A center for the mystic Jewish study of Kaballah opened this week in Lebanon — but members include Muslims and Christians who see their study as removed from Judaism or Jewishness. “I have to reinforce the idea that Kabbalah is not Judaism,” a Muslim teacher in the group identified only as Sara told the Middle…
(JTA) — A mikveh under construction in a controversial new ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in upstate New York was vandalized with graffiti and swastikas. The vandalism in Bloomingburg, in the Catskills area, was discovered Sunday night. The new Satmar neighborhood was built to solve a Haredi Orthodox housing shortage. Its main developer, Shalom Lamm, pleaded guilty to…
(JTA) — The umbrella group of French Jewish communities escalated its criticism of authorities’ handling of the slaying of a Jewish woman by her Muslim neighbor, calling it a cover-up. CRIF made the accusation in a short and poignant statement Wednesday containing four loaded questions concerning the April 4 killing of Sarah Halimi in Paris….
(JTA) — Israeli politicians and Jewish leaders are fighting again over an age-old question: Who counts as a Jew? And who gets to decide? This week, Israel’s government inflamed simmering tensions over Jewish conversion when a Cabinet committee advanced a bill that would further empower the country’s haredi Orthodox Chief Rabbinate. The measure declares that…
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman scolded American Jews for their outspoken reactions to the Israeli government’s recent decisions regarding the Western Wall and conversions, calling any wavering on support for Israel “unthinkable.” The envoy made the unusual comments in a speech during his first public remarks since taking office on May 16, according to…
Jay Sekulow, Trump’s TV-ready private lawyer and a Messianic Jew, diverted millions of dollars from his not-for-profit, Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism, to his family members’ bank accounts, The Guardian reported Tuesday. Since 2000, the British paper added, $60 million has come to Sekulow’s family and their businesses by way of CASE. CASE reportedly used intensive…
(JTA) — City officials in Budapest shut down the bar and cafeteria of a Jewish community center that is favored by opposition activists, following the discovery of illegal substances during a drug raid there. The closure notice on Wednesday reached the offices of the Aurora community center a little over two weeks after the raid,…
(JTA) — Israeli lawmakers who vote for a conversion bill making its way through the Knesset are not welcome in Chicago, said a top Jewish leader there. “The federation in Chicago will not be hosting any member of Knesset that votes for this bill. None. They will not be welcome in our community,” Steven Nasatir,…
Three Arab Israeli students are suing El Al and Israel Arkia Airlines after the group said they were subject to extra screening and invasive searches due to their ethnicity as they tried to board a flight for Tel Aviv. The women have sought $100,000 in damages in Israeli court after the incident in October, when…
In less than a month, the collaboration between Jew in the City and The Maccabeats, a remastered version of the song “The Sound of Silence,” has racked up almost a quarter million views on YouTube. The feedback has been overwhelming. “Tears,” “chills,” “crying” are the words people are using again and again to describe how…
Amy Siskind, a longtime advocate for women and the LGBT community, was left stunned by President Trump’s victory last November. And each day after Trump took office, Siskind felt as if she was seeing more and more that she just couldn’t ignore. So she decided to keep a list. Now in its 32nd week, Siskind’s…
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