Iowans Support One Another During Historic Floods
Posted 6/24/08 “It could have been worse.” That’s what people around Iowa City keep telling each other, after a weekend of (mostly) clear weather and an earlier than expected crest to the river. But the record floodwaters are here. It will be weeks before the town dries out and months before life returns to normal. People have been evacuated from their homes. Businesses are closed. The university’s art museum, library, and a dozen other buildings are either flooded or still at risk. Summer classes and recreational activities are suspended.
California's first same-sex marriage, under the chuppah
Posted 6/24/08 "I now pronounce you spouses for life," were the words of Rabbi Denise Eger, of Congregation Kol Ami (translation "Voice of My People"), under a chuppah, to Diane and Robin, making them the first couple married after the California Supreme Court's decision to uphold marriage equality. Mazel tov on a beautiful and groundbreaking simcha!
Winning Hearts and Minds in the Fight Against Age Discrimination
Posted 6/24/08 Older workers gained a big victory in the fight against employment discrimination yesterday when the Supreme Court ruled 7-1 in Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) places the burden on employers to prove that layoffs of older workers are based not on age but on some other "reasonable factor." This was--the New York Times notes--"a closely watched age discrimination case."
Indian Youth Camp Combines Adventure and Jewish Learning
Posted 6/24/08 For the Jewish youth of India, summer brings three things: exam results, monsoon rains, and a chance to spend time with Jewish friends at the JDC Summer Youth Camp, sponsored by the Jewish Youth Pioneers and the Evelyn Peters Jewish Community Center. This year, 20 Jewish youth from all over India gathered at the hill station of Matheran, outside Mumbai, for a four-day adventure camp that not only included rock climbing, rappelling, valley crossing, and night trails but Jewish learning as well.
