(JTA) — At least 90,000 descendants of Sephardic Jews have become citizens of Portugal or Spain since 2015, when those countries passed laws offering a naturalization process for such applicants, according to the most updated information data from the two countries. The laws were meant to atone for the Inquisition, a campaign of religious persecution…
(JTA) — Julie Plaut Warwick and Ben Schreiber faced the same dilemma as many other couples planning a wedding during the pandemic: How to create a feeling of togetherness when guests may not feel safe attending? “We wanted to be surrounded by our family and friends and have their blessings, as we had no idea…
(JTA) — Israel is set to begin administering a second booster shot to Israelis over 60 and to medical workers who received their first booster at least four months ago in a bid to protect vulnerable segments of the population against the Omicron variant currently sweeping through the country Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett…
(JTA) — Researchers from Israel, Morocco and France have discovered remnants of a small Jewish community in the mountains of Morocco, Haaretz reported Monday. The ruins of the community’s synagogue in the small village of Tamanart – located on the outskirts of the Sahara desert – were found while conducting a preliminary survey of Jewish…
(JTA) — Israel launched an airstrike on Gaza early Sunday morning after missiles launched from the Gaza strip Saturday landed in the Mediterranean off the coast of Tel Aviv and the Israeli city of Palmachim. Israeli officials believe the missiles to have been launched by the Islamic Jihad group and not by Hamas, which rules…
(JTA) — Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi called for victims of sexual abuse to bring complaints to the “relevant authorities,” saying “there is an obligation to complain to the authorities in charge of these issues, and not hide it,” according to the site Israel National News. The comments from Rabbi David Lau Wednesday came after Lau was…
(JTA) — As the Omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads across Israel, scientists in the country are worried about a new infectious disease threat: an avian flu that has killed thousands of wild birds migrating through Israel in the past month and has already spread to Israeli poultry farms. Thousands of crane carcasses from birds…
(JTA) — Dozens of soccer fans in Antwerp, Belgium, were filmed giving Nazi salutes while chanting about Hamas and gassing and burning Jews. Police are investigating the videos, which appeared on social media earlier this week. The incident appeared to have taken place at or outside Café Stadion, a restaurant near a soccer stadium. The…
(JTA) — Few rabbis appear before more people than Angela Buchdahl, the senior rabbi of New York City’s Central Synagogue. But Buchdahl may have become one of the most recognizable rabbis ever after her name — and face — appeared as a clue on “Jeopardy!” Wednesday night. The cameo came toward the end of the…
(JTA) — Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau said he would not approve future conversions to Judaism in protest of proposed reforms that would challenge his authority over the process, the Times of Israel reported. Lau’s statement comes as Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana is pushing controversial new reforms to Israel’s conversion system that would…
(JTA) — In the summer of 1993, Arizona native Aaron Lieberman made friends with three other Jewish college students while working at a camp in upstate New York for kids with social, educational and emotional challenges. The four, including David Carmel, Rebecca Weintraub and Jordan Meranus, saw the substantial effect that one-on-one attention had on…
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