Top Democrats are rushing to repudiate former President Carter’s controversial new book on the Middle East, in which he accuses the Israeli government of maintaining an apartheid system. Two key party leaders — Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, party chairman, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi — and several congressmen issued statements Monday saying…
While the Reform and Conservative religious movements have long jockeyed for the title of the largest Jewish denomination in America, a new study finds that when it comes to the next generation, the Orthodox movement has the most children affiliated with its synagogues, setting the stage for a future shift in the balance of American…
A Jewish spokeman for Republican Rep. J.D. Hayworth of Arizona drew jeers and sparked a mass walkout during a recent candidates’ forum when he claimed that the Baptist lawmaker was “a more observant Jew” than the audience members. Jonathan Tratt, a real estate investor and political fund-raiser, made the remark while defending Hayworth’s opposition of…
Support among Jews for an American military strike against Iran has declined during the past year, according to an annual survey of American Jewish opinion released Monday. The survey, commissioned by the American Jewish Committee, found that only 38% of American Jews support American military action, down from 49% last year. But, according to this…
Bulgaria is on the doorstep of European Union ascension. Downtown, a billboard-clock displays the number of days until January 2007, when acceptance is anticipated. Sofia, the capital, combines elements of Bulgaria’s hopeful future with reminders of its past. Sleek shops sit on fractured sidewalks, next to the peeling facades of grim Soviet-era buildings. Recently, I…
It may not be as prestigious as Cannes or as cutting-edge as Sundance, but this year’s Boston Jewish Film Festival boasts an impressive 57 films — including dramas, comedies, documentaries and shorts — from 16 countries around the world. Founded 18 years ago by Michal Goldman, the festival champions independent films focused on Jewish life…
For Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson, creators of the hit play “Jewtopia,” the path to becoming published authors was murky at best. As they note, “We barely read books!” Nonetheless, their lack of familiarity with the reading process hardly kept the actors from penning a book of their own (a spin-off of their play), titled…
Democrats in Congress are arguing that the Bush administration’s handling of the war in Iraq harmed Israel and is tying America’s hands in dealing with Iran’s nuclear threat. They put forth the argument in an October 27 online town hall meeting dealing with issues relating to Israel. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi stressed in the…
BERLIN — After a spate of antisemitic episodes in the last two months, fears that neo-Nazis are gaining a strong foothold in German politics and society seemed confirmed with the release of an October 16 report showing that between January and August, right-wing extremists committed about 8,000 offenses — a 20% jump from last year…
As Jennifer Siegel reports this week, Senator Rick Santorum is turning to Jewish supporters to help him score a comeback victory against Democrat Bob Casey Jr. And, she notes here, at least one New York-based Chabad rabbi is answering the call. Now the Santorum campaign is touting the recent proclamation from a leading Philadelphia-area ultra-Orthodox…
According to this story in yesterday’s Chicago Sun-Times, Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, a three-term Illinois Republican, is facing an unexpectedly strong challenge from Democrat Dan Seals. In the Sun-Times, a staffer for Kirk sent a threatening email to a representative of Tel Aviv University with the goal of having the school’s president pressure a supporter…
