The U.S. Postal Service has unveiled a new forever stamp featuring the image of U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The stamps cost 66 cents each or $13.20 for a sheet of 20.

The stamp’s oil-painting portrait is based on a photograph captured by Philip Bermingham, a well-known portrait photographer. Bermingham had long anticipated the session, but in the early going of the shoot, things didn’t seem to be working out. Finally, he decided the angles were wrong — and the 6’4” photographer realized he should get on the ground, to let his lens peer up at Ginsburg, who stood around 5 feet tall.

The new stamp shows Ginsburg in her judicial robes, wearing her famous white beaded collar with an intricate geometric pattern. The Postal Service commissioned New Orleans artist Michael Deas for the stamp, asking him to create an oil painting that would deliver the timeless gravitas of a Supreme Court justice, and also capture Ginsburg’s intellect and character.

Ginsburg, who died in September 2020, is the first Supreme Court justice to get a solo U.S. stamp issue since 2003, when Thurgood Marshall was honored.

The Nobel Assembly has awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

The discoveries by the two Nobel Laureates were critical for developing effective mRNA vaccines during the pandemic that began in early 2020. “Through their groundbreaking findings, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during of the greatest threats to human health in modern times,” the Nobel Assembly said.

Shul member Francis DuBois was the guest speaker at the North Fork Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Sunday, Oct. 8, at the historic Jamesport Meeting House. His topic was “Varian Fry: A Forgotten Hero.” Varian Fry was an American journalist who ran a rescue network that helped thousands of Jewish refugees escape Nazi Germany.

Francis DuBois enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the United Nations, serving in the Middle East with the rank of Ambassador.

Claudia Sheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City, is in line to become Mexico’s dominant ruling party’s presidential candidate in the June 2024 election. If elected, Sheinbaum, who is Jewish, would be the country’s first female president.

Sheinbaum is a close ally of the popular López Obrador, the country’s current president, who is barred by Mexico’s constitution from running for a second six-year term. As the Morena party’s candidate, she will enjoy a distinct advantage in June.

President Biden will nominate former Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew as his next ambassador to Israel. Mr. Lew has served in some of the government’s most important posts under two Democratic administrations, in the process earning him many admirers across the aisle.

He ran the Treasury Department for President Barack Obama, was also Mr. Obama’s White House chief of staff, deputy secretary of state, and director of the Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Lew first served in the budget director post under President Bill Clinton, presiding over the last federal government surplus.

He will succeed Thomas R. Nides, another former deputy secretary of state, who stepped down over the summer to return home to his family.

Mr. Lew is an Orthodox Jew. While in public office, he observed Shabbat as much as he could, and made a point of walking to the White House whenever he had to work on a Saturday.

Shul member Susan Schrott has published a new book, Rise With Radiance, a collection of inspirational words illustrated with drawings originally created on fabric “to light your path every day of the year,” the writer says. A psychotherapists, artist, and certified yoga instructor, Susan Schrott invites readers to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery and daily inspiration.

While caring for her ailing father, she embarked on a personal journey that led to the creation of the book. Drawing from her emotions and experiences, she engaged in a yearlong daily exploration that resulted in the artwork and words from her heart.

Rise With Radiance is available on Amazon.com.

New York City mayor Eric Adams has announced the appointment of Fabien Levy as deputy mayor for communications. As the city’s first Persian Jewish deputy mayor, Levy will coordinate communications across all of city government, assuring that city agencies will speak with a unified message to New Yorkers.

“Since I was a kid, I knew it was my responsibility to give back, to help others, and — like the Jewish tenet “tikkun olam” translates — to repair the world,” Levy said.