Travel and Food

NEW YORK (Press Release)–Faruq Khalil Muhammad ‘Isa, also known as “Faruk Khalil Muhammad ‘Isa,” “Sayfildin Tahir Sharif,” and “Tahir Sharif Sayfildin,” was arrested in Canada on Wednesday pursuant to a U.S. provisional arrest warrant, based on a complaint in the United States charging him with conspiring to kill Americans abroad and with providing material support to that

NEW YORK (Press Release) – Out of nearly 170 applicants, 20 Reform congregations in North America were selected to receive a URJ Incubator Grant of up to $5,000 from the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) to implement new programs to further engage current members and attract new members. The grantees include URJ-member congregations of varied

PERTH, Australia (WJC) — The trial of a man who posted a video on the internet accusing Judaism of being a “religion of racism, hate, homicide and ethnic cleansing” has begun. Brendon Lee O’Connell, 38, who is defending himself, described the proceedings at the Perth District Court as a “kangaroo court” and told Judge Henry Wisbey he

YAZD, Iran (WJC)–Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – whose regime is the main backer of the radical Shiite paramilitary group Hezbollah – has called on Israel, the United States and European nations to stop what he called meddling in Lebanon. “I tell the Zionists and the US … be ashamed of your interference in Lebanon and be

LA JOLLA, California (Press Release)– The 21st  Anniversary San Diego Jewish Film Festival, Feb. 10-20, will  once again feature the Joyce Forum, a celebration of both emerging and seasoned filmmakers on Mon., February 14, at the Clairemont Reading Cinemas 14 beginning at 3:00 p.m.  The Joyce Forum presents outstanding Jewish-themed short-subject, documentary and feature films from

BEIRUT (WJC) — Daniel Bellemare, the prosecutor of the UN Special Tribunal investigating the 2005 murder of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, has submitted a confidential indictment reportedly naming senior leaders of Hezbollah and the Iranian regime as masterminds of the assassination. Hariri – the father of the current Lebanese PM Saad Hariri whose

 JERUSALEM (Press Release)– WebYeshiva.org, an interactive online Torah studies program, has announced that the “virtual” Yeshiva will become “live” with Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Chaim Brovender, traveling to remote northern Swiecie, Poland to be with one of his online students. WebYeshiva.org will offer a day of free Torah courses on Sunday,m January 23, that will be

NEW YORK (Press Release)–The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) welcomed the vote of the board of directors of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) to permanently “retire” the Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award will be retired with Thomas’s name attached, meaning no lifetime achievement award will be given in the future, according to the

MONTREAL, Canada (WJC) — Police are investigating a series of attacks by vandals on five Jewish institutions. Windows were broken at three synagogues and at a Jewish school and a kindergarten. The attackers struck at the different sites between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Sunday morning, and the attacks are believed to be linked. “In

TOURS, France  (WJC)–Marine Le Pen has been elected as leader of the extreme-right and xenophobic National Front (FN) movement, succeeding her father Jean-Marie. In his farewell speech, Jean-Marie Le Pen, 82, made a new public anti-Semitic slur when suggesting that Jews were crying wolf, unduly claiming to be victims of anti-Semitism. He was referring to

Netanyahu – Military Option Against Iran on the Table * NEW YORK (WJC)–The US and Israel jointly developed of the Stuxnet computer worm which did great damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, the ‘New York Times’ newspaper reports.  Stuxnet selectively infects industrial control (SCADA) systems made by the German manufacturer Siemens, establishing a backdoor that creates

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–It has not been a good week for our neighbors.  A referendum in South Sudan may produce the first division of a country that defines itself as Muslim. One can expect dispute about the results. If the separatists win, defining borders will not be easy and the near future may not be