NEW YORK (Press Release) — New York City mayors have a world stage on which to strut, and they have made legendary use of it. Yet few have matched the bravado, combativeness and egocentricity that Ed Koch brought to the office during his three terms from 1978 to 1989. As Neil Barsky’s Koch recounts, Koch
Documentary on Ed Koch airs Sept. 22 Read More »
Travel and FoodBERLIN (WJC) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday she would do everything she could to combat anti-Semitism in Germany, amid reports of attacks and a spike in anti-Israel sentiment since the Gaza conflict. In her weekly podcast, Merkel said she was alarmed that Jewish institutions in Germany still needed police protection and called
Merkel vows fight against anti- Semitism Read More »
International, Middle East
JERUSALEM (WJC)–Veteran Israeli statesman Dan Meridor has been appointed as the new president of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations (ICFR), a foreign affairs think-tank which operates under the auspices of the World Jewish Congress (WJC). Meridor will succeed former Israeli ambassador Avi Primor. Meridor was born in Jerusalem in 1947. He served in successive
Dan Meridor to head ICFR Read More »
Middle EastEgypt reportedly offers Abbas a Palestinian state in the Sinai (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi reportedly offered Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas a Palestinian state in Sinai. Egypt had been working on the proposal for several weeks and presented it to Abbas in Cairo over the weekend, Army Radio reported Monday.
By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The most dangerous challenge. Is it Daish or Vladimir Putin? For the time being, Israelis are observers of those quarreling whether–or how–to deal with Daish or Putin. With respect to Putin, The reserve of some stems from Ukrainians’ bad name in Jewish history. For others, it results from Ukrainians’ dismal
Daish or Putin–which is more dangerous? Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Fred Reiss, Ed.D WINCHESTER, California — Many people believe that the Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar because the months are determined by the motion of the moon, resulting in a year of twelve full-lunar cycles, or a little less than 354½ days. However, if the Jewish calendar were a lunar calendar, then each
You think your personal calendar is complex? Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & EducationBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — It is now almost exactly fifty years since I came to Israel to live. So I suppose you could say that I came on aliyah in September 1964, though I did not get my official status as a new immigrant until June 1967, but that’s another story. When people
Fifty years of living in Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Anav Silverman JERUSALEM (TNA) — Israel is joining international efforts to prevent the spread of Ebola in Africa, which has been one of the largest Ebola outbreaks in history and is currently affecting the five West African nations of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Senegal. The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Israel’s Agency
Israel joins global Ebola fight Read More »
International, Middle EastTo Dance by Valery Panov, Principal Dancer, Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet Company, Leningrad/St. Petersburg, Russia By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — When the Soviet Union finally approved Valery Panov’s application to emigrate to Israel, his wife, Galina, was hemorrhaging from a miscarriage. He lifted her into his arms and carried her through the airport and onto the
Jewish Russian ballet dancer tells his story Read More »
Travel and Food
By Adina Bar-El, Ph.D NIR YISRAEL, Israel — Finally the quiet has returned to our area of Israel. We hope that it will continue a long time. On September 1st– after the “enjoyment” of the children and their families during the war– all the children returned to their educational institutions: the young children to
Getting back to normal after Protective Edge Read More »
Middle EastBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –Cultivating moderate Muslim voices is a mighty challenge—especially given the paucity of moderate Muslims in Western societies. John Kerry recently spoke a dinner honoring Shaarik Zafar’s inclusion into the Department of Homeland Security as a senior adviser. Here are some of the salient points that Kerry made
‘Moderate Islam’: Impotent, irrelevant? Read More »
International, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — A management consultant, like a doctor, will diagnose the problem (illness), offer solutions (remedy), discuss the possible consequences of each alternative (the side effects), help to implement the decision (treatment), and observe closely to see that the suggestions are followed correctly to avoid unintended consequences (follow-up visits).
When a business should call in a consultant Read More »
Natasha JosefowitzBy Dan Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — A native of Massachusetts, Stephen Siperstein is part of a national wake-up call about climate change studies and he is set to teach a course in the winter semester at the University of Oregon (UO) on the rise of the cli fi literary genre. ”Cli-fi” (novels and movies about
‘Cli-fi’ class to be taught at University of Oregon Read More »
Science, Medicine, & Education, The World We Share
EL CAJON, California (SDONA)–Rep. Duncan Hunter, a former Marine Corps officer who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, is pushing the government to develop a unified approach and better options for rescuing Americans held captive by terrorists. In an article published Thursday, Sept. 4, and a letter last month to President Obama, the Republican who represents eastern San Diego County
Congress member urges captives unit in Pentagon Read More »
Middle East, USA