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Fast Forward Here Is The Chief Rabbinate’s ‘Blacklist’ Of 160 American Rabbis
(JTA) — The Israeli Chief Rabbinate has a list of some 160 rabbis it does not trust to confirm the Jewish identities of immigrants. To get married in Israel, immigrants must prove they are Jewish to the Chief Rabbinate, often via a letter by a congregational rabbi attesting to the immigrant’s Jewish identity. This list…
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Fast Forward Israeli Rabbinate ‘Blacklisting’ American Rabbis
(JTA) — Some 160 rabbis, including several prominent American Orthodox leaders, appear on a list of rabbis whom Israel’s haredi Orthodox-dominated Chief Rabbinate does not trust to confirm the Jewish identities of immigrants. Rabbis from 24 countries, including the United States and Canada, are on the list. In addition to Reform and Conservative rabbis, the…
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Fast Forward These U.S. Jews Are Looking Beyond The Kotel – To Prayer On The Temple Mount
JERUSALEM (JTA) – Liberal American Jews are feeling thwarted in their years-long campaign for the right to pray as they wish at the Western Wall. Long frustrated that the plaza in front of the wall is run as an Orthodox synagogue, they were doubly incensed when Israel’s political establishment scrapped an agreement that would have boosted access to…
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Fast Forward Brazilian Ambassador Praises Israeli Pop Stars Over Blockbuster Hit ‘Tudo Bom’
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Brazil’s newly-appointed ambassador to Israel has praised the Israeli duo Static & Ben El Tavori, whose latest hit, with a title in Portuguese, has taken the Jewish state by storm. Titled “Tudo Bom,” or “Everything is good” in Portuguese, the song has become a summer hit in Israel. The lyrics, full…
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Fast Forward 6 Soldiers From India’s ‘Lost Tribe’ Join Israeli Army Together
Six soldiers from the “Bnei Menashe” community in northeastern India have joined an Israeli army unit together. They were inducted into the IDF in a ceremony this month. The “Bnei Menashe” community, which has a population of 10,000 worldwide, claims to be directly descended from the “lost tribe” of Menashe, one of the original 12…
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Fast Forward UN Declares Hebron Shrine ‘Palestinian’ Heritage Site
The United Nations’ cultural organization declared an ancient shrine in the occupied West Bank a “Palestinian World Heritage Site in Danger” on Friday, angering Israel. The edict applies to two adjoined shrines at the heart of Hebron – the Jewish Tomb of the Patriarchs and the Muslim Ibrahimi Mosque. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said…
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Fast Forward Israel Slammed For Dismantling $600K West Bank Solar Project
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — The Dutch Prime Minister complained to his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, about Israel’s dismantling of solar panels set up without permission in the West Bank thanks to funding from the Netherlands. Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said on Tuesday in parliament that Mark Rutte had complained to Netanyahu about the move last…
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Opinion The Israeli Right Is Terrified of Peace — And Their Jerusalem Bill Proves It
The man who heads the right flank of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Israeli governing coalition, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, issued on Sunday what amounts to an extraordinary public acknowledgment: that a peace agreement with the Palestinians is possible — and indeed that negotiators had come within “a hair’s breadth” of concluding an agreement several…
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