As the presidential contenders rush to score political points before the Iowa caucuses, a number of the state’s faith leaders are criticizing what they say is unnecessarily harsh rhetoric on immigration coming from several Republican campaigns. In little more than a month, activists have gathered thousands of signatures and assembled an ad hoc coalition that…
Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney gave a much publicized speech this week on religion, politics and his Mormon faith, and Jewish groups wasted little time in criticizing it. While they endorsed Romney’s affirmation of the principles of religious toleration and the separation of church and state, both the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee…
Washington — President Bush had a day full of Jews last Monday. The Jewish festivities began at a discussion that Bush held with 15 Jewish communal leaders who escaped religious persecution in their countries of origin. After that, he moved on to a Hanukkah candle lighting, where a menorah that belonged to the great-grandfather of…
In a historic first, a committee of the United Nations General Assembly adopted an Israeli-initiated resolution on working matters. The resolution deals with agricultural technology for development, a relatively apolitical matter. But even such apolitical issues have not managed to squeeze past Arab opposition in the past. Supported by 118 countries, the resolution was introduced…
IPF Chief Stays Put The Israel Policy Forum’s lay leadership blocked an attempt to replace the group’s president. Seymour Reich, who has been heading the organization since 2005, will remain president for another year. Karen Adler, IPF’s vice chair of government relations, had challenged Reich’s presidency, urging members to elect her as Reich’s replacement. According…
‘So, are they going to do a mezinke at your brother’s wedding?” a Jewish friend asked this past spring, one eyebrow raised quizzically, as we watched our children play on a jungle gym. I shrugged my shoulders and changed the subject. To her, it was a question of tradition. To me, it was a full-fledged…
You roll the eight-sided die and land on the “Blow the shofar and roll again” space; the next roll puts you on a “question card” space, and you’re asked, “Which Hebrew letter would be on a shield or mezuzah holder?” Would you know the answer? Would your kids? Erik Newton of Campbell, Calif., hopes you…
This time of year, interfaith couples often struggle to find balance in celebrating the holidays. A recent article in the New York Times discusses conflicts that arise over rituals, decorations and gifts, and even the Anti-Defamation League has offered schools and government offices guidance for negotiating the “December Dilemma.” Those seeking answers to such seasonal…
The head of the largest Muslim organization in the country is expected to address the national gathering of North America’s largest Jewish denomination at its annual conference next week. The speech is part of a broader push at the conference to elevate interfaith dialogue with Muslims and Christians. Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society…
TOM CRUISE HONORED BY MUSEUM OF MOVING IMAGE “Son of a single mother, I sold newspapers at 8 [years old] and had lived in so many cities that I do not have a recognizable accent,” Tom Cruise told the stellar crowd at the November 6 Museum of the Moving Image Salutes Tom Cruise gala. “But…
Washington – Looking to the post-Bush era in American politics, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is attempting to enlist leading presidential candidates to support his renewed push for a settlement with the Palestinians. When Olmert was in the United States for the Annapolis, Md., peace summit, he took the opportunity to call each of the…
