LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Jewish Life Now; a new and different type of contemporary Jewish lifestyle magazine. Elegant, modern and engaging, Jewish Life Now reflects the best of who we are.

It is our hope that as you explore these pages, you will find the content to be unique, compelling, sometimes surprising, but always dynamic and interesting.

Why Jewish Life Now ® ?

We feel the time is long overdue to remind the world, and perhaps more importantly, ourselves, of the amazing and inspiring Jewish people that influence our lives. At a time when antisemitism is at an all-time high, many have been put in a defensive position of defining their Judaism by what we are not. But knowing who we are is even more important. As Jews, as Americans, as citizens of the world, we have much to be proud of and to celebrate.

In these pages and on our website, you can explore exclusive interviews with celebrities and influencers, as well as articles on home, food, entertaining ideas, justice warriors, and people in your community making an impact.

So whether you are a "professional Jew" or a "barely there Jew", an Orthodox Jew or "bagels are my Judaism Jew", are Ashkenazi, Sephardic, or Mizrachi, a Jew of color or a newly minted Jew, or are simply looking for "your tribe with a new vibe" Jew, we are here for you and all about you. We have more in common than not.

The bottom line is that you are not alone, and we are all in this together.

CINDY SALTZMAN

“People tell me, ‘I'm no antisemite. I'm just anti-Israel.’

I say, ‘Who do you think lives in Israel, Martians?’ ”

Actress Lauren London, Currently starring in the Netflix hit, “You People,” has come a long way since she described herself as the “Little half-black, halfJewish girl who was odd and awkward.”

She recently said on the podcast “People Every Day” that filming “You People” in Los Angeles “felt personal” because "some of those areas that we shot in, I liked because they were Jewish. There was also some stuff I learned by being in the movie that I didn’t know.”

Tiffany

HADDISH COMEDIAN ACTOR

“I didn't know anything about Judaism for a long time. I started learning more and more about the Torah. I could really relate to it. And when I met my father, it really resonated with me. I was like: ‘This is what I am.’ I did my 23andMe, and it said the same thing. I can't deny this. I want to claim this.”

JOSH GAD ACTOR

“I made a vow to never forget. And with every ounce of my being and every fiber of my existence, I confront those that romanticize the bigotry and the hate that led to the unthinkable.”

"We've all heard a lot of nonsense recently about Jews running Hollywood. And I would like to say, as a Jewish woman, so what if they do? Who cares? The French run bakeries, Italians run the mafia, and Swedish people run Ikea."

STEVEN SPIELBERG FILM DIRECTOR, WRITER AND PRODUCER.

“Antisemitism has always been there, it’s either been just around the corner and slightly out of sight but always lurking, or it has been much more overt like in Germany in the ’30s. But not since Germany in the ’30s have I witnessed antisemitism no longer lurking, but standing proud with hands on hips like Hitler and Mussolini, kind of daring us to defy it. I’ve never experienced this in my entire life, especially in this country.”

“Going to Auschwitz and standing in the place that my grandmother last saw her mother get beaten and taken to the gas chambers. {I was} holding my mom's hand and crying. I think {holocaust education} is more important than ever....I have a younger generation that follows me. Maybe I can be that education for them.”