Features
New Jewish children's books released for the High Holidays in 2026 include ones about awe, tashlich and apologizing for burping. (Image courtesy of JTA)
Books
From fake burps to reverse tashlich, new children’s books bring the High Holidays to life
By Penny Schwartz
A bumper crop of new books for 2026 includes several focused on Sukkot.
New Jewish children's books released for the High Holidays in 2026 include ones about awe, tashlich and apologizing for burping. (Image courtesy of JTA)
August 21, 2026, 9:35 am
From fake burps to reverse tashlich, new children’s books bring the High Holidays to life
A bumper crop of new books for 2026 includes several focused on Sukkot.
By Penny Schwartz
Heavens Haystack from 'Never/Mind.' (Photo by Contigo Photos + Films/ Stephanie Ramones courtesy of Koresh Dance Company)
August 17, 2026, 4:07 pm
Conscious of moment, ‘Never/Mind’ comes to Pittsburgh
'You can't avoid all the noise, but you have to kind of shut yourself out from it and go to work. That's all you can do'
By Adam Reinherz
Company of "The Lion King. (Photo by Matthew Murphy)
August 17, 2026, 3:24 pm
For Shelly Cohen, working with Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ is a ‘dream job’
“This is my dream job. This is everything I’ve wanted to do. I’m getting to live my dream."
By David Rullo
From mic into brain. (Photo by Damian Scarlassa via Pexels)
August 14, 2026, 5:26 pm
Comedian Daniel Geneen wants Pittsburghers to like him — and not
Bits about masculinity, neurosis and dating make hilarious invite into comedian's head
By Adam Reinherz
Here's to a great school year. (Photo by Atlantic Ambience via Pexels)
August 7, 2026, 4:28 pm
New school year brings fresh faces, renewed commitments at Jewish day schools
'A top communal priority must be excellence in all three of our Jewish schools: supporting our students, supporting our parents, supporting our educators, and having all three of the schools be exemplary kehillot, exemplary communities'
By Adam Reinherz
Woody Guthrie (left) and Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt. After Guthrie married Greenblatt's daughter, Marjorie Mazia, the two developed a close bond, explored in the new documentary "Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls." (Woody Guthrie Publications)
August 3, 2026, 2:37 pm
The Woody Guthrie story you’ve probably never heard is deeply Jewish
A documentary recasts the folk singer’s legacy through the influence of his mother-in-law, Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt.
By Andrew Silow-Carroll
Hannah Zusmanowitz fosters connections and community for young Jewish adults in Pittsburgh. (Photo courtesy of Hannah Zusmanowitz)
July 31, 2026, 1:00 am
Getting to know: Hannah Zusmanowitz
'The Jewish community is where I found my home, and where I found my people and my family. I just want everyone to be able to experience that'
By Adam Reinherz
Rare manuscripts and scientific works are displayed in The Quest of Questions—Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe exhibition at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, July 22, 2026. (Photo by Sharon Altshul)
July 30, 2026, 10:43 am
Israel’s National Library exhibition explores the timeless search for knowledge
Rare manuscripts by Maimonides, Newton, Avicenna and Galileo trace more than 1,000 years of scientific, religious and philosophical inquiry.
By Sharon Altshul | JNS
Meg Keene is helming Meg Keene Books, a new fiction imprint from Wicked Son, a Jewish publisher. (Courtesy Keene)
July 29, 2026, 10:17 am
Feeling excluded in the literary world, Jews launch their own publishing houses
Meg Keene, an activist whose own novel failed to sell, is helming an eponymous imprint at Wicked Son Books.
By Philissa Cramer
Photograph from Ground Glass (2026) by Hannah Altman. (Courtesy Hannah Altman / ARCHER at House 88)
July 27, 2026, 2:43 pm
Point Park graduate’s Poland exhibition illuminates little-known Jewish lens maker
'We won't always know everything about Lore’s story, but I think this sense of imagination and tenderness really fosters a sense of empathy and connection'
By Adam Reinherz
Harold Grinspoon received a warm welcome by the several hundredparticipants at PJ Library's conference held in April 2026 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Courtesy PJ Library)
July 27, 2026, 12:13 pm
The man who changed Jewish bedtime stories is still reinventing himself at 97
The philanthropist Harold Grinspoon has taken up art while continuing to fund the expansion of PJ Library.
By Penny Schwartz
Melanie Koloditzky at work, 2026 (Courtesy photo via The Times of Israel)
July 27, 2026, 10:45 am
Melanie Koloditzky: The breast-milk jewelry maker
Meet a woman who blends art and science to preserve a fleeting chapter of life
By Sarah Tuttle-Singer
As part of a series of paid political advertisements in the Jewish Chronicle, Ivan Itkin promoted his effort to stop the proposed Squirrel Hill Tunnel bypass.
July 22, 2026, 12:17 pm
‘Stop Them At The Bypass’
A short-lived plan to bypass the Squirrel Hill Tunnel animated Jewish involvement in local politics in the early 1970s.
By Eric Lidji
Danny Rosen is the new President and CEO of Jewish Healthcare Foundation. (Photo courtesy of Jewish Healthcare Foundation)
July 20, 2026, 10:00 pm
New JHF President and CEO Danny Rosen seeks to continue foundation’s legacy
'The foundation’s mission is not going to change...We have a commitment to improving health, strengthening communities, supporting vulnerable populations and seeking out where there are opportunities for us to have an impact'
By Adam Reinherz
Rabbi Hannah Estrin. (Photo courtesy of Rabbi Hannah Estrin)
July 20, 2026, 12:57 pm
Getting to know: Rabbi Hannah Estrin
'One of the things we’ll be looking at this year is how do we honor the past and also make space for this future'
By Adam Reinherz
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