International

Society of Professional Journalists’ executive committee suggests ‘retiring’ Helen Thomas Award

NEW YORK (Press Release)– The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Tuyesday welcomed the recommendation of the Executive Committee of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) to “retire” the Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement.  The recommendation, approved in a vote Saturday at a meeting in Nashville, Tenn., will be sent to the full board of directors within the […]

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USA

Giffords’ Jewish religion may have caused her to be targeted for assassination

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WJC)–The US Department of Homeland Security has listed Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords’ Jewish faith as being a possible factor in her shooting. An department memo says that her assailant, Jared Lee Loughner, mentioned American Renaissance, an extremist anti-immigrant group, in some of his own postings. “The group’s ideology is anti-government, anti-immigration, anti-ZOG (Zionist Occupational

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USA

J Street condemns demolition of Shepherd Hotel in East Jerusalem

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement in response to the demolition of the Shepherd’s Hotel in East Jerusalem, aimed at clearing land for the construction of new Jewish housing in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood: “The demolition of the Shepherd’s Hotel in East Jerusalem is a deeply provocative action,

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Middle East

Israel to spend $100 million over three years for Birthright/Taglit

JERUSALEM (Press Release)– Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Government of Israel approved $100 million in funding for Taglit-Birthright Israel over the next three years, speaking Thursday (Jan. 6) to three thousand young adults at the winter Mega Event in Jerusalem. The goal of the funding increase is to enable Taglit-Birthright Israel to bring

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Middle East

U.N. envoy puts onus on Israel, not Hamas, in rocket attacks from Gaza

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. –A new tactic in the war against Israel is “delegitimization,” the effort to say that Israel is different from, and less than, other countries. It is, for example, the only member of the United Nations that has to insist upon its “right to exist.” And what other countries do as

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Middle East

Americans of all ideologies must stand together in Tucson rampage’s wake — Conference of Presidents

NEW YORK (Press Release)–The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations expressed its sympathy for the families of the people killed and its prayers for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and all of those wounded in Saturday’s shooting attack in Arizona. “We share in the shock and sorrow at the senseless murderous attack in Tucson. We

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USA

Israelis focus on Giffords’ Jewishness, compare Tucson rampage to Rabin assassination

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the collateral killing of Judge John Roll and several others has generated a great deal of commentary. Much of it deals with the capacity of incendiary political rhetoric to trigger violence from those who are on the fringes of sanity or utterly unhinged. Israelis are

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Congresswoman Davis reflects on the attempted assassination of her friend and colleague

By Gary Rotto SAN DIEGO — My friend Tyree, posted the following on her Facebook page:   “Can’t stop thinking about Giffords’ staffer who was killed or the other two injured. That could have been me… or a countless number of my friends and colleagues. Just at a day at the office. Just another event.

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USA

Five charges brought against Tucson suspect Jared Loughner in shooting rampage

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) – The United States Attorney for the District of Arizona, Dennis K. Burke, announced Sunday that his office filed a federal complaint against Jared Lee Loughner.  The complaint was signed by Magistrate Judge Michelle Burns in Phoenix. Loughner is suspected of shooting U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Chief Judge John Roll, Giffords’ staff member

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USA

Clinton criticizes Israel for Shepherd Hotel demolition

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–The following statement was issued by the State Department for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “We are very concerned about the initiation of demolition of the Shepherd’s Hotel in East Jerusalem. This disturbing development undermines peace efforts to achieve the two state-solution. In particular, this move contradicts the logic of a reasonable

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Middle East

Turkish action series ‘Valley of the Wolves’ is anti-American, anti-Semitic

By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — Amazing. The New York Times has a long piece about how Turkey is becoming an important factor in Iraq. Fair enough. But it includes the following paragraph: “A surprising feature of Turkey’s success is the image it has managed to project in Iraq. On the road from Erbil to

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Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Reaction to shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona

 SAN DIEGO–Organizations and individuals are reacting with sadness to the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and other people at a campaign event outside a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona.   Giffords is a member of  the Jewish community. Here are some of the comments: President Barack Obama spoke at the White House: “As many of you are aware,

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USA