The Jewish Federations of North America slammed Israeli Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar’s criticism of the Israeli government’s decision to pay the salaries of some non-Orthodox rabbis. “It is a fundamental Jewish virtue to ‘love your fellow as yourself.’ We condemn comments that disparage fellow Jews and, in particular, well-established branches of Judaism that represent 80…
The museum, memorial and grounds of the World War II internment and transit camp at Fossoli, in northern Italy, has been closed to visitors since suffering severe damage in twin earthquakes. Quakes on May 20 and May 30 killed at least 24 people, left thousands homeless and caused widespread damage to art and architectural heritage….
The Israeli Air Force on Wednesday evening struck two targets in the northern Gaza Strip, in response to earlier rocket fire. The two targets were terrorist bases, according to an IDF statement. Earlier on Wednesday, a rocket fired from Gaza directly hit a home in the Sdot Negev Regional Council, one of around 50 rockets…
The United States elevated its human trafficking assessment of Israel to full compliance with minimum international standards. “The Government of Israel fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking,” said the Israel chapter in the State Department report released Tuesday evening. “The Israeli government sustained strong law enforcement actions against sex trafficking…
A Hebrew-language charter school approved for the Harlem neighborhood of New York is scheduled to open in the fall of 2013. The Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School was formally approved Tuesday by the New York State Board of Regents. It will be modeled after the Hebrew Language Academy Charter School in Brooklyn. The Harlem…
A replica of an ancient Egyptian synagogue arrived in Tel Aviv’s Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People. The model of the magnificent Eliyahu Hanavi synagogue from Alexandria was added to the museum’s permanent collection on Monday, where it joined 20 other models of synagogues from around the world. The synagogue in Alexandria,…
Israeli lawmaker Anastassia Michaeli (Yisrael Beiteinu) continued her onslaught on homosexuals in an interview for the Israeli daily Maariv that will be published on Thursday. “Young girls become pregnant and have abortions that hurt their chances to get pregnant in the future, and in the end they become lesbians,” Michaeli said in an interview. “Relationships…
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved legislation that would enhance security cooperation with Israel. The legislation, which was authored by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), and co-sponsored by 62 senators, would reaffirm U.S. policy to reinforce security cooperation with Israel. It was approved Tuesday during a committee business meeting. In…
Vandals painted Nazi and racist symbols on the fence of a Jewish cemetery in southern Poland. Swastikas, Celtic crosses and symbols of the National Polish Revival, an anti-Semitic organization, were painted on columns of the fence of the Jewish cemetery in Starachowice. Cemetery caretaker Maciej Frankiewicz discovered the devastation, called police and began repairing the…
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was nominated as an endangered site on UNESCO’s World Heritage list by the Palestinian Authority. The bid will be decided at the World Heritage Convention in St. Petersburg, Russia, from June 24 to July 6. UNESCO, the scientific and cultural agency of the United Nations, recognized Palestine last…
Gaza rocket fire renewed Wednesday as more than 20 missiles were fired into southern Israel. A barrage of rockets and mortar shells hit one of the towns in Eshkol Regional Council around noon on Wednesday, causing a fire to erupt. No casualties were reported. Later on Wednesday, the Israel Air Force carried out a strike…
