(JTA) — The Vatican and Israel may finally be ready to resolve outstanding bilateral issues and fully finalize the Fundamental Agreement governing relations between the two states. A joint statement issued Wednesday following a meeting the previous day at the Vatican of the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission between the Holy See and the State of Israel expressed…
WARSAW, Poland (JTA) — Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo has been criticized for her speech at the Auschwitz Museum, marking the 77th anniversary of the first deportation of prisoners to the camp. “Auschwitz is a great lesson in today’s turbulent time that everything must be done to protect the security and life of one’s citizens,”…
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson retreated from his department’s commitment to fill the post of envoy to combat anti-Semitism, saying the effort may be more effective without one. “One of the questions I’ve asked is, if we’re really going to affect these areas, these special areas, don’t we have to affect it…
NEW YORK (JTA) — On Jan. 27, President Donald Trump made Mark Hetfield’s job impossible. Hetfield is the president and CEO of HIAS, an organization that resettles refugees in the United States. A week into his presidency, Trump issued an executive order barring refugees from entering the country, leaving Hetfield’s group bereft. Its supporters joined…
Corinne Olympios has hired a lawyer and released an official statement in regards to the sexual assault allegations that led to suspended production on “Bachelor in Paradise.” She told TMZ, “I am a victim and have spent the last week trying to make sense of what happened on June 4. Although I have little memory…
Jordan decided not to ban the film “Wonder Woman” from the country’s movie theaters. “The film was allowed to screen in Jordanian cinemas due to a lack of legal precedent to do otherwise, as outlined by Regulation No. 63 of 2004, on the Clearance and Control of Audiovisual Works,” Mohammed Qtaishat, director general of the Communications…
(JTA) — Anti-Semitic messages were found painted on the wall of a synagogue in Romania. “Holocaust Never Happened” and “All the Best” with a Star of David were painted in black and red on the outside of the Synagogue of Deportees Memorial Temple in Cluj-Napoca, in northwestern Romania. Police were called about the graffiti on…
(JTA) — New Zealand’s prime minister said his government still supports a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel on settlement construction. Prime Minister Bill English’s comments to the New Zealand Herald came one day after the two countries restored diplomatic ties and Israel agreed to return its ambassador. In February, Israel permanently downgraded its diplomatic ties with New…
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Trump administration said it was “concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” but said its Hamas rulers were responsible. The administration held a news briefing Tuesday at the State Department in which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was discussed. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert acknowledged the Israeli security cabinet’s approval of the Palestinian…
The trailer for Harry Potter’s – I mean, Daniel Radcliffe’s – new movie “Jungle” dropped on Tuesday and it looks good, if you’re into watching what looks like a series of near-death experiences. Radcliffe plays an Israeli backpacker who gets lost in the Amazon in the film, directed by Greg McLean. He almost dies roughly…
Weeks after Kendrick Lamar surprised some listeners by calling himself an Israelite, another celebrity rapper has done the same. Kodak Black may have just gone Hebrew Israelite. In a string of Instagram posts this month, the 20-year-old rapper told his millions of followers that he is now an Israelite — specifically from the tribe of…
