Israeli President Shimon Peres canceled his participation in the 2012 Olympic Games in London after failing to find a way to attend the opening ceremony without desecrating the Jewish Sabbath. The opening ceremony begins on a Friday, July 27, before Shabbat starts, but will end well after the onset of the holy day. Though Peres…
The family of Amy Winehouse will mark the first anniversary of the singer’s death using Jewish tradition, a British magazine reported, quoting the singer’s mother. Janis Winehouse told HELLO! Magazine that the family will mark the anniversary quietly together with prayers and the lighting of a yahrzeit candle. Amy Winehouse, who was Jewish, died on…
An annual campaign to remember the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Buenos Aires Jewish center calls on the public to “feed the memory.” The campaign launched this week to commemorate the July 18, 1994 bombing that destroyed the AMIA building, killing 85 and injuring hundreds, calls on Food Factory chef Tomas Kalika to share his…
On his way to another round in the U.S.-Israel strategic dialogue, deputy U.S. Secretary of State, William Burns met with the new Egyptian president and said the United States was “fully committed” to assistance for Egypt. “The United States will do all we can to help ensure a successful transition in Egypt, which offers the…
The Obama administration criticized an Israeli panel finding that West Bank settlements are legal under international law. “We do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity and we oppose any effort to legalize settlement outposts,” State Department Spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters Monday evening in answer to a question about the Levy committee…
At twin ceremonies Israel honored non-Jewish Poles who rescued Jews during the Holocaust and who have preserved Jewish memory since World War II. Israeli ambassador to Poland Zvi Rav-Ner on June 8 recognized five Polish women as Righteous Gentiles for risking their lives to save Jews during the Shoah. To date, about 6,400 Poles have…
The U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee launched an investigation into pro-Israel Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), potentially complicating her bid for the U.S. Senate. The investigation announced Monday, and backed by both Democrats and Republicans on the committee, will focus on allegations that Berkley’s championing of kidney care benefitted her husband, a leading kidney specialist…
Jews should no longer be categorized by their ethnic origin when being tested for hereditary conditions, says the Health Ministry. The mixing of Jewish communities – mixed heritage – has rendered such categorization pointless, the ministry’s community genetics department says. Because of the proliferation of “mixed marriages” between Jewish communities, as well as technological advances,…
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was exonerated on corruption charges which prompted his resignation from office four years ago. The Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday acquitted Olmert on charges of fraud, breach of trust, tax evasion and falsifying corporate records in what became known as the Talansky and Rishon Tours affairs. He was found…
Germany has agreed to provide restitution payments to an additional 80,000 Jews in what Claims Conference officials are describing as a historic breakthrough. The agreement, which was reached Monday in negotiations between German officials and Claims Conference representatives, is likely to result in additional payments of approximately $300 million. Most of the money will go…
A Palestinian minister said on Monday evening that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected an offer by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release security prisoners in exchange for the renewal of peace talks. Palestinian Authority Minister of Prisoner Affairs Issa Qaraqe confirmed a Haaretz report that Netanyahu made an offer to release initially 25 Palestinian…
