New York Times Rails Against Hasidic Single-Sex Swimming at Public Pools
(JTA) — An only-in-New-York story about a public swimming pool that offered women-only swim periods for the area’s Orthodox community turned into a full-blown media firestorm when the New York Times weighed in on the subject. The pool, located in the heavily Orthodox Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, had been offering women-only hours since the 1990s to accommodate those whose religious sensitivities forbid…
Paris Peace Summit Soft-Pedals Criticism of Israel
After five hours of discussion, participants in the Paris peace summit, the French initiative to reboot peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, issued a statement that was less harsh toward Israel than what members of the Arab League had advocated for, Haaretz.
Conservative Rabbis Group Backs Transgender Rights
(JTA) — The international association of Conservative rabbis passed a resolution declaring its embrace of transgender people, and called on Jewish institutions and government agencies to ensure their full equality. The Rabbinical Assembly resolution passed last week expresses “the full welcome, acceptance, and inclusion of people of all gender identities in Jewish life and general society.” The…
Knife Planted Near Helpless Palestinian Shot Dead by Israeli Soldier: Video
(JTA) — A video introduced at the manslaughter trial of the Israeli soldier for the shooting death of a wounded Palestinian assailant in the West Bank shows a knife being kicked toward the assailant’s body after the fact. As testimony began Wednesday, prosecutors told the Jaffa Military Court that the account of the March shooting by the…
ADL To Eye Anti-Semitic Abuse of Campaign Reporters — Like Those Who Probed Donald Trump
(JTA) — The Anti-Defamation League has announced a task force to look into the anti-Semitic harassment online, including death threats, of journalists covering the 2016 presidential campaign. Its members will include at least two journalists who were targeted by self-described followers of Donald Trump after writing about the presumptive GOP candidate’s campaign for president. The…
SodaStream Stock Fizzes Over New Home Beer-Making System
(JTA) — SodaStream, the Israeli company that brought homemade carbonated drinks to kitchens around the world, is making a bid to conquer the home pub with the introduction of Beer Bar, its first homemade brew. The company announced the addition in a news release Monday, spurring share prices to soar, according to the Israeli financial publication Globes. Crafting a…
Ousted Israel Defense Minister Vows To Challenge Benjamin Netanyahu
(JTA) — Recently resigned Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon sent an email to former campaign donors suggesting that he would soon mount an electoral challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I regard this period as a ‘time-out’ after which I intend to return and run for Israel’s national leadership,” he wrote in English in the email,…
Woman Says Jewish Board Fired Her for Not Being Jewish
(JTA) — A woman is suing a Jewish non-profit health organization for wrongful termination, claiming she was let go because she was not Jewish enough. Helaine Dominguez, 69, was the director of medical services for the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services for almost 12 years until she was fired in 2013. She alleges that her new…
Household Worker Awarded $31K for ‘Humiliation’ by Sara Netanyahu
(JTA) — A former employee of the Israeli Prime Minister’s Residence was awarded some $31,000 by a Jerusalem labor court for mistreatment at the hands of the prime minister’s wife. It was the second time this year the Jerusalem District Labor Court had ruled against Sara Netanyahu in an employment abuse case. On Tuesday, the court found in…
Neo-Nazis Salute ‘Aryan Goddess’ Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift may look every bit the all-American girl-next-door, but according to white supremacists, she’s actually a Nazi at heart, feeding her legions of followers racist messages coated in the saccharine lyrics and sick beats of Grammy-winning songs.