consumers should avoid all types of romaine lettuce and also salad mixes if they are unsure whether it includes romaine, according to the CDC. The agency also told Americans to clean refrigerators where romaine had been stored. Ten cases have been reported in California, the state with the highest number of sick people. Seven were identified in Michigan. Other states with reported cases are Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Read more: Romaine lettuce warning: CDC says E. coli outbreak has sickened 32 people in 11 states
Female rabbi featured on Time Magazine cover based on Rockwell painting
Los Angeles Rabbi Sharon Brous is among a group of Americans of different faiths featured on Time Magazine’s latest cover. The cover, released last week, is based on Worship. “The painting, part of a series depicting the “Four Freedoms” articulated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, depicts people of different faiths in prayer. Brous is shown wearing a dark blue tallit with a traditional Hebrew blessing on it. Brous is the founder and senior rabbi of Ikar, an unaffiliated congregation in Los Angeles. The Conservative-ordained rabbi has gained prominence due to her political activism, and in 2013 she blessed President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the Inaugural Prayer Service. In 2013, Newsweek and Daily Beast named her among the country’s top rabbis. The Time cover was created by artist Hank Willis Thomas and photographer Emily Shur. Time explained that while the original Rockwell painting included figures representing Protestantism, Catholicism and Judaism, the series of paintings “barely brushes against the depth of American diversity at the time, much less today.”
Read more: Female rabbi featured on Time Magazine cover based on Norman Rockwell painting
Philanthropist Suzanne F. Cohen Dies
Suzanne F. Cohen, a renowned philanthropist, Jewish communal leader and patron of the arts died on Nov. 19 of cancer. She was 83. Born in Maryland on April 10, 1935, Cohen was the daughter of the late Florence and Paul J. Fineman. She attended Goucher College, earning a BA with special honors in English. She married Nathan L. Cohen, who served as vice president and director of the Pimlico Race Course until his death in 1988. The couple had two daughters, Janet and Nancy. Cohen was president of the Nathan & Suzanne Cohen Foundation. She also served as chair of The Associated from 1989-1991 and was a life trustee of the organization. A past chair and honorary trustee of the Baltimore Museum of Art, one of Cohen’s proudest philanthropic achievements came in 2006, when she donated $1 million to the BMA to establish an endowment to ensure free admission to the museum. Cohen is survived by her daughters Janet Cohen (Daniel Kramarsky), Nancy Cohen (Jonathan Parfrey), her brother Howard Fineman (Janice), grandchildren Jordan Kramarsky, Zan Nathan Kramarsky, Helena Cohen Candaele and Camille Rosa Candaele. Funeral services for Cohen will be held on Nov. 21 at Sol Levinson & Bros., 8900 Reisterstown Road in Pikesville at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the charity of your choice or the Baltimore Museum of Art, Cohen Family Fund for Free Admission, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218.
Read more: Philanthropist Suzanne F. Cohen Dies
Israeli sitcom about interracial marriage wins International Emmy
An Israeli comedy series about the marriage between an Ethiopian Jewish man and an Ashkenazi Jewish woman won an International Emmy Award. “Nevsu,” a term of endearment in the Ethiopian language of Amharic, won Nov. 19 for best comedy in ceremonies held in New York. The show airs on the commercial Reshet Channel 13. It became the first Israeli show to include a black lead character on a primetime show when it debuted last year. In the show, the couple have a 5-year-old daughter. Yosi Vasa, the lead actor and co-creator, and director Shai Ben Atar accepted the award at the ceremony. In April, Fox announced that it would adapt the show for an American audience. Fox’s version, to be called “Culture Clash,” will focus on a relationship between an Ethiopian refugee and a white Midwestern woman. Meanwhile, Dutch filmmakers Stephane Kaas and Rutger Lemm won the International Emmy for arts programming for their 2017 documentary “Etgar Keret: Based on a True Story,” about the Israeli writer and humorist. Last month, “Forever Pure,” a film dealing with the racist subculture among fans of Jerusalem’s Beitar soccer club, won an Emmy Award for the best outstanding politics and government documentary.—JTA
Jmore Pet Cover Contest
We’re looking for the cover model for our January pets issue. Send us your best pet photos and tell us in 150 words or less why your furry friend should be on the cover of Jmore — what makes him special, does she have a funny character trait, is he an active member of the community? Send photos, essays and contact info to Simone Ellin at simoneellin@jmoreliving.com. All materials must be submitted by Dec. 3. Winners will be selected by Jmore staff members. Photos will also be included in a future gallery online at jmoreliving.com.
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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.