American diva Mariah Carey and her new boyfriend, Australian billionaire James Packer, are in Israel for a “pre-engagement spiritual meeting,” the TMZ website reported. TMZ said that the couple will meet with an Israeli “spiritual leader” who Packer knows well. The name of the spiritual leader was not revealed. Packer reportedly insisted on holding the…
The U.S. Episcopal Church was expected to debate divestment from Israel and elect a new presiding bishop on Saturday at its general conference in Salt Lake City, where members gathered to also discuss the religion’s position on same-sex marriage, gun violence and outrage. Faith leaders of the Episcopal Church, a branch of the 80-million member…
A ship carrying some 70 pro-Palestinian activists, including an Israeli-Arab lawmaker, set sail from Crete to Gaza. The Swedish Marianne of Gothenburg ship is expected to arrive Sunday off the coast of Gaza in a bid to defy Israel’s naval blockade, the site news.walla.co.il reported Friday, hours after the vessel sailed. Both Israel and Egypt…
Senior U.S. and Iranian officials said hard work was still needed as they met in Vienna on Saturday for what could be their final negotiations to bridge significant differences on an agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program. With a self-imposed deadline approaching on Tuesday, both sides emphasized that major obstacles remained to finalizing a deal…
The worldwide Jewish population is approaching the size it was before the Holocaust, a new report by an independent Jerusalem-based think tank says. The report, compiled by the Jewish People Policy Institute, indicates that there are 14.2 million Jews worldwide as of early 2015. Add in various “subgroups” (such as immigrants to Israel and American…
The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, handing a historic triumph to the American gay rights movement. The court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution’s guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law mean that states cannot ban same-sex marriages. With the ruling, gay…
The Vatican signed its first treaty with the “State of Palestine” on Friday, calling for “courageous decisions” to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a two-state solution. The treaty concerned the Catholic Church’s activities in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli foreign ministry said it regretted the move, calling the signing of a treaty,…
Israel’s Supreme Court ruled against requiring gender segregation at Jewish cemeteries in Israel. The ruling Thursday Jerusalem overturned two lower court rulings dismissing a lawsuit filed in 2011 against the municipal chevra kadisha burial society of the City of Netanya, the news site Nrg.co.il reported. The lawsuit was filed by Susanne Ayad, who that year…
A French anti-Semitism watchdog urged the mayor of Paris to order the removal of a mosaic floor featuring swastikas that the group identified in a residential building. The floor of the entrance of the building in Paris’ six arrondissement, an affluent and central quarter comprising the touristic Saint-Germain-des-Pres area, contains dozens of swastikas made of…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that concessions to Iran are increasing as it approaches the deadline for its nuclear talks with world powers. Netanyahu referred to the June 30 deadline addressing the 163rd Pilots Course Graduation Ceremony on Thursday at the Hatzerim Israel Air Force base in Israel’s south. “The foremost threat that endangers…
Amsterdam’s mayor scrapped a vote to twin his municipality with Tel Aviv and Ramallah following opposition by left-wing parties on the city council. Mayor Eberhard van der Laan on Thursday scrapped the vote, which had been scheduled for July 1, according to TV5, because of opposition to the gesture by his own Labor Party, the…
