Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · 1d

I wrote about how dementia is helping some people preserve rare Judeo-Iranian languages. It's a story of intergenerational partnerships and how family bonds can get stronger even in the face of an awful disease. Check it out! @forward.com @jewishlanguageproj.bsky.social forward.com/culture/7739...

Could dementia be the key to saving endangered Jewish languages?

Sometimes when people's short-term memories begin to falter, they recall the first languages that they learned.

forward.com

2 1

Reposted by Lauren Hakimi

Louis Keene @louiskeene.bsky.social · Aug 5

Do you go to a Halachic Egal or Trad Egal minyan? I'd love to hear from you for a story I'm working on. Chat me here or email: keene at forward dot com
-Louis

4 1

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · Aug 6

For @forward.com, I wrote about my newest favorite book, brought to me by the highbrow literary icons of.... you guessed it... TikTok

forward.com/culture/book...

Why a little-known Jewish writer from Belgium went viral — and why you should read her too

Harpman, a Belgian-Jewish writer who survived the Holocaust, wrote the novel 'I Who Have Never Known Men,' which has become a TikTok sensation

forward.com

1 5

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · Aug 6

Glad to hear!! I hope you like it!

1 1

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · Jul 18

For @forward.com, I wrote about a bougie Williamsburg barber shop where Bukharian barbers cut hipster and Hasidic hair alike. Check it out!!

forward.com/culture/7551...

On the border between hipster and Hasidic, a Brooklyn barbershop specializes in Orthodox haircuts

For the Bukharian Jewish barbers at Kent Avenue Barbershop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, payot are no problem.

forward.com

1 3

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · Jun 26

Huge earrings, a vintage beehive coiffure, men in matching sparkly gold blazers. A new film full of bright colors and authentic throwback looks captures the rich history of Las Villas, the "Latino Borscht Belt." I wrote about "Villa Encanto" for @timesunion.com

www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...

New film captures history of New York’s ‘Latino Borscht Belt’

“Villa Encanto” — financed by Lin-Manuel Miranda — tells the story of Ulster County’s Las Villas on the big screen.

www.timesunion.com

1

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · Jun 5

Have you seen the Naomi flyers floating around Brooklyn? Though not a Naomi myself, I made it my business to infiltrate their flock and report back to the non-Naomi community for @jta.org New York Jewish Week. Check it out: www.jta.org/2025/06/05/n...

19 Naomis, 0 nametags: What happened when a group of Naomis met in Prospect Park - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

A mysterious flyer brings a group of Naomis to Brooklyn to discuss Naomi Klein's "Doppelganger."

www.jta.org

1

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · May 30

Thank you!!

2

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · May 30

Barzakh's owner, El Atigh Abba, was born in Mauritania, where a local imam issued a fatwa against him because of his activism in the Arab Spring. This was probably one of the most mind-blowing sets of interviews I've ever done!

3

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · May 30

My newest for @forward.com: On its busy calendar of speed dating events, belly dancing performances and fundraisers for Palestinians, Brooklyn’s Barzakh Café has also hosted Jewish events, including interfaith Shabbat dinners and Mimouna celebrations

forward.com/culture/7207...

At this pro-Palestinian cafe, you can practice your Hebrew and imagine you're in Mauritania

El Atigh Abba's Brooklyn cafe is an in-between place influenced by its owner's favorite cafe in his native Mauritania.

forward.com

3 4 17

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · Mar 27

Ottessa Moshfegh's toothbrush, a signed box of laxatives, a fake Birkin bag, and more literary treasures will be up for auction on Tuesday in Manhattan. My story for @gothamist.com

gothamist.com/arts-enterta...

New Yorkers can bid on Ottessa Moshfegh’s toothbrush, Eddie Huang's boxers

The live auction is April Fools’ day, but it’s no joke.

gothamist.com

2

Reposted by Lauren Hakimi

andrewsilverstein.bsky.social @andrewsilverstein.bsky.social · Mar 7

I wrote about how Trump is using a 1950s antisemitic law to target pro-Palestine student activists. For @forward.bsky.social

forward.com/news/702427/...

State Department plan to deport ‘pro-Hamas’ students relies on a 1952 law that targeted Jews

Jewish Holocaust survivors suspected of being Soviet sympathizers were subject to the 1952 McCarran-Walter Act.

forward.com

1 3 5

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · Mar 7

"We were instructed to dress in 'fetishwear,' but I’m a fuddy-duddy Long Island girl whose only fetish is being attracted to men. Thankfully, the greeter didn’t seem to mind, or notice, my decidedly un-kinky Kate Spade loafers."

My latest for @forward.bsky.social

forward.com/culture/7004...

At a 'Sinners' Shabbat' in Brooklyn, the faithful gather for fire massages and human sushi platters

When I arrived at the Brooklyn nightclub, a greeter checked my outfit. “Those jeans are black, not blue, right?” she asked. “Right,” I promised. For tonight’s “Sinners’ Shabbat” event, we were instruc...

forward.com

1 4

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · Mar 6

A new Hasidic community grows in Brownsville:

Fleeing high housing costs in Crown Heights, some Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidim are moving east to the formerly Jewish, now predominantly African American neighborhood.

My latest for the New York Jewish Week

www.jta.org/2025/03/06/n...

A new Hasidic community grows in Brownsville, Brooklyn - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Fleeing high housing prices in Crown Heights, some adherents of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement are moving further east to the formerly Jewish, now predominantly African-American neighborhood.

www.jta.org

1

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · Feb 18

thank you for including me!!!

Luke Burns @lukevburns.bsky.social · Feb 18

In last week's newsletter, @jamesfolta.com & I highlighted great writing by:

Bobbie Armstrong in @newyorker.com
@oktulio.bsky.social in @mcsweeneys.net
@laurenhakimi.bsky.social in @hellgatenyc.com
@damnhellasskings.bsky.social in @thehardtimesnews.bsky.social

Check it out & subscribe below 👇

A Newsletter of Humorous Writing

by Luke Burns & James Folta A weekly newsletter dedicated to humorous writing and humorous writers. We round up the best short humor pieces and funny articles every week, and have some fun extras ever...

buttondown.com

1 2

Reposted by Lauren Hakimi

24 Hour Revenge Therapist @misunderstruck.bsky.social · Feb 13

This is a great read about one of the many delightful things people invent to celebrate our city and its quirks.

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · Feb 10

For @hellgatenyc.com, I wrote about Mr. Marathon: a 26-mile run in honor of Mr. Fruit, a grocery store chain known for its cheap produce. "I will literally leave the USA if Mr. Kale closes," said one organizer as we trotted through Bed-Stuy at an 11-minute mile pace

hellgatenyc.com/mr-marathon-...

Mr. Marathon Is a 26-Mile Tribute to Cheap Produce

Mr. Marathon involves visiting all 13 stores in the Mr. Fruit chain, and buying (and consuming) a thematically appropriate product at each one.

hellgatenyc.com

1 1 4

Reposted by Lauren Hakimi

Hell Gate *subscribe today!* @hellgatenyc.com · Feb 10

Mr. Marathon Is a 26-Mile Tribute to Cheap Produce

Mr. Marathon involves visiting all 13 stores in the Mr. Fruit chain, and buying (and consuming) a thematically appropriate product at each one.

hellgatenyc.com

9 48

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · Feb 10

For @hellgatenyc.com, I wrote about Mr. Marathon: a 26-mile run in honor of Mr. Fruit, a grocery store chain known for its cheap produce. "I will literally leave the USA if Mr. Kale closes," said one organizer as we trotted through Bed-Stuy at an 11-minute mile pace

hellgatenyc.com/mr-marathon-...

Mr. Marathon Is a 26-Mile Tribute to Cheap Produce

Mr. Marathon involves visiting all 13 stores in the Mr. Fruit chain, and buying (and consuming) a thematically appropriate product at each one.

hellgatenyc.com

6 28

Lauren Hakimi @laurenhakimi.bsky.social · Jan 16

A new exhibition heaps praise on oft-criticized NYCHA, calling upon the authority’s proud origins to express a vision for what public housing might still be, despite challenges posed by climate change and chronic underfunding. @citylimitsnews.bsky.social

citylimits.org/2025/01/16/n...

New Exhibit Explores NYCHA’s Open Spaces, Which Once Made Neighbors Jealous

When first created in the 1930s, NYCHA devoted more attention to open spaces than other American housing authorities.

citylimits.org

2 5