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News Fighting In Cage, Talking About Peace
When Ramsey Nijem strode cockily into the ring for a televised mixed-martial arts bout June 2011, the breakout star of the 13th season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship reality show, “The Ultimate Fighter,” was draped in a Palestinian flag, a tribute to his father’s homeland. The music blasting through the Las Vegas arena? “One Day,”…
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News Cemeteries Up Ante for Sunday Burials
If you want to be buried in New Jersey, try dying early in the week. Jewish law requires speedy burial, but bans Saturday funerals. So a death late in the week often means a funeral on a Sunday. And in New Jersey, a Sunday funeral means extra burial fees of up to $500, even more…
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News The Kosher Cure
Holding a thinly sliced piece of prosciutto between two of her fingers, Marina, my Italian host mother, declared, “Dai, provalo!” Come on, try it! It was my first night living in Italy for a semester abroad, and I arrived as a kosher-keeping vegetarian. I hadn’t eaten any meat, let alone pork, for nearly four years,…
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Fast Forward Clinton’s ‘Slap in Face’ Rejection of Pollard Plea
Supporters of Jonathan Pollard called Hillary Clinton’s remarks rejecting his possible clemency “a resounding slap in the face” to Israel’s leaders and its people. “With respect to Mr. Pollard, he was convicted of spying in 1987, he was sentenced to life in prison, he is serving that sentence, and I do not have any expectations…
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Fast Forward Kadima Quits Coalition Over Draft Dispute
Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of Kadima Shaul Mofaz announced on Tuesday that his Kadima party is leaving the governing coalition following disagreements over a universal draft law. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted early Tuesday afternoon what he termed a new and far-reaching legislative proposal intended to resolve the quarrel between Likud and Kadima…
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Fast Forward Kadima to Leave Coalition After Conscription Talks Break Down
The Kadima party will likely leave Israel’s government coalition after negotiations with Likud over a universal draft bill broke down. With the talks reportedly ending Tuesday morning, Kadima scheduled a faction meeting for the evening to discuss its future in the government coalition, according to Israeli media reports. It appears likely that Kadima will pull…
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Fast Forward Gadhafi’s Mother Was Jewish: Ex-Aide
Muammar Gadhafi’s mother was Jewish, the late Libyan leader’s chief of protocol told an Arabic newspaper. Nuri al-Samara told the daily Al-Hayat that Gadhafi’s mother was Jewish, the Israeli daily Maariv reported on its NRG news website. At 18 she married a Muslim man and converted, according to reports. Last year, a 76-year-old Jewish resident…
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Opinion Why Is Jonathan Pollard Still in Jail?
Why are efforts to obtain clemency for Jonathan Pollard stuck? The man convicted in 1987 for spying for Israel and given a life sentence remains in jail despite a growing chorus calling for his release. I had the opportunity to ask a number of American Jewish leaders attending a meeting of the Conference of Presidents…
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News Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s selection as JTS commencement speaker roils graduating class
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Yiddish שפּילן מיט פֿײַל־און־בויגן און אַנדערע ל״ג־בעומר־מנהגיםPlaying with bows and arrows and other Lag BaOmer shtetl customs
געוויסע עקספּערטן האַלטן, אַז מע דאַרף באַטראַכטן ל״ג־בעומר ווי אַ פֿרילינגדיקן מײַ־פֿעסטיוואַל
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News ‘Don’t give up on us now’: Israel peace summit convenes thousands to aim for elusive progress
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Fast Forward A GOP lawmaker tried to put a Holocaust denier on New Hampshire’s Holocaust education board