(JTA) — Phil Aroneanu is a second-generation American Jew whose parents came to America as immigrants seeking refuge from an oppressive Communist regime in Eastern Europe. Aroneanu himself was born in New York City and later moved to Vermont. It’s a biography that to some extent mirrors that of Bernie Sanders. And it’s partly why…
A Tel Aviv high school principal will no longer send pupils on an annual educational trip to former concentration camps in Poland because of its perceived “ultranationalist” influence on the students. Zeev Dagani, principal of the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium, also cited high costs and declining participation in explaining his decision, Haaretz reported Sunday. “Some of…
Squabbling over top jobs in Ukraine’s government delayed a parliament vote on a cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday that is likely to see the departure of Finance Minister Natalia Yaresko and tighten President Petro Poroshenko’s grip on key policy areas. Legislators are in the final stages of agreeing a new coalition following the resignation of Prime…
A poll of British Muslims revealed that they are more anti-Semitic than the general population, and also differ from the larger community on numerous social issues. The poll was conducted for a television documentary that will air Wednesday called “What British Muslims Really Think.” According to reports in several British media outlets, the poll found…
Jewish voters are all over the map when it comes to their plans for voting in New York’s presidential primary on April 19. Except for New Square, the all-Hasidic village of 8,000 in Rockland County, about 30 miles north of Manhattan. In this insular haredi Orthodox community led by the Skverer rebbe, David Twersky, many…
Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s U.S. Supreme Court selection, failed to persuade Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley during a private meeting on Tuesday to hold confirmation hearings on his nomination. “As he indicated last week, Grassley explained why the Senate won’t be moving forward during this hyper-partisan election year,” Grassley’s office said in a…
A Jewish community in Africa has moved one step closer to gaining formal recognition from the Israeli government. The Jewish Agency said in a letter to Israel’s Conservative movement that the Abayudaya Jews of Uganda, a community whose members formally converted to Judaism under Conservative auspices, are a “recognized” community, Haaretz reported Tuesday. Such recognition…
Music producer David Gest, the former husband of entertainer Liza Minnelli, died in London on Tuesday. Gest, who was aged 62, was found in the Four Seasons hotel in the Canary Wharf business district of the city. The producer, whose credits included a TV musical special about pop star Michael Jackson, married actress and singer…
It might have been the last place you’d expect anger to erupt against the Bernie Sanders campaign. But at a Jews for Bernie brunch in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood on Sunday, the frustration seemed to boil over when some silver-haired Jewish supporters of Sanders began deriding what they described as the campaign’s lackluster response to perceived…
Hillary Clinton said that as president, she would handle disagreements with Israel “in a respectfully and preferably private way” — a rare dig at how President Barack Obama handled the relationship. “I think any disputes or disagreements should be handled in a respectfully and preferably private way, so we don’t give any aid and comfort…
A spokeswoman for Donald Trump adamantly refused to back down from the campaign’s claim that rival Ted Cruz was using “gestapo” tactics to win the high-stakes battle for Republican delegates. Katrina Pierson rebuffed CNN’s Wolf Blitzer when the news anchor pushed her on Monday to explain why the GOP political feud should be compared to…
