A vigil was held to show solidarity with a New Mexico deli that has been targeted by anti-Semitic messages. The Thursday night vigil took place outside Albuquerque’s Nosh deli, which has had mailing labels scrawled with anti- Semitic messages left on its front door in two separate incidents. The vigil drew more than 100 people,…
An array of U.S. Jewish groups urged Israel’s government to introduce refugee asylum reforms, saying that a major holding facility was indistinguishable from a jail. The letter sent Wednesday to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that Israeli authorities have ordered asylum seekers to move to the Holot facility in Israel’s south. “While…
A local politician from the party of Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Jews of destroying Russia. The accusation by Oleg Bolychev, a legislator from the ruling United Russia party at the regional parliament in Kaliningrad, was made in the parliament on Feb. 6, according to the Regnum news agency, which reported on it on…
Britain has issued guidelines to ensure that Sabbath-observant Jews are not denied unemployment benefits for refusing to work on Saturdays. The guidelines set down by the Department for Work and Pensions in an internal memo to Jobcentre employment agencies across the country is called “The Jewish Sabbath,” the London Jewish Chronicle reported. The memo explains…
A compound of one-storey buildings deep in the southern Israeli desert is now home to some 400 African migrants who face the prospect of being held in custody indefinitely. The detainees in what the authorities call an “open” detention centre are allowed to leave for a few hours each day, but given its remote location…
Traditional online dating sites attract many people looking for love, but niche sites for book fans, pet lovers and especially Jews are helping Cupid’s arrow hit the right target. For taller-than-average people, there is tallfriends.com, and if pets are important, datemypet.com may help. Foodies who prefer not to eat meat can try VeggieDate, and fans…
A letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed by 152 Jewish Americans, including top centrist leaders, praised the peace efforts of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. “As American advocates for a strong, Jewish and democratic Israel, we have been heartened by Secretary of State John Kerry’s extraordinary resolve to advance this process consistent…
Pope Francis called on Jews and Christians to work together to construct a “more just and fraternal world,” and said he looked forward to his upcoming visit to Israel. Francis made his remarks during an audience at the Vatican on Thursday with a 50-member delegation of American Jewish Committee leaders. He called his visit to…
A new Facebook page called on the Rolling Stones to boycott Israel. The “Rolling Stones: Boycott Israel” page established Wednesday had 144 likes by Thursday morning. Earlier this week, reports in the Israeli media said the Rolling Stones were near a deal to play in Israel for the first time, on June 10 at the…
The president of Denmark’s Jewish community disputed a government minister’s claims that new regulations would outlaw all kosher slaughter in the country. “We find this an odd statement,” Finn Schwarz, the community’s president, told JTA on Thursday about statements made earlier in the week by Agriculture Minister Dan Jorgensen. Jorgensen made the statement to the…
Israel has successfully negotiated with Germany’s Ministry for Employment and Social Affairs to improve pension payments to Jews who were forced to work in Nazi ghettos. A formal announcement is expected later this month, when German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Cabinet visit Israel for their annual joint meeting and talks, initiated in 2008. The…
