WASHINGTON (JTA) — President-elect Donald Trump said he would nominate as defense secretary Gen. James Mattis, a pick that has already stirred controversy among right-wing pro-Israel groups, with some lamenting the choice and others praising it. “We are going to appoint ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as our secretary of defense,” Trump said Thursday at his first…
(JTA) – Eyal Karim, the rabbi whose appointment as the chief chaplain of the Israeli army was suspended over his remarks on raping women, was sworn in to the position. Karim’s appointment as the chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces follows a Supreme Court review of his suitability last month. The court found no…
The sons of Ethel Rosenberg famously journeyed to the White House in 1953 to deliver a plea for clemency for their mom after she was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. The plea fell on deaf ears when Dwight D. Eisenhower was in charge — and she was sent to the electric chair days…
Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., said an audio recording in which he said American foreign policy bows to Israeli interests was “taken out of context.” “The audio released was selectively edited and taken out of context by an individual the Southern Poverty Law Center has called an ‘anti-Muslim extremist,’” Ellison said Thursday in an open letter…
Starbucks Corp on Thursday said Howard Schultz will step down as chief executive to focus on its high-end coffee shops as Chief Operating Officer Kevin Johnson takes over as CEO. Starbucks signaled the change in July, saying that Schultz was moving away from day-to-day operations to focus on the development of high-end stores and long-term…
The U.S. Senate passed a 10-year extension of sanctions against Iran on Thursday, sending the measure to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign into law and delaying any potentially tougher actions until next year. The measure passed by 99-0. It passed the House of Representatives nearly unanimously in November, and congressional aides…
(JTA) — British Home Secretary Amber Rudd pledged $17 million to protect Jewish schools, colleges, nurseries and synagogues in Britain. Rudd made the pledge Wednesday at a UK-Israel conference in parliament, the London-based Telegraph reported. Rudd said that she decided to fund guards for all Jewish institutions after receiving 924 reports of anti-Semitic incidents, including…
President Barack Obama, keen to preserve his legacy on domestic health care and the Iran nuclear deal, is not expected to make major moves on Israeli-Palestinian peace before leaving office, U.S. officials said on Thursday. One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the last word on the president’s failed peace effort might come…
(JTA) — Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., a leading contender for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee, said that American foreign policy is “governed” by Israeli interests. The short audio recording from a 2010 private fundraiser was released this week by the Investigative Project on Terrorism, or IPT. “The United States foreign policy in the Middle East is governed…
(JTA) — The Ohio House of Representatives approved a bill targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. The bill, HB 476, passed in Wednesday by a vote of 81-13. Five members did not vote. The legislation would prohibit the state from contracting with companies that engage in boycotts of Israel, including companies located…
(JTA) — The Jim Joseph Foundation has provided major grants for Jewish teen initiatives and educator training. The fall grants from the San Francisco-based foundation were announced on Wednesday. Among the major grants awarded were more than $2.1 million to the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta for its Community-Based Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Initiative….
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