Two major new demographic studies estimate the American Jewish population at well above 6 million people, indicating a growing Jewish community that contrasts sharply with popular images of Jewish decline. In particular, scholars say, the new studies appear to refute a widely publicized survey conducted in 2001, which counted 5.2 million American Jews and sparked…
Leaders of Conservative Judaism are planning to create a new ethical certification system for kosher food in response to the findings of a special commission that investigated working conditions at the nation’s largest kosher slaughterhouse. The five-person commission, formed by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly, was created following an investigative…
The incoming United Nations secretary-general has yet to take office, but a controversy is already engulfing his nascent relationship with the American Jewish community. South Korea’s Ban-Ki Moon, who will begin his term January 1 with little experience regarding Israel and its supporters, is coming under fire for his team’s relationship with a little-known Orthodox…
Rateb Quzmar, 20, and his cousin Mohammed Quzmar, 20, lie side by side in a small room on the fourth floor of Ramallah Hospital. This wasn’t their plan. Rateb came from Qalqilya last Friday to visit Mohammed, who had been shot three days earlier by a member of Fatah-allied Palestinian security forces — “because they…
The Bush administration is considering a plan to declare an independent Palestinian state with provisional borders by the end of 2007. The idea has been “kicked around” in the State Department for several weeks, according to sources. It could be one element of a new American Middle East peace plan, the sources added, if President…
Washington — The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dealt a blow last week to ongoing attempts to sue Israeli officials in America over alleged war crimes. In a December 14 decision, Judge Paul Friedman ordered the dismissal of the civil lawsuit against former Israeli army chief of staff, Moshe Ya’alon. Friedman argued…
For 15 years Rabbi Shalom Butman has been standing next to a stand on the Nahalat Binyamin boardwalk in central Tel Aviv calling on male passers-by to put on tefillin. The 72-year-old Chabad activist never paid attention to whether they were minors or not, but now he might have to — or find himself in…
With the endless violence in the Middle East, it would be easy to say that my girlfriend, Shereen, and I — she is Muslim; I am Jewish — represent the potential for world peace. But of course, like the world, our story is a little more complicated than that. Shereen’s father, Ahmed, is from the…
Pennsylvania Family Festivities Don’t bother with the Chinese takeout this year. Instead, round up the whole family and head to Being Jewish at Christmas, a celebration presented by the National Museum of American Jewish History. This year’s party includes performances by ShirLaLa (Shira Kline), who blends music, dance, art and stories for kids; magician and…
“…Pharaoh dreamed… And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled.” (Genesis 41:1-80) A small consulting room. The Nile is visible through the window. A gentleman in white pleated skirt, khepresh headdress with cobra, and lapis collar lies on the couch as he recounts a dream. He punctuates the conversation with…
Church-state activist Mikey Weinstein– a U.S. Air Force Academy alumnus who has been spearheading the campaign against Christian proselytizing in the military – is not afraid to take on Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh mocked Weinstein on his show earlier this month, and today, Weinstein issued this open letter in response: An Open Letter to Rush Limbaugh…
