Judaism

Jewish Agency takes out ad slamming Western Wall decision

Organization says freezing pluralistic prayer pavilion and granting ultra-Orthodox conversion monopoly ‘endangers the unity of the Jewish people’ By Times of Israel staff Members of the Reform and Conservative Jewish movements hold torah scrolls during a mixed men and women prayer at the public square in front of the Western Wall, in Jerusalem’s Old City,

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Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

MKs backing conversion bill not welcome in Chicago, Jewish leader warns

After meeting PM over legislation and Western Wall about-face, Steven Nasatir says he’s done ‘being nice’ to Israeli dignitaries who ignore Diaspora Jewry’s needs By Raphael Ahren Any Israeli lawmaker who supports controversial Israeli legislation putting conversion matters exclusively in the hands of the Chief Rabbinate should consider him or herself persona non grata in

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Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

Torahs survive flood and fire

  By Beth Sarafraz The Jewish Press BROOKLYN, New York — In 2012, during Hurricane Sandy, the sifrei Torah of Congregation Kneses Israel of Sea Gate were saved from flooding water by the shul’s rav. The shul, however, was destroyed. Rabbi Chaim Brikman and his congregants rebuilt the upper floors of the beautiful synagogue, so this year’s Pesach sedarim were joyously

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Jewish Religion, USA

Israel’s diverse population yields many factions

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There are attractions in the Jewish State, but also problems. Given its location and population, no surprise that they are the problems of living with Jews, and Arabs. They aren’t the same problems, and it isn’t obvious which are the most serious, or threatening. Arab citizens are some 20 percent of

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Ira Sharkansky, Jewish Religion, Middle East

Powerful musical recounts Atlanta lynching of falsely accused Jewish man

A century after the murder of Leo Frank, ‘Parade’ — now staged in Chicago — is still a devastatingly relevant piece of drama By Ronit Bezalel Patrick Andrews and Brianna Borger in ‘Parade.’ (Michael Brosilow) CHICAGO — Chicagoland theater goers have a must-see play in their midst. Even a century after the events that inspired

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Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Jews were both insiders and outsiders in San Diego

Editor’s Note: The following is excerpted from Don Harrison’s presentation on June 22 at the San Diego History Center about the status of pioneer Jews in San Diego County.  Other speakers included Joellyn Zollman, curator of the exhibit at the Center on the Jews of San Diego; Mary Ellen Stratthaus and Phil Shapiro, who both

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County

Harrison is new editor of Western States Jewish History

LOS ANGELES (Press Release) — The Western States Jewish History Association has announced that Donald H. Harrison, editor and publisher of San Diego Jewish World, will also assume the position of editor of the quarterly journal Western States Jewish History, starting with Volume 50, Issue #1 – Fall 2017 Harrison has been a contributor to

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, USA

Austrian top court mulls whether Hitler house seizure was legal

Vienna (dpa) – Austria’s decision to seize Adolf Hitler’s birth house from its owner is at the centre of a Constitutional Court case that pits the right to private ownership against Austria’s historical duty to prevent neo-Nazi activities. On Thursday, the court in Vienna started hearing a complaint against the expropriation that was filed by

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International, Jewish History

Thessaloniki’s new Holocaust museum a sign of a city finally embracing its Jewish past

Once called the Flower of the Balkans, 74 years after the Nazis destroyed the great Sephardic community, the Greek city to begin construction of a fitting memorial By Gavin Rabinowitz When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the children of a Greek Jewish Holocaust survivor unveiled a plaque Thursday for the planned Thessaloniki Holocaust Memorial Museum,

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International, Jewish History

A Czech town renowned for its history of anti-Semitism would like to forget its Jewish past

Plans to rehabilitate a pre-war Jewish cemetery in the Czech town of Prostejov have run into fierce local opposition. The foundation behind the plan says it has been torpedoed by deliberate misinformation and anti-Semitism. Tomas Jelinek stands over a broken headstone and scrapes at patches of cement obscuring the name. Sweating heavily in spite of

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International, Jewish History

Scion of chief rabbinical family breaks ranks over intermarriage

Amichai Lau-Lavie to leave Conservative rabbinic group; seeks new definition for non-Jewish partners. By Gary Rosenblatt If you had to describe Amichai Lau-Lavie’s rationale for breaking ranks with the Conservative movement, as he is about to do, on its prohibition against rabbis performing intermarriages, it might be this: Love trumps tribe. A popular and dynamic

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Jewish Religion, USA

Settler rabbi who praised attacks on Arabs indicted for incitement

Charges cite a 2013 article in which Yosef Elitzur said so-called ‘price tag’ assailants are those ‘who take responsibility for the security of Jews’ By Jacob Magid Rabbi Yosef Elizur (c) speaks with his lawyer in the Rishon Lezion court. August 2010 (Roni Schutzer/Flash90) A settler rabbi who praised and encouraged attacks against Palestinians in

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Jewish Religion, Middle East