Travel and Food

NEW YORK (Press Release)—Efforts to haul foreign officials before American courts in civil actions should be rejected, the AJCongress Friday told the Supreme Court in Samantar v. Yousef, a case in which Somalian citizens seek to sue in Virginia for alleged violations of international law which took place in Somalia. The agency said enforcement of international […]

TEHRAN (WJC)–Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has warned Switzerland of unspecified “consequences” if the ban on the construction of new minarets, approved last week by 57 percent of Swiss voters, is enforced. The vote went “against the prestige of a country which claims to be an advocate of democracy and human rights,” Mottaki told his

BIELEFELD, Germany (WJC)—Anti-Semitism and homophobia are on the rise in Europe, according to the annual study conducted by the University of Bielefeld’s Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence. For the first time, the study included attitudes in other European countries. According to the findings fear of Islam and hatred of Muslims has dropped

By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO–There is a first and last time for everything.  The first time an infant raises its head to look around at the world.  The last time Moses addressed the Hebrew tribes and then stood on a mountain and watched them walk off into history.  That, for me, is the most poignant

AACHEN, Germany(WJC)–Defense attorneys in the Nazi war crimes trial against Heinrich Boere, 88, in Germany have filed a motion to dismiss the case against him arguing the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty invalidated the case against him. Attorney Gordon Christiansen said treaty, which came into force on 1 December, meant nobody could be prosecuted a second

BUENOS AIRES (wjc)–Alberto Nisman, the Argentinean prosecutor investigating the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires warned of Iran’s growing terror network in Latin America. “The Iranians are moving fast. We see a much greater penetration than we did in 1994,” Nisman told a conference of the American Foundation for Defense of

MUNICH (WJC)– The trial of suspected Nazi death camp guard Ivan Demjanjuk has been suspended until 21 December because the defendant is too sick to come to court, according to doctors. The 89-year-old Ukrainian is charged of being an accessory to the murder of 27,900 Jews at the Sobibor death camp. Judge Ralph Alt said

WASHINGTON, DC  (Press Release)- Marc R. Stanley, Chairman of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), released the following statement: The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) is proud to congratulate our good friend and an outstanding Jewish Democrat, Governor Jack Markell (D-DE), on being named Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA). Markell has worked closely

NEW YORK (Press Release)—EL AL Israel Airlines held a press conference Wednesday to announce a net profit of $12.3 million in the 3rd quarter (July thru September) despite the ongoing financial crisis, increased competition, reduced revenue generated from ticket sales in all classes of service, tremendous losses in the international aviation industry, as well as

By David Amos SAN DIEGO—One of the big challenges in the artistic administration of an orchestra, opera company, or chamber music series is making the right choices of what music to present. Many factors come into play. With less classical music education in our schools and less exposure at home, we have the obvious recipe

By Rabbi Philip Graubart LA JOLLA, California –Last month I saw the Coen Brothers new movie A Serious Man. I was curious because I’d heard both Coens’ claim that the movie was their take on the biblical story of Job – and I, I must admit, am a Job fanatic – a follower of all

LOS ANGELES  (Press Release)–Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner on Wednesday announced at the Museum of Tolerance that insurance companies licensed to do business in California have admitted to holding $12 billion in investments in companies that do business with the Iranian energy, nuclear, banking and defense industries. “I launched this effort six months ago to ensure

GENEVA (WJC)–Political leaders around the world, especially in Muslim countries, have condemned the decision by Swiss voters to ban the construction of minarets. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said the ban was “deeply divisive” and “clearly discriminatory”, and it was at odds with Switzerland’s international legal obligations. Sweden’s Foreign Minister Carl Bildt,

BAGHDAD (Press Release)— Iraqi police on Tuesday arrested 11 suspected members of the al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist group  during two joint security operations in northern Iraq. Near As Sadiyah, northeast of Baghdad, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched several buildings for an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq member believed to have ties to senior leadership. Based