?? Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with U.S. lawmakers and reporters in Washington this week. Some saw it as a signal he’s ready to run for office again. (JTA)
? The Texas Senate passed a bill Thursday to require that every public school classroom in the state display a copy of the Ten Commandments. It passed another setting aside time during the school day for Bible reading and prayer. The bills now go to the House. (Texas Tribune)
? A protest at West Virginia University this week showcased posters of aborted fetuses alongside photos from the Holocaust. “Abortion doctors act like death camp doctors,” read one sign. (WBOY, WV Public Broadcasting)
?? Germany set up a panel of international experts to review the events surrounding the murder of Israelis at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The commission is part of an agreement established last year in which Germany agreed to pay roughly $28 million in compensation to the families of the victims. (AP)
? A Jewish animal rights group put up billboards in Los Angeles this week featuring a photo of matzo ball soup next to a picture of a scraggly chicken. “Chicken soup? More like discomfort food,” the signs read. They’re part of a campaign against factory farming called IsThisKosher.org. (Religion News Service)
? Shake Shack plans to open 15 stores in Israel over the next decade, starting with one in Tel Aviv in 2024. The restaurant chain, which has 240 outlets across the U.S. and 120 international ones, did not respond to questions about whether any of its Israeli offerings would be kosher. (JTA)
Shiva call ➤ Yehonatan Geffen, a prominent Israeli author and songwriter, died at 76. Our editor-in-chief recently wrote about one of his most famous songs, “Yihye Tov.”
Long weekend reads ➤ There’s a new documentary about a Jewish professor who created a competitor to Monopoly and got sued by Parker Brothers … Israel’s right-wing government has Jewish Democrats at a loss … The bagel has emerged as the unofficial food of official Washington.
