Reza Aslan, the popular religion scholar and Iranian-American Muslim, has a Hebrew tattoo. If you watch Aslan’s CNN series “Believer,” chances are you’ll catch a glimpse of his inked upper arm, which says “hillel,” during various rituals with the religions he explores, such as when he dunks under a waterfall with Voodoo practitioners in Haiti….
The mayor of Tel Aviv rushed to help the German travel blogger lift her luggage away from the incoming tide as she made her way into the city’s newest beachfront digs — a wooden lifeguard tower refurbished as a pop-up luxury suite. As part of an effort to market Israel as a winter tourist destination…
Two people were killed and five injured in a blaze at a fireworks warehouse in central Israel on Tuesday, police said. Video footage showed a series of furious explosions as thousands of fireworks erupted in rapid succession. The roof of the warehouse was ripped off and nearby buildings were damaged in Porat, an agricultural community…
These days, there’s an unlikely, one-sided bromance going on between Al Franken and Jeff Sessions. In the world of “Saturday Night Live,” that is. During the comedy show’s latest “Weekend Update,” Sessions (Kate McKinnon) and Franken (Alex Moffat) paid a brief visit to discuss their budding relationship. “Al and I are actually great friends,” the…
BOSTON (JTA) — Ownership of the country’s oldest synagogue and its valuable religious and ritual objects is being decided by a federal appeals court. The hearing of the case by a three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston is the latest development in a closely watched legal battle pitting New…
After New York reported six new cases of herpes contracted by Hasidic infants who underwent a controversial circumcision rite, the city admitted that no action has been taken against any of the mohels involved. In fact, the rabbis have been identified in only two cases — and they were simply warned to avoid carrying out…
Didi Gregorius homered and drove in five runs as the Netherlands crushed Israel 12-2 in Tokyo to move closer to a semi-final spot. The win left the Netherlands with a 1-1 record in second-round play, behind Pool E leaders Japan, who won their opening game. The loss was the first of the tournament for Israel,…
It’s not easy doing business from Gaza but tailor Mohammad Abu Shanab has found a demand he can supply — his sewing factory is churning out religious skull caps, for devout Jewish men. Since Israel resumed importing clothing from Gaza in 2015, Abu Shanab has renewed commercial contacts to sell merchandise to neighboring Israel. With…
**PARIS (JTA) — European rabbis condemned an E.U. court’s ruling allowing firms to prohibit employees’ religious clothes and symbols, saying the ruling amounts to saying that “faith communities are no longer welcome.” The ruling Tuesday by the European court of justice in Luxembourg also said that customers cannot simply demand that workers remove headscarves if…
Comments made by Congressman Steve King over the weekend — including his statement that he’s a “champion of Western civilization” — echo ideology espoused by prominent white nationalists or supremacists across the country. And for most of them, Jews are decidedly not part of that civilization — and are viewed as a distinct threat. King…
President Trump’s Middle East envoy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met for five hours on Monday as the new administration tries to restart peace talks with the Palestinians. A statement from the Israeli leader’s office said Jason Greenblatt “reaffirmed President Trump’s commitment to Israel’s security and to the effort to help Israelis and Palestinians…
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