Forward.com

Magen Tzedek, Ethical Kosher Seal, Stalled Amid Orthodox Opposition

Mon, 20 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

Four years after the Magen Tzedek ethical kosher certification scheme was launched, not one product bears its seal. Has Orthodox opposition killed the project?

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Palestinians Mourn Neighborhood Razed by Israel in Shadow of Western Wall

Sun, 19 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

Jews celebrate the 1967 war that unified Jerusalem under Israeli rule. Some Palestinians still mourn the Mughrabi neighborhood that was demolished in the shadow of the Western Wall.

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Israel Cultivates Unlikely Ally in West African Nation of Senegal

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:47:00 EST

Over the past decade, Israel’s trade has more than tripled with Senegal, a predominantly Muslim West African country that is a regional island of stability.

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Mother of Jewish Teen Killed on Brooklyn Bridge Speaks Out About Arrest

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:18:00 EST

The mother of Ari Halberstam, a Jewish teen who was murdered on the Brooklyn Bridge, speaks out about the arrest of a man involved in her son’s murder who has ties to Hamas.

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Is Steven Hawking’s Decision To Boycott an Israeli Conference Boon to BDS?

Fri, 17 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

In the battle between supporters and boycotters of Israel, Steven Hawking’s decision to join the BDS camp made a big statement. But will it impact the movement long-term?

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Claims Conference Blames Dead Official for Botched $57M Holocaust Fraud Probe

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

The Claims Conference is blaming a botched $57M fraud probe on an official who has since died. The Holocaust restitution group says current officials knew little about the probe.

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Geza Vermes, Hungarian Bible Scholar Who Returned to Jewish Roots, Dies at 88

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:55:00 EST

The renowned Hungarian Jewish biblical scholar Geza Vermes, who died of cancer at age 88, disproved the old canard ‘You can’t go home again’ — at least when it comes to Judaism.

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Joyce Brothers, Brought Jewish Sensibility to Suburbia Through TV, Dies at 85

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:45:00 EST

The Jewish psychologist Joyce Brothers, who died May 13 of respiratory failure at age 85, became an improbable authority on how to live in the mid-century suburban age.

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Philadelphia Jewish Federation Faces Crisis as Ira Schwartz Abruptly Leaves

Wed, 15 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

Philadelphia has the sixth largest Jewish community in the nation, thriving synagogues, and a major rabbinical seminary. Why is its federation in constant state of leadership flux?

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Jewish Women Call Angelina Jolie Inspiration for Breast Cancer Surgery

Wed, 15 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

Jewish breast cancer ‘previvors’ and health advocates hailed Angelina Jolie for going public with her BRCA1 gene mutation — and decision to have surgery.

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Claims Conference Officials Were Told of Massive $57M Fraud — But Didn't Act

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:25:00 EST

Top officials at the Holocaust Claims Conference professed shock about a massive fraud scheme. But they were told about the scam nearly a decade earlier — and failed to stop it.

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African Island's Lost Jewish Heritage

Tue, 14 May 2013 01:11:00 EST

A Portuguese rabbi and a Moroccan diplomat stood shoulder to shoulder in a Catholic cemetery here while 200 mourners howled in grief as they buried a resident of this island off the western coast of Africa.

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Modern-Day Rabbi Must Be CEO, Teacher and Spiritual Leader at Once

Mon, 13 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

The rabbi of today must be a shrewd entrepreneur, media-savvy speaker and compassionate spiritual healer. Are seminaries preparing the next generation for the demands they face?

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Synagogues Merge Across Denominations To Survive

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:26:00 EST

Across the country, scores of synagogues have overcome denominational differences to merge formally, share space or otherwise collaborate, often due to financial hardships wrought by shrinking Jewish populations.

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Orthodox Rabbinic School Sparks Feud With Graduation of First Class of Women

Sun, 12 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

The first women to graduate from a groundbreaking Orthodox rabbinical school are being welcomed at synagogues. But others are blasting Yeshivat Maharat for breaking with tradition.

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Is Arab League Peace Shift ‘Big Step Forward’ or Tempest in a Mideast Teapot?

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

The Arab League peace initiative is being revisited as John Kerry seeks ways to restart peace talks. But Israelis see it as a non-starter and Palestinians have their doubts, too.

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Women and Orthodox Waver Over Plan for Egalitarian Prayer at Western Wall

Fri, 10 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

Women’s activists and the Western Wall’s Orthodox rabbi had first accepted then dismissed a plan to allow egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall. Now they are on board. Why?

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How $57 Million Holocaust Fraud Unfolded at Claims Conference

Thu, 09 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

It took hours to reach a guilty verdict in the $57 million theft at the Claims Conference for Holocaust survivors. Figuring out how the fraud went undetected could take a lifetime.

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What Israel Air Strikes on Syria Reveal About Blueprint for Iran Attack

Wed, 08 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

Israel didn’t notify the U.S. before it launched punishing strikes on Syria. But history says it will have to sit down with Washington before any attack on Iran.

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'Jews a Race' Genetic Theory Comes Under Fierce Attack by DNA Expert

Tue, 07 May 2013 05:00:00 EST

Scientists have long agreed that Jewish genetics prove we are one people with common origins in the Middle East. Now, that theory is coming under withering attack.

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