Joan Rivers stopped breathing during surgery Thursday morning and was rushed to Mt. Sinai Hospital, TMZ.com reported. The 81-year old comedian and actress was undergoing surgery on her vocal chords at Yorkville Endoscopy on East 93rd Street when she stopped breathing and an emergency 911 call was placed. There was no official word on her…
Violent protests in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem have been raging nightly beyond the spotlight on the Gaza war, leading to a crackdown by Israeli police in which hundreds of Palestinians have been detained. Street clashes with police in riot gear, military-style raids on homes late at night and stone-throwing at Israeli vehicles have marked the most…
Jews and Muslims in the United Kingdom issued a joint statement, calling for peace in the Middle East, and “constructive dialogue” between the two groups in Britain. “In spite of the situation in the Middle East, we must continue to work hard for good community relations in the UK. We must not import conflict. We…
A body believed to be that of a U.S. yeshiva student who went missing near Jerusalem last week was found on Thursday. Aaron Sofer, a Jewish seminary student from New Jersey, vanished on Friday while walking in woods not far from Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. “He was hiking…
Birthright Israel and the Israeli-American Council will offer a new Birthright program track for Israeli-American young adults called IAC Shelanu. The free trip for children of Israelis, which will be funded by the council, will be conducted in Hebrew. The Birthright program takes Jewish 18- to 26-year-olds on free 10-day trips to Israel. The impetus…
The Israeli company ReWalk Robotics will sell public shares for the first time for a device that enables people with spinal cord injuries to stand and walk. The company, which changed its name from Argo Medical Technologies to the name of its major product, announced this week that it will make an initial public offering…
(JTA) — Israel’s war is over, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fight may only have just begun. The past month has seen Netanyahu’s approval rating plummet, according to polling by Israel’s Channel 2. On July 23, about a week after Israel launched its ground invasion of Gaza, the television station reported his approval rating as 82…
The mother of an American journalist held captive by militant group Islamic State released a video on Wednesday appealing directly to the group’s leader for his release. “I am sending this message to you, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Quraishi al-Hussaini, the caliph of the Islamic State. I am Shirley Sotloff. My son Steven is in your…
South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Wednesday urged Dutch pension fund ABP, the world’s third largest, to “strike a powerful, non-violent blow for peace in the Middle East” by divesting from three Israeli banks. An ABP spokeswoman said the management board would discuss Tutu’s appeal at its monthly meeting on Thursday, alongside a letter from…
An Israeli toddler traveling in a car in the West Bank was injured by rocks thrown by masked Palestinians. Dozens of Palestinians threw “rocks and heavy furniture” at passing Israeli cars at the Yitzhar Junction in the northern West Bank on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces told the Times of Israel. Some of the rocks…
Gaza’s city workers cleared roads of rubble and fixed power lines on Wednesday as a ceasefire took hold after 50 days of war, with displaced families expressing a sense of relief and frustration as they returned to their damaged homes. Some of the biggest cheer was among Gaza’s fishermen, who were able to sail six…
