By Laurel Corona LA JOLLA, California — Each of us has a narrative about our family’s past, whether it’s shared around the table at family celebrations, or kept quietly to ourselves. When Serge Boccara (Clement Sibony) sets out from France to Tunisia with his pregnant wife Jeanne (Judith Davis) in director Ferid Boughedir’s 2008 film Villa […]
San Diego Jewish Film Festival preview: 'Villa Jasmin' Read More »
Travel and FoodJERUSALEM (Press Release) – Sixteen of today’s brightest Jewish movers and shakers are being invited to tackle some of the Jewish world’s most pressing problems this summer. Beginning its fourth year, the PresenTense Summer Fellowships utilize a unique approach to tap the creativity of Jewish innovators, helping them in turn to change the face of their
Sixteen Jewish innovators will gather in Israel this summer Read More »
Middle East
_____________________________________________________________ Editor’s Note: The Winter/ Spring edition of Western States Jewish History is devoted to the columns of the late Rabbi William Kramer, who wrote “My Shtetele California” for the Jewish Heritage newspapers. One of the columns dealt with how he happened to officiate at the controversial marriage between African-American entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. and Swedish actress May
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (Press Release) – EL AL, Israel’s National Airline, landed in Haiti this past Thursday with dozens of medical teams and tons of emergency supplies to assist with rescue and salvage efforts. Two EL AL aircraft, a jumbo 747-400 and one 777, carried more than 80 tons of supplies along with 229
El Al flies medical personnel, supplies to Haiti Read More »
Middle East, USABy J. Zel Lurie DELRAY BEACH, Florida–I am not diplomatic when I discuss Israel and Palestine with rightist American Jews who support the settlements. The facts that they pick up from rightist propaganda are usually totally wrong. Nothing I say penetrates their one-track minds. They don’t believe my facts even though I present chapter and
Correcting rightwing misinformation about Israel and Palestine Read More »
Middle East, USANEW YORK (WJC)—A meeting of senior diplomats of the Group of Six Nations in New York on Iran’s nuclear program has reportedly ended in failure after China sent only a lower-ranking delegate and vetoed an immediate round of new UN sanctions against Tehran. However, the diplomats of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United
China vetoes new round of U.N. sanctions against Iran Read More »
USAHANIA, Crete (WJC) –Following the second arson attack in less than two weeks, the roof of the historic synagogue in Hania, on the Greek island of Crete, is badly damaged and many books kept in the synagogue have been destroyed. An unknown number of people entered the building in the early hours of Saturday morning,
Weekend arson is second attack on synagogue in Crete Read More »
Travel and FoodBAGHDAD–Iraqi authorities have asked the United States for the return of the historic Iraqi Jewish Archive after it was brought to the United States in the wake of the 2003 war. The ‘Canadian Press’ reports that Iraqi officials were planning to go to the US possibly next month to assess the materials found by American
Iraq seeks return from U.S. of Jewish archives Read More »
USAThe following opinion article by World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder was published by the leading Italian newspaper ‘Corriere della Sera’ on the eve of Pope Benedict’s visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome: By Ronald S. Lauder When a Catholic bishop visits the main synagogue in his diocese it is first and foremost
Lauder's advice to Pope before his visit to the Rome synagogue Read More »
Middle East, USAROME (WJC)—At his highly publicized visit to Rome’s Great Synagogue on Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI said the Vatican had “provided assistance” to Jews in a “hidden and discreet way” during the Holocaust, thus indirectly defending his predecessor Pius XII. While not citing him by name, Benedict XVI attempted to address concerns in the Jewish community
Pope Benedict XVI calls for healing of wounds between Jews and Catholics Read More »
Middle EastHAIFA (Press Release)–“Carry out all my demands or the entire country’s electricity will be cut off.” Is this another line from a suspense film, or is it a palpable threat made possible with a computer keyboard? “Today, there is a growing trend amongst hackers around the world to threaten national infrastructures for ransom,” says Dr.
Cyber-terrorism threat grows around the world Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–You have heard the story of the nail that was lost, that hampered the horse, lost the battle and the empire. In both countries that I follow there is danger of a lost nail. Where they impact is too early to know, but they are cause for worry, or maybe only amusement.
The nails that may cause the undoing of Netanyahu and Obama Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–Despite his occasional strong-man bluster, or perhaps because of it, there’s much to suggest that Binyamin Netanyahu – Bibi to friends and foes alike – is a weak Prime Minister. Two current issues in the news imply it. First, the Turkey fiasco reminds us again that Netanyahu isn’t really in charge
The Cabinet and marital influences shape Bibi's policy Read More »
Middle EastBy Danny Bloom CHIAYI CITY, TAIWAN — One of my Taiwanese college students told me this distressing tale about her English professor, and I have no reason to doubt her. The professor, educated in the United States, is a convert to Christianity — having been born in a family that was nominally Buddhist and Taoist,
Taiwanese convert learned wrong lesson from Christianity Read More »
Travel and Food