Jewish News

U.S. University Professor to Head Holocaust Archive in Germany

A U.S. university professor has been appointed director of the International Tracing Service’s Holocaust-era archive in the German town of Bad Arolsen.The ITS said Wednesday its 11-member international commission had voted to name Rebecca Boehling, a professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, to head the archive starting Jan. 1, 2013.Boehling is an expert on the Holocaust, World War ...

U.S. Senator McCain tells Netanyahu he supports release of Jonathan Pollard

Republican Senator John McCain called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to inform him that he intends on releasing a public statement in support of the release of convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that until now, McCain was one of the most ardent opponents in the U.S. senate of Pollard’s release, but now ...

U.S. Senate Confirms Jack Lew, an Orthodox Jew, as Treasury Secretary

The United States’ Senate on Wednesday confirmed Jacob Lew to be Treasury secretary, affirming President Barack Obama’s choice of a budget expert at a time when Congress and the White House are at odds over sharp government spending cuts.The vote was 71 to 26 to support the nomination. A total of 25 Republicans and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont voted ...

U.S. rabbi gets rare permission to visit Yitzhak Hall at Tomb of Patriarchs

There was an uncommon sight Saturday night at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron, when the religious site’s Yitzhak Hall, which is usually only open to Muslim worshippers, was also opened to Jews.Jewish worshippers have seldom been allowed in the hall since 1994, when Jewish terrorist Baruch Goldstein shot dead 29 Muslims at prayer ...

U.S. Orthodox rabbis avoid ruling on organ donations from brain dead patients

Under strong fire, the country’s major Modern Orthodox rabbinic body is seeking to clarify its position on a study by its own authorities that is seen as casting doubt on the permissibility of vital organ donation by Jews who are brain dead, yet upholding the right of Jews to receive such organs.In a statement released January 6, the Rabbinical Council ...

U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Aly Raisman to Compete in Maccabiah

Cue “Hava Nagila,” Aly Raisman is coming to Israel.The Jewish-American gymnast, who performed her gold-medal winning floor exercise routine to the tune of that traditional folk song at the 2012 London Olympics, will compete in the 19th Maccabiah Games this July, organizers announced Monday at a news conference at the Maccabiah Village in Ramat Gan.Raisman’s triumph in the floor exercise ...

U.S. Judge Rejects Request to Exclude Jews from Jury

A federal court judge rejected a Jewish attorney’s request to exclude Jews from a jury involving a client facing charges of lying about joining the Taliban.Judge Eric Vitaliano of U.S. District Court in Brooklyn ruled Monday that it would be unconstitutional to bar a prospective juror because of religion, the New York Post reported.“If any juror – regardless of race, ...

U.S. judge dismisses defamation lawsuit by former AIPAC official

A Washington D.C. Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit against AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, on Wednesday, for allegedly defaming its former foreign policy boss when they publicly attributed their firing of him to what they described as his sub-standard performance.Judge Erik Christian determined that the comments about Steve Rosen made by an AIPAC spokesperson and published in ...

U.S. Jews warn Israel not to get too cozy with Glenn Beck

The warm welcome extreme right-wing media personality Glenn Beck has receiving in Israel has led to criticism of the American pundit by Jewish leaders in New York.Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, told Haaretz he believed that Beck was very extreme and controversial even among right-wing groups in the United States. Yoffie pointed to the Fox ...

U.S. Jewish leaders: Republican candidate Rick Perry’s Bernanke outburst not anti-Semitic

American Jewish leaders are expressing concern over declarations by Republican presidential candidates that emphasize the candidates’ Christian faith and their devotion to religious values. Jewish leaders firmly reject suggestions, however, that an attack by candidate Rick Perry, the Texas governor, on Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke during a campaign speech in Iowa earlier this week was anti-Semitic in nature. Bernanke ...

U.S. Jewish Institutions Remain Closed in Sandy’s Wake

Jewish institutions throughout the eastern United States remained closed following the onslaught of superstorm Sandy.Sandy, which was downgraded from a hurricane late Monday night, made landfall near Atlantic City Monday, with hurricane-force winds of up to 85 mph and heavy rains.At least 15 people in the United States and 68 outside of the U.S. have been killed so far in ...

U.S. Jewish groups congratulate Egyptians on ousting Mubarak

American Jewish groups across the board congratulated Friday the Egyptian people on ousting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and expressed hope that the country maintained peace with Israel.The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a statement in response saying that “We join with the Egyptian people and the international community in hoping this new era will unfold peacefully and smoothly.”Robert G. Sugarman, ADL ...