Israel has illegally coerced nearly 7,000 Eritrean and Sudanese nationals into returning to their home countries, where they risk serious abuse, Human Rights Watch said. Returning Sudanese have faced torture, arbitrary detention and treason charges in Sudan for setting foot in Israel, according to a report released Tuesday by the international human rights group. “Israeli…
A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas during Israel’s Gaza operation reportedly broke down over a misunderstanding between Israel and the United States. Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal did not agree to refrain from attacking Israeli troops on the ground during the 72-hour cease fire that started Aug. 1, though the United States promised Israel that…
Rashi Fein, a Harvard professor known for his contributions to medicine and social policy, has died. Fein, a professor emeritus of economics of medicine at Harvard Medical School, was the brother of Jewish activist and writer Leonard Fein, who died nearly a month ago. He was instrumental in the development of U.S. health policy, beginning…
A Catholic priest in Slovakia sparked outrage by blaming the Jews for the hatred against them during the Holocaust and warned the Roma are following suit. Emil Floris leveled the accusation last month during a ceremony in Cadca, located 120 miles northeast of the capital Bratislava, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising…
Jewish-American journalist Steven Sotloff was kidnapped by a so-called moderate rebel faction and then immediately sold to ISIS, the family’s spokesman said. Barak Barfi in an interview Monday with CNN’s Anderson Cooper said the jihadist group Islamist State, or ISIS, paid between $25,000 and $50,000 for Sotloff after the rebels set up a fake checkpoint…
Organizers have announced a design competition for a memorial in Warsaw to Poles who saved Jews during World War II. Polish-born Holocaust survivor and philanthropist Sigmund Rolat, of the Remembrance and Future Foundation, announced the competition at a news conference in Warsaw on Monday. Rolat said the designs would be judged by an international jury…
Israel and the United States conducted a test of the Arrow 2 interceptor missile. The test was conducted by Israel’s Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency at an Israeli test range over the Mediterranean Sea, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced in a statement issued Tuesday. The Arrow 2 provides the Arrow Weapon System,…
The trustee charged with recovering funds for victims of Bernard Madoff’s fraud scheme informed a federal court that he will appeal a ruling that would decimate a lawsuit against financier J. Ezra Merkin. Trustee Irving Picard asked a New York bankruptcy court on Sept. 5 to finalize a decision severely curtailing his $565 million lawsuit…
A newly-formed alliance dedicated to finding and developing talented leaders for Jewish non-profits has hired an executive director to lead its efforts. Gali Cooks has been named the executive director of the Jewish Leadership Pipelines Alliance, the alliance announced Monday. Cooks, who will start in the position on Oct. 13, previously served as the founding…
The Sephardi chief rabbi in the Israeli city of Petach Tikvah has been refusing to perform marriages for Ethiopian Jews in his community. Saying their Jewishness is questionable, Rabbi Binyamin Atias has rejected the Falash Mura, whose ancestors converted from Judaism more than 200 years ago, and has not allowed them to register in his…
Palestinian and Egyptian officials both denied reports that Egypt offered to the Palestinian Authority part of the Sinai Peninsula for annexation by Gaza to form a Palestinian state. According to the media reports that circulated Monday, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi offered P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas 1,600 square kilometers (approximately 620 square miles) located on…
