“Mean Tweets” is back! In case you’ve missed it, every so often Jimmy Kimmel has his celebrity guests read rather heinous tweets about themselves on camera, to remind us that they’re real people with real feelings just like us. The fourth installment of “Mean Tweets” got pretty Jewy thanks to appearances by Zach Braff and Andy Samberg, with Samberg taking some heat for his big schnoz. Catch up on more installments of “Mean Tweets,” featuring Jews like David Cross, …More

Cigarette in one hand and cup of tea in the other, Matisyahu sat down with JTA in his closet-sized dressing room during his European tour to talk about his life, his music, how he's raising his kids, and the recent changes in his religious outlook and physical appearance. The beatboxing reggae star once known for his signature beard and hasidic garb has left his yarmulke by the wayside, dyed his hair blond and moved to Los Angeles from the hasidic stronghold of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Matisyahu (aka Matthew …More

Alex Clare is really just a nice Jewish boy. Sure, his hit “Too Close” is currently the seventh most popular song in the United States, his music video has garnered more than 18 million hits on YouTube and he has mobs of teenage girls chasing him around Europe. But at the end of the day, he still likes to sit down with a nice challenging page of Talmud. “I have to say, it's pretty easy being in this business and keeping the basics of Jewish law,” Clare told JTA in a phone interview before …More

The following is a review of the news highlights of the Jewish year 5772. September 2011 An Egyptian mob breaks into the Israeli Embassy in Cairo and Israeli personnel are stuck inside for hours until Egyptian commandos arrive at the scene. Israeli Air Force jets evacuate the Israelis from the country. The attack exacerbates fears in Israel that it is losing a once-reliable ally to the south. The Palestinians submit their bid for statehood recognition to the UN Security Council. In speeches at the UN General …More

AbbaNibi Team, AbbaNibi.com - Israel/Jewish Entertainment and Culture Newswire "The Possession," the new fright flick that is based on ‘The Dibbuk,’ has scared up a No. 1 debut with $17.7 million from Friday to Sunday over the long Labor Day weekend. In an international press conference that was held prior to the release of the movie, post-sidecurls Matisyahu said that when he arrived on the movie’s press day, his fellow co-stars Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Dean Morgan didn’t recognize him …More

The dybbuk returns to theaters August 31. Back when Matisyahu had a beard, he took a supporting role in “The Possession,” directed by Spiderman director Sam Raimi. The film is centered around a dybbuk, or a demon-like character that possesses a human being. Dybbuk exorcisms have been reported by JTA before, one as recent as 1955: "In a ceremony reminiscent of European ghetto life, the Belser Rebbe drove a dybbuk (evil spirit) out of the body of a young woman here today. The woman, mother of four …More

As he researched the complex life of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach for a new musical, playwright Daniel Wise found a surprisingly candid source. Neshama Carlebach, a successful recording artist and popular performer of her father’s compositions, openly revealed his many struggles as “a lonely and conflicted” Orthodox rabbi -- both rock star and spiritual shepherd. “When someone collaborates on a show and at the same time is the daughter of the subject matter, and she is serving of the show …More

In a new sketch for “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Jimmy Kimmel asked celebrities to read mean tweets about themselves aloud, and two of our favorite Jews participated. Matisyahu and Larry King read less-than nice tweets about themselves to a camera, showing fans a more comedic side to them. First, King read a tweet from @aimeenancygrace that said, “Did you know that if you skinned Larry King & ironed out his leather, you could make enough coats to give 1 to every poor child in America?” He …More

Jewish reggae star Matisyahu finally shared his most heart wrenching experience: shaving off his trademark beard. The “Spark Seeker” artist began growing his facial hair in 2001 as part of his Hasidic faith, but decided after a decade that it was time for it to go. He debuted his clean face last December on his Twitter page, shocking fans worldwide. The 33-year-old singer told Spinner.com about his emotional experience letting his hair go, saying, “[Hair salon] Supercuts was calling my name. I …More

It is a bomb that caused the deadly bus explosion in Bulgaria earlier today. [The Washington Post] Ten Israelis are now in surgery, with more than 20 others injured. [The Times of Israel] The Israeli shekel weakens as the dollar rises. [The Wall Street Journal] Israel is worried about the fallout from Syria’s bombs. [The Jerusalem Post] Arab-American fighter Ramsey Nijem channels his inner Matisyahu. [The Jewish Daily Forward] Michael Freund asks “How do you say ‘Just following …More

The Knesset votes down a bill that called to recruit all Israelis at age 18, including ultra-Orthodox and Arab Israelis, to the army or national service. [ynet] The Levy Committee report pushes the envelope of legal argumentation and negates the illegality of settlements. [Haaretz] The head of Germany’s Jewish community and a leading doctor urge the government to create a new late stating that circumcising boys for religious reasons is legal. [ynet] Mahdi malware has been used to spy on hundreds of …More

Matisyahu released two more singles today, “Fire of Freedom” and “Buffalo Soldier” (feat. Shyne). We could get used to this. So far Matisyahu has released seven tracks off the 13 song CD, as part of his promise to his fans to release songs everyday until the album's release. His new album “Spark Seeker” is out July 17. But if you’re feeling antsy, the album is available for pre-order on iTunes now. Or if you don’t feel like preordering the album, you can take your …More