Organization
Jewish Groups Give Mixed Response to ADL Call for Gay Rights Pressure on Russia
The ADL has called on American Jews and the U.S. government to pressure Russia on gay rights. Some politicians welcome the idea — Jewish organizations are more cautious.
50% of Jewish Groups Have Gay-Friendly Policy
A new survey of Jewish communal organizations found that 50 percent of them have taken significant steps to welcome gays and lesbians and their families.
Israel Ranks 6th in World Healthcare Survey: Bloomberg Poll Reports High Israeli Health Status
According to a recent Bloomberg survey of 145 countries, Israel ranked 6th in the quality of healthcare it offers its population along with their general health status. The report was based on information by the World Bank, the UN the World Health Organization, and studied life expectancy, mortality rate, and obesity levels among other factors. Singapore came in first, followed by Italy, Australia, Switzerland and Japan. And it appears in the survey that a country like Israel, which is constantly dealing with budget cuts due to large sums of money allocated to its defense and security, managed to surpass Western countries like the US, Canada, and such others. Even though Israelis ranked high on their overall health score, it is a recognized concern that Israel’s hospitals are crowded, and that there is a shortage of doctors and medical staff. However, in contrast to various developed countries, medical care in Israel is funded by the government for all citizens, regardless of their financial means. And life expectancy is one of the longest in the world. Sivan Raviv, JN1, Israel.
A New Wave of Jewish Cultural Organizations
UpStart Bay Area American Judaism is in the midst of a paradigm shift, as Jewish leaders look for new ways, and build new institutions, to engage American Jews in Jewish life. Fresh ideas and approaches seem to proliferate weekly: according to a recent report, more than 600 Jewish ventures have been created in the last decade alone. Organizations like UpStart Bay Area, Joshua Venture Group, and Bikkurim, exist to nurture and support these efforts.
Facebook Bans Hezbollah's Media Arm Al-Manar: US-labeled Terror Org Spreads Extremism Online
Al-Manar, the media outlet widely thought to have close ties with the militant organization Hezbollah, is facing a social media crackdown. Al-Manar was classified as a terrorist organization by the United States in 2004 and has also been banned by a number of European countries. Facebook is now the latest website to block them, stating that they do not allow content which ‘incites violence’. However, the organization still has a live page on social media sites Twitter and YouTube. Google and Apple previously removed Al-Manar phone applications from their online shops but the organization is already working on ways around the bans. Al-Manar has detailed instructions on their website about how to continue using their products and anti-terror organisations are now calling on the technology industry to step up their efforts against online extremism.