Jamaica Kincaid, the Jewish, Caribbean-born author of five semi-autobiographical novels, won a prestigious Israeli prize this week in recognition of her cultural impact and literary accomplishment. Administered by Tel Aviv University, the Dan David Prize went to Kincaid because she’s “one of the most important and influential writers today,” the awards committee wrote. Previous recipients…
The Israeli parliament’s move to legalize thousands of settler homes in the occupied West Bank goes against international law and will have legal consequences for Israel, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was quoted as saying on Tuesday. Palestinians have condemned the legislation approved by Israeli lawmakers on Monday as a blow to their hopes of…
The website of a pro-Trump group started by Sheldon Adelson was forced to temporarily shut down following an attack by hackers. The 45 Committee, is a PAC funded by Adelson and fellow billionaire Todd Ricketts. During the elections it raised $4 million to run pro-Trump ads. The PACs website was hacked on Monday, according to…
(JTA) — Betsy DeVos was confirmed as secretary of education, with Vice President Mike Pence casting the tie-breaker in a historic 51-50 vote. DeVos, a Michigan billionaire whose advocacy for school choice has led to sweeping changes in the educational landscape in her home state, provoked divergent opinions in the Jewish community. Both the haredi…
After narrowly losing a Senate race in deep-red Missouri, Jewish politician Jason Kander is heading back to the ballot box, this time as the head of a new group protecting voting rights. The organization, Let America Vote, will fight so-called “voter identification laws,” passed in red states to fight the almost non-existent problem of voter…
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries was left without a permanent chief executive on Tuesday after Erez Vigodman stepped down, leaving new management to restore confidence in the world’s biggest generic drugmaker after a series of missteps. A string of costly acquisitions, along with delayed drug launches, have sent Teva shares plummeting and led to calls for management…
(JTA) — Indiana University said it contacted the FBI after white supremacist fliers were found posted on the Bloomington campus. In a statement Tuesday, Provost and Executive Vice President Lauren Robel said the fliers were put up “by a group that identifies with white supremacy” and targeted minority faculty members. “Posted under cover of darkness,…
Al Franken, the Minnesota comedian-turned-senator, was dead serious in his critique of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, as she was confirmed to her post on Tuesday after a tie in the Senate. “It’s not a job for amateurs who don’t know the first thing about education,” he said in a statement issued after the Senate voted….
(JTA) — Jewish student leaders at Cambridge University in England said they were “deeply concerned” about recent anti-Semitic activities at the school. Jewish Society Co-Presidents Adam Goott and Alex Szlezinger told the student newspaper, the Varsity, they were in touch with campus police and Britain’s Community Security Trust following the appearance over the weekend of…
(JTA) — A new poll found that 50 percent of Israelis are hesitant about expanding construction in the settlements. The Peace Index, a monthly survey of Israeli opinion conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute, reported Tuesday that half of Israeli Jews are sure that settlement expansion is unwise or think it might be. Another 45…
(JTA) — A aide to President Trump said that criticism of the White House statement on the Holocaust that omitted Jews was motivated solely by a desire to attack the president. Sebastian Gorka lashed out after being asked Monday by conservative talk show host Michael Medved if he would acknowledge that it was “questionable” for…
סאָװעטיש־ייִדיש איז געװען אַ ראַדיקאַלער עקספּערימענט, װאָס פֿאַרנעמט אַ װיכטיקן פּלאַץ אױף דער װעלטמאַפּע פֿון ייִדישער קולטור
