Bryan Schwartzman

Staff Writer

Gratz Goes Doctoral, While Getting a Real Jump-Start Online

By:

What do a Chabad rabbi from Delaware, the director of congregational learning at a Conservative shul in Baltimore and the education director of a Reform synagogue in Abington have in common? They're all full-time Jewish communal professionals working toward doctorates in Jewish education at Gratz College in Melrose Park. The program, now entering its fourth year, has 15 students, who...

Local

Israelis Find Philly Lessons

By:

Bryan Schwartzman

Shir Ben-Gigi doesn't mind that the only thing most people seem to know about her hometown of Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev -- if they know anything at all -- is that it overlooks a giant crater. The 25-year-old offspring of Moroccan immigrants to Israel acknowledged that, apart from that natural wonder, there's really not much reason to go there...

Education

Arab Students Meet Jews and Judaism Head On

By:

Bryan Schwartzman

Dressed in a hijab, Sarah Shiha, a 22-year-old Egyptian who hopes to one day preach the Koran on the airwaves, declares a desire to study Torah. But before her recent visit to Philadelphia, she'd never even met a Jew. Now, after participating in a five-week seminar on democracy and religious pluralism for students from the Arab world that included several...

National

Anti-Semitic Incidents Down From Last Year

By:

Bryan Schwartzman

The annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents put out by the Anti-Defamation League reported nearly 30 fewer incidents in 2009 than the previous year, although ADL officials warn that recent changes in their methodology have made it difficult to compare figures from different years. The 2009 audit was released on Monday, and contains both national and local statistics. The ADL reported...

National

Candidates in House Race Hone In on Jewish State

By:

Bryan Schwartzman

In the state's most closely watched congressional contest -- the race to fill the open seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak -- both candidates have been busy touting their pro-Israel credentials and jockeying for support among Jewish voters. Unlike the Senate race between Sestak and Pat Toomey, American policy in the Mideast has not emerged as a major...

Profile

Bryan Schwartzman has been reporting on the Jewish community of Philadelphia since 2003. He writes about trends in politics, religion and spirituality, philanthropy and sometimes dabbles in sports and the arts.

He has received numerous awards from the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Journalists, the Jewish American Press Association and other organizations.

A native New Yorker, he earned a master’s degree in modern Jewish history and literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He is also a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Contact

215-832-0743

bschwartzman@jewishexponent.com

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