Fending off charges that he has promoted anti-Semitism, Poland’s defense minister Thursday cited the support he and his government give to Israel and comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praising Poland for this support. In a lengthy email to the Forward, a spokesman for Antoni Macierewicez cited recent talks between Netanyahu and leaders of…
(JTA) — Jared Kushner’s status as a top aide to President Donald Trump was used to lure Chinese investors to his family’s real-estate company, even after it had apologized for mentioning his name during a sales pitch in May, CNN reported. References to Kushner are part of online promotions by two businesses that are working…
Senators behind a bill designed to fight the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign are pushing back against claims by civil rights groups that their legislation would restrict free speech rights of those wishing to boycott Israel. In a letter to the American Civil Liberties Union, the co-authors of the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, Democrat…
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Josh Mandel, the Ohio state treasurer who is running for the Republican nomination for U.S. senator, expressed solidarity with figures listed by the Anti-Defamation League as having a “hateful impact” on the political scene. “Sad to see @ADL_National become a partisan witchhunt group targeting people for political beliefs,” Mandel said Thursday on…
The author of a forthcoming book on the spiritual life of the president is a Reform Jew-turned-Christian who has written extensively on Donald Trump’s relationship with evangelicals. David Brody, chief political correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network, calls himself a “Bible-believing Christian” and “Jewish believer.” His public Facebook profile features a photo of himself praying…
(JTA) — Jamaica has its first kosher restaurant. Kosher Hot Spot, run by Chabad of Jamaica, will serve the island nation’s famous jerk cooking in which meat is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. The eatery, which opened last week, is located on Montego Bay’s “hip strip,” which is home…
Updated: 12:03 p.m., July 25, 2017: includes link to original story from the Algemeiner. After the organizers of Chicago Dyke March caused a national scandal by banning flags with Jewish symbols, the city’s SlutWalk organization has followed suit, announcing that it would prohibit “Zionist symbols” at an upcoming rally. “We still stand behind Dyke March…
When the date for this year’s North Carolina Pride parade — September 30 — was announced, it was met with backlash from the local Jewish community: That’s the same day as Yom Kippur. But now organizers of NC Pride’s 2017 Pridefest event have a solution for their scheduling snafu. They just haven’t told people what…
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Thousands rallied in Tel Aviv to show their support for same-sex couples who want to adopt children. The demonstrators held signs reading “We are not second class citizens” and “Bibi go home” at the rally Wednesday evening. Television anchor Nadav Borenstein and singer Harel Skaat, who are both gay, hosted the rally near the…
Josh Mandel, the Jewish Republican Treasurer of Ohio, took to Twitter Thursday morning to defend the far right media figures who were attacked by the Anti-Defamation League. Mandel objected to the ADL including Jack Posobiec and Mike Cernovich in a list of “alt-right” and far right figures who use xenophobic, Islamophobic and sometimes anti-Semitic rhetoric…
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israeli blogger who also holds Russian and Ukrainian citizenship was sentenced to three years in prison in Azerbaijan for illegally entering Nagorno-Karabakh, which is disputed territory with Armenia. Alexander Lapshin, 40, of Haifa, writes a Russian-language travel blog called Life Adventures that chronicles his trips to 122 countries, as well as…
