Last Sunday evening, just 24 hours before the latest ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was due to expire amid talks in Cairo, the top story on most Hebrew news sites was a small demonstration against a wedding of a “mixed” Israeli couple in central Israel. Morel Malka, a Jewish Israeli who converted to Islam and…
Three-quarters of Israeli Jews and nearly two-thirds of Israeli Arabs would not marry someone from a different religion, according to a poll. Conducted by Haaretz and the Dialog company on Tuesday and Wednesday, the poll found that opposition to interfaith relationships was highest among haredi Orthodox Jews, at 95 percent. But 88 percent of traditional…
Mahmoud Mansour and Morel Malka on their wedding day, August 17, 2014 / Haaretz (Haaretz) — To disrupt a wedding celebration and spoil the joy of two young people joining their lives together, one needs a very good reason. Racism clearly does not qualify. There’s an easy way for even the most tribal and anti-assimilationist Jew…
An Arab man and his Jewish-born bride hired 14 security guards for their wedding celebration in Israel in response to an anti-intermarriage Jewish group’s call for a protest rally at the hall. Mahmoud Mansour, who is Muslim, and Morel Malka, who recently converted to Islam, reportedly are concerned for their safety at Sunday’s event in…
Frankfurt’s Jewish community has dropped out of the city’s interfaith “Council of Religions” due to anti-Semitic and anti-Israel statements by local Islamic leaders. At issue is the failure of the interfaith group to condemn statements by members of the Islamic Religious Association of Hessen, according to Leo Latasch, head of social affairs for the Jewish…
The Seesaw is a new kind of advice column in which a a broad range of columnists will address the real life issues faced by interfaith couples and families. Join the discussion by commenting on this post, sharing it on Facebook or following the Forward on Twitter. And keep the questions coming. You can email…
Nechama Liss-Levinson “Shalom!” – “Salaam!” – “Peace!” So started the evening, “Fasting together, Praying for Peace” at Temple Sinai in Roslyn, New York, this past Tuesday evening. Jews, Muslims and Christian neighbors gathered together to talk, learn, pray and break the fast together. The Jewish minor fast day of the 17th of Tammuz coincided with…
Taglit-Birthright brought Scott Neiss to Israel. And Neiss, in turn, brought lacrosse. That’s the story, more or less, behind Israel Lacrosse, a not-for-profit organization engaging Israeli boys and girls ages 8 to 18 in the sport. Neiss, who worked as a general manager for several professional lacrosse teams in the States, founded the group in…
