A proposed congressional bill to extend daylight-saving time by months would make it nearly impossible for many religious Jews to hold daily prayer services before work. The measure, an amendment to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, caught Jewish communal leaders off guard. Under the amendment sponsored by Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Ed Markey and Michigan…
WASHINGTON — Pro-Israel forces here are gearing up for a possible uphill fight to secure additional American aid to help cover the costs of Jerusalem’s disengagement plan. The government of Prime Minister Sharon is asking the Bush administration for two separate aid packages totaling up to $1.6 billion to help defray the costs of the…
Pope John Paul II’s private secretary said his late boss “miraculously” cured an American Jewish millionaire’s brain tumor — a claim that could help the pontiff achieve sainthood. The millionaire, who remains unnamed, told a friend that he had been diagnosed with an incurable tumor and had but three wishes left: to see the pope,…
KAMPALA, Uganda — Yoweri Museveni, the president of this landlocked republic, is presenting the United States and the West with an agonizing dilemma. Simply put, he has proven himself to be one of Africa’s most successful rulers during his 19 years in office, and now he won’t go away. Museveni came to office at the…
In a surprise twist being described as a message from beyond the grave, Pope John Paul II mentioned the “rabbi of Rome” in his will — one of only two living people to be singled out. Elio Toaff, the former chief rabbi of Rome referred to in the will, said his inclusion should be taken…
HOUSTON — When Reform rabbis recently gathered here for their annual convention, it was hard not to see traces of the 1960s in the sandals, the guitars and the progressive political agenda. But when addressing their own power relations with cantors, the rabbis seemed to see some virtue in the status quo. They passed overwhelmingly…
‘Getting Wolfowitzed: Bolkestein as villain” was the caption of a column by John Vinocur in the March 29 International Herald Tribune. It’s not the first time that “to Wolfowitz” has been used as a verb in the English language, but it’s different from the other times. But first, who is Bolkestein and how was he…
A surprise candidate was nominated to chair the umbrella organization that is viewed widely as the American Jewish community’s consensus voice on Middle East affairs. The nominee, Harold Tanner, was tapped last week to head the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Tanner was praised across the board for his quiet leadership qualities….
During his long reign as vicar of Rome, Pope John Paul II oversaw sweeping, historic changes in the Catholic Church and in the role of religion in world affairs. But none of the pope’s initiatives was more fundamental, or more emblematic of the man, than the transformation of Catholic-Jewish relations. The change began with Nostra…
In the wake of Terri Schiavo’s death, conservative Christian activists are pushing Republican lawmakers to detonate the so-called nuclear option — a change of Senate rules that would block Democrats from filibustering judicial nominations. As the Senate returned to session this week, several Christian conservative groups were running ads urging the Republicans to eliminate the…
A report aimed at healing tensions over the Middle East has ended up fueling a new round of controversy at Columbia University, especially over the school’s early release of the document to The New York Times. The report — released to The Times March 30 and to the public a day later — came in…
די „שלום־עליכם לעקציע“ וועט מען קענען הערן אויפֿן אָרט אָדער דורך דער אינטערנעץ.
