Jewish News

U.S. Jews Laud Supreme Court Ruling in Favor of Gay Marriage Movement

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday handed a significant victory to gay rights advocates by recognizing that married gay men and women are eligible for federal benefits, paving the way for same-sex marriage in California.The court, however, fell short of a landmark ruling endorsing a fundamental right for gay people to marry.The American Jewish Committee welcomed the landmark decision, saying ...

AllJewishLinks.com Newsletter Issue # 83 – July 4, 2013

A Dutch court on ordered one Anne Frank charity to give the Frank family archive back to another charity in Switzerland, following an uncomfortable public dispute over the Jewish teenager’s legacy.The Amsterdam District Court ruled the Anne Frank Foundation in Amsterdam must give the archive back to the Anne Frank Fund in Basel, Switzerland.Major American Jewish organizations roundly praised the US Supreme ...

This Day in Jewish History / First Group of Jewish Immigrants Docks in Texas

On July 1, 1907, the S.S. Cassel, a German steamship, docked in Galveston, Texas, bringing the first group of Jewish immigrants to the United States as part of the so-called Galveston Plan. The concept behind the plan, which functioned until 1914, was to ferry Eastern European Jews fleeing the pogroms of czarist Russia to someplace other than New York, from ...

ADL Raps Media Company, Calls for Apology After ‘Shylock’ Crossword Clue

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Friday called on the editors of Tribune Media Services to apologize for a clue in a crossword puzzle that used the clue “Shylock, e.g.” to elicit a three-letter response, with the correct answer being “Jew.”The clue appeared on Friday in several newspapers across the United States. “Shylock” is a reference to the Jewish moneylender character ...

Women-Only Paramedic Course in J’lem

A new initiative in Israel’s ultra-Orthodox sector sees haredi women in Jerusalem learning first aid in order to cater to the needs of women giving birth who feel uncomfortable being treated by male paramedics for modesty reasons.A meeting attended by several women from the sector recently concluded with a decision to open a unique course for 50 women, who would ...

B’nai Brith Distances Itself from Shalit Criticism

B’nai Brith International has distanced itself from a newspaper article which was critical of former captive soldier Gilad Shalit.The article in question appeared in the Jewish Tribune newspaper which is associated with B’nai Brith Canada. It suggested that many in the Canadian Jewish community were questioning JNF Canada’s decision to invite Shalit to Canada as a guest speaker, fearing that this may ...

The Metaphysical Ecosystem – A Timely Lesson About Our Fragile World

The late Peter Marshall was an eloquent speaker and for several years served as the chaplain of the US Senate. He used to love to tell the story of the “Keeper of the Spring,” a quiet forest dweller who lived high above an Austrian village along the eastern slope of the Alps.The old gentleman had been hired many years earlier ...

U.S. Senate Passes Immigration Bill with Provisions for Jewish Camp Counselors, Religious Refugees

The immigration overhaul passed in the U.S Senate includes provisions that protect a visa program used by Jewish summer camps and that makes permanent a law that facilitates immigration for victims of religious persecution.The bipartisan bill passed Thursday by the Senate, 68-32, creates a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented workers living in the United States.A broad ...

Jewish Groups Praise US Gay Marriage Ruling

Major American Jewish organizations roundly praised the US Supreme Court on Wednesday for striking down the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional and for demanding that federal benefits be extended to gay couples in states where their marriages are recognized.The top court also overturned California’s Proposition 8 – which took away the previously granted right of gays to marry in the state ...

Rabbi Yosef’s Critics Under ‘SMS Attack’

Last week, after Yosef Rabbi David Stav, the national-religious Ashkenazi chief rabbi candidate, the activists launched an attack against anyone who dared criticize their leader.The first person affected by the young Shasniks’ activity was ultra-Orthodox journalist Mendy Gruzman, who slammed Rabbi Yosef’s style on Facebook: “The truth should be told: We are talking about Jewish scholar, but with bad language fitting ...

College Brings 1978 Anti-Semitic Indent Back to Light

The Anti-Defamation League commended Babson College for bringing an anti-Semitic incident during a 1978 Soccer match against Brandeis University back into the light as an opportunity for the broader community to learn.Under President Leonard A. Schlesinger, Babson has recently taken a leadership role in tackling issues of diversity on campus, and as part of that effort the college has asked ...

Shul Destroyed by Fire, Being Rebuilt

Get close enough to the building that used to house the Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont and you’ll get a whiff of its burnt-out interior, empty since an Oct. 14 fire ravaged the building.Things are finally looking up for the beleaguered temple, however. On Sunday, about 150 supporters and dignitaries turned out for the ground-breaking for what will be a much-improved synagogue ...