By Tzvi Zucker JERUSALEM (Tazpit) — In 2014, cruise ship traffic to Israel decreased by almost two-thirds in comparison with the year before. A cruise ship that docked in Ashdod during Operation Protective Edge was hit by shrapnel from a rocket. The AIDA Diva, a cruise ship with a capacity of 2,050 passengers and run […]
Fewer cruise ships calling in Israel Read More »
Middle East, Travel and FoodBy Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO– A man once came to Rabbi Shmuel Rozovsky (1913-1979), the rosh yeshiva (dean) of Ponovezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, regarding a boy in the yeshiva who had been proposed as a match for his daughter. He asked the rosh yeshiva how many hours a day the boy learned; was he
Questions the father of the bride- to- be should ask Read More »
Jewish ReligionISTANBUL, Turkey (WJC)– A provincial governor of Turkey whose anger at Israel led him to call for turning a synagogue into a museum, has apologized to the country’s chief rabbi – though he claimed he was misunderstood. Dursun Şahin, governor of the northwestern Edirne province, offered an “apology” that expressed “profound sadness” that his words
Turkish governor apologizes to chief rabbi Read More »
Jewish History, Middle EastBy Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — Eddie Shapiro grew up in Manhattan where his parents took him to Broadway musicals from the time he was five years old. While other boys were memorizing sports scores, he went to the library to devour playbills, learning the names of the writers, directors, producers and star performers
Women of theater subject of fun evening Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Overlapping events in Jerusalem and Ferguson, Missouri make it timely to consider one of the most sensitive of policy issues in both Israel and the United States, with emerging similarities in European countries that are no longer homogeneous ethnically. Even the label “managing minorities” will be viewed by some as disparaging, arrogant,
How Israel, U.S. ‘manage’ minority problems Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA
By Cynthia Citron SANTA MONICA–If you wanted to write a play to honor your father, it might be a bit inappropriate to portray him as a scoundrel. But that’s what Henry Jaglom has done in his new play Train to Zakopane, now having its World Premiere at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in
Seducing a hater on ‘Train to Zakopane’ Read More »
Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — Thanksgiving is a day when Americans of all faiths sit at one spiritual table with many of the same trimmings and family customs. Thanksgiving liberates us from specific theological claims and allows us to contemplate the common creed of gratitude. It’s the only pure festival and nobody is fighting
Giving thanks for Thanksgiv’g Read More »
Jewish Religion, USA
JERUSALEM (Press Release) — Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) leaders and supporters from the San Diego area joined the FIDF National Leadership Mission to Israel earlier this month to show their appreciation for the brave men and women of the IDF. VIP events included meetings with Israel’s newly elected President, Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin, and
San Diego unit joins FIDF tour of Israel Read More »
Travel and FoodBy David Amos SAN DIEGO –Some of my readers may have heard me in a lecture or two about the Israel Philharmonic. This unique orchestra is not only an outstanding ensemble, but it has a history of humor and humorous incidents that few other organizations can rival. I read a book recently. It is titled
Pranks of Israel’s premier orchestra Read More »
Travel and Food
By Janice Steinberg LOS ANGELES — Along with the breakthroughs coming out of the Israeli tech industry, there’s another arena in which Israelis are breaking remarkable ground: contemporary dance. At last year’s International Exposure Dance Festival in Tel Aviv, I saw work from some 40 companies, from the still-vibrant grandmothers of modern dance in Israel—Batsheva
‘House’ and the Israeli Condition Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Michael Ordman HAIFA, Israel — When the regular news is full of distressing events, such as the recent terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, I try to focus my weekly positive news feature on the many life-affirming stories from Israel that barely get any attention in the international media. Israeli scientists at Tel Aviv University stumbled
Positively Israel ~ November 26, 2014 Read More »
Michael Ordman, Middle EastIsrael demands NATO response to new Hamas headquarters in Turkey (JNS.org) Israel has demanded that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) take action against one of its members, Turkey, after learning that the country allowed the Gaza-based Palestinian terror group Hamas to set up operational headquarters in Istanbul. Senior political sources in Jerusalem said Hamas
JNS news briefs: November 26, 2014 Read More »
International, Middle EastNEW YORK (Press Release)– A record crowd of over 1,100 people attended the Zionist Organization of America’s (ZOA) 116th Louis B. Brandeis Award National Dinner on Sunday, November 23 at the New York City’s elegant Grand Hyatt Hotel. Major ZOA donors provided tables for 261 student activists from various universities around the country. Rising Republican star and
Zionism unites Dershowitz, Cruz Read More »
Middle East, USAJERUSALEM (Press Release)–The Hadassah Medical Organization Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Erez Meltzer, 59, as Chairperson of the Board. He was selected from among top-tier candidates presented by Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, to the Government of Israel representatives and was approved by the Ministries of Health and Finance. Meltzer
Erez Meltzer to chair Hadassah Medical’s board Read More »
Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education