Israeli population rises to 8.18 million
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Days before Israel’s 66th Independence Day, the Israeli population reached 8.18 million people, according to a report by the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics. This is more than 10 times the size of the population (806,000) when independence was declared in 1948.
Israel’s Jewish population numbers about 6.14 million, roughly 75 percent of the total population. There are 1.7 million Arab citizens in Israel, making up 20.7 percent of the population. Those in the “other” category, including non-Jewish immigrants to Israel and their descendants, comprise 351,000 people—4.3 percent of the total population.
Some 178,000 babies were born in Israel since last year’s Independence Day, marking an all-time high in the birth rate. About 40,000 people died over the last year, and 24,000 new immigrants moved to Israel. Israel’s population had a net growth of about 137,500 people since Independence Day in 2013.
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Jay Leno to award prize in Israel
(JNS.org) Former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno will be in Israel in May to host the Genesis Prize ceremony, Israel Hayom reported.
The Genesis Prize, a new initiative, will be awarded annually by the prime minister to a single individual in recognition of achievements and values that will inspire the future generation of Jews. This year’s ceremony takes place May 22.
The prize was created in partnership by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Genesis Philanthropy Group, and the Jewish Agency Chairman’s Office.
This year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will present the inaugural award to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The ceremony will be held at the Jerusalem Theatre at the end of the month.
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Reform group threatens to quit Conference of Presidents after J Street rejected
(JNS.org) The head of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) on Thursday said the group would consider leaving the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations following the Conference’s rejection of a membership application by the self-labeled “pro-Israel, pro-peace” lobby J Street.
“We may choose to advocate for a significant overhaul of the Conference of Presidents’ processes. We may choose to simply leave the Conference of Presidents. But this much is certain: We will no longer acquiesce to simply maintaining the facade that the Conference of Presidents represents or reflects the views of all of American Jewry,” stated URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs, a former member of J Street’s Rabbinic Cabinet.
J Street’s bid to join the Conference was voted down Wednesday, 22-17 with three abstentions. Other members of the 50-group umbrella were absent for the vote, in which J Street needed two-thirds approval from the Conference’s total membership to join the organization.
Josh Block, president and CEO of The Israel Project, told theForward, “It is saddening to see decent people like the head of one of the Reform organizations distorting the diversity of the Conference.”
“If the formal structures of American Jewry split between those backed by the centrist establishment and the J Street-led left, this won’t advance the cause of Israel or the interests of American Jews,” wrote Jonathan Tobin, senior online editor of Commentary magazine. “Dividing the Jews in this manner will only serve the cause of those who wish to wage war on Israel’s democratically elected government and to widen the splits between Jerusalem and Washington. That isn’t something that any group that calls itself ‘pro-Israel’ should want.”
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U.S. report: Several Mideast countries top list of violators of religious freedom
(JNS.org) Several Middle East countries have been identified as among the worst violators of religious freedom, according to an annual report issued by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
According to the 209-page report, Iran and Saudi Arabia are listed as “Tier 1” or “Countries of Particular Concern (CPC).” Egypt, Syria, and Iraq are listed as “Tier 1” countries that should be added to the U.S. State Department’s CPC list.
Turkey is listed as a “Tier 2,” for countries that do not fully meet the criteria of being a CPC but still have serious violations of religious freedom.
On Egypt, the report said that the government under former Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi and the new military-backed regime “failed or were slow to protect religious minorities, particularly Coptic Orthodox Christians, from violence.”
The report also criticized Egypt for the increased number of religious groups who were “detained, prosecuted, and imprisoned” under Egypt’s controversial blasphemy law as well as the rampant anti-Semitism that continues to appear in Egypt’s state-controlled media and other outlets.
Similarly, Iran was blasted for its continued poor treatment of Christians and Baha’is, including increased imprisonment.
“The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom,” the report said.
According to the report, about 400 Christians have been arrested and detained since 2010, with 40 Christians currently detained, including Iranian-American Pastor Saeed Abedini.
Meanwhile, civil war-ravaged Syria has seen violations of every religious group, including Muslims, Christians, Alawites, and even small communities such as Yezidis and Druze. All of those groups face a “dire future” in Syria, said the report, which also mentioned the continuing attacks by al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups on Christians and Alawites in the country.
One of the worst violators of religious freedom in the past year has been Pakistan, where religious minorities—including Shi’a, Christians, and Hindus—are routinely targeted by the government and extremists, said the report.
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Sapling from Anne Frank’s tree planted on U.S. Capitol
(JNS.org) A sapling grown from the original tree that stood outside the hiding place of Holocaust teenage diarist Anne Frank was planted on the U.S. Capitol’s west front lawn. Frank wrote about the original tree in her diary.
“Our chestnut tree is in full blossom,” Frank wrote on May 13, 1944. “It is covered with leaves and is even more beautiful than last year.” The tree became diseased over the years, eventually being blown over from high winds in 2010. Eleven saplings to be planted around the world were created from the collapsed tree.
The planting ceremony for the sapling in the Capitol was attended by politicians from both major U.S. parties, foreign dignitaries such as Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans, and Holocaust survivors.
“It’s fitting that we plant a tree in Anne Frank’s memory in the shadow of our majestic Capitol dome,” the building’s chief architect Stephen Ayers said at the ceremony, according to Yedioth Ahronoth. “Years from now, visitors to the Capitol will find shade and solace in its mighty branches.”
House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who is Jewish, recited the Jewish “Shehecheyanu” prayer in English. “Today we dedicate this tree as a living testament to the memory of Anne Frank, a young woman of grand pleasantry and gifted insight, but who knew no peace,” Cantor said.
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Israeli tax office to notify IRS of American incomes in Israel
(JNS.org) The Israel Tax Authority will be notifying the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about bank accounts owned by Americans living in Israel. The agreement between the Israeli Ministry of Finance and the U.S. Department of the Treasury is meant to implement the Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).
Israel will hand over financial information not only of U.S. citizens living in Israel, but also of Green Card holders, residents, and other legal entities in which Americans are significantly invested. Conversely, the IRS agreed to notify Israel of income in accounts of Israelis living in the U.S. FATCA is not limited to Israel. Every financial institution outside of the U.S. must report to the IRS once a year with information about Americans’ accounts. If the financial institution does not comply, it will face sanctions and a 30-percent tax payment on any source of income in the US.
Twenty-eight countries have already signed a FATCA agreement with the U.S., including the U.K., Canada, Denmark, Mexico, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Italy, and Hungary, reported Globes.
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