— Jewish pilgrims in the central Ukrainian city of Uman lit fires in at least five apartments in a string of incidents involving rowdiness during Rosh Hashanah. In one incident, firefighters rushed to a residential apartment rented by pilgrims who started a fire in the balcony to fry kosher meats they had brought with them,…
— The Jewish community of Gondar in Ethiopia said it lost one of its members in riots that have claimed dozens of lives in recent weeks. The Jew killed in Gondar was identified as Weta Chekla, the Israel-based news site Little Ethiopia reported Thursday. The report said he was waiting to immigrate to Israel amid…
The Reform and Conservative movements in Israel and the Women of the Wall have petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court to order the government to follow through on the plan to create the egalitarian prayer area next to the Western Wall. Should the plan not be implemented, the lawsuit filed Thursday said the current Western Wall plaza…
JERUSALEM — The Religious Services Ministry in Israel has officially adopted a regulation that makes it optional for women to have an attendant present during mikvah immersion. The ministry and Israel’s Chief Rabbinate agreed to the change in June in a filing with the country’s Supreme Court in response to a suit filed last year…
– The United Kingdom suspended millions of dollars-worth of aid payments to the Palestinian Authority amid claims that taxpayers cash is ending up in the hands of terrorists. Britain’s International Development Secretary Priti Patel has ordered a freeze pending an investigation, The Sun on Friday reported. Earlier this summer lawmakers demanded action after revelations that…
— Latin American Jews living in Israel added their voice to the chorus of congratulations sent to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Santos, who on Friday won the distinction for his efforts to end Colombia’s five-decades-long civil war, “is highly worthy of the prize not only for promoting peace with…
— Huma Abedin, a top aide to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, argued against having Bill Clinton speak at an AIPAC event in 2009. Adedin’s opposition to the former president’s appearance at the annual conference organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Council that year was documented in an email exchange that was published Thursday…
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos won the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his efforts to end a 52-year-old war with Marxist rebels, a surpise choice after Colombians voted against the accord in a referendum. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said Santos had brought one of the longest civil wars in modern history significantly closer…
Bruce Springsteen just gave Israeli fans hope that they may soon be able to see “The Boss” live in concert. “I really need to play there,” he told an Israeli fan last week at a book signing event in New Jersey for his new autobiography “Born to Run,” The Times of Israel . Springsteen also…
— A group of Ethiopians who claim Jewish descent will arrive in Israel on Sunday, fulfilling a promise that was first approved by Israel in 2013 but put on hold due to budgetary constraints. The 78 Ethiopians, known as Falash Mura, are among a community of 9,000 who have been waiting in the African country for Israel to end its budget impasse….
Donald Trump has backed away from a total ban on Muslims entering the United States, vice presidential running mate Mike Pence said on Thursday, a shift from one of the Republican presidential candidate’s most provocative proposals. Trump’s call last December for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” followed an Islamic…
