Navigate to News section

Sundown: Germany Makes Suspicious Toys, Monuments

Plus un-kosher shenanigans, pre-game prayer, and more

by
Hadara Graubart
November 02, 2009

• A blogger notes that toymaker Playmobil’s new Egyptian-themed set doesn’t include any Israelite slaves, and that the company has previously issued a line of armed Roman soldiers; she smells a conspiracy in the company’s German origin, but she might be placated to know that Playmobil sued a creative pastor for the crucifixion of one of its figurines. [Forward]
• Elsewhere in German rat-smelling, an interfaith group is protesting a new World War II memorial in a German town that recognizes SS soldier (who, the town’s mayor contends, was “never charged with any war crimes”) alongside Jewish victims. [JTA]
• It’s not exactly Madoff, but scam artists posing as Costco buyers bilked several exhibitors at the recent Kosherfest trade show out of money they claimed would ensure the kosher products got on the shelves at the megastore. [Kosher Today]
• If there’s one thing that can get New Yorkers praying, it’s baseball; Chabad reps set up shop at Thursday night’s World Series game at the newly kosher-friendly Yankee Stadium and found some takers for tefillin wrapping and candle giveaways. [Chabad]

Hadara Graubart was formerly a writer and editor for Tablet Magazine.