(JTA) — An appeals court ruling that a man who killed a Jewish woman in her home while shouting Quranic verses is unfit to stand trial is prompting outraged reactions from French Jews who fear it sets a dangerous precedent that will undermine the fight against anti-Semitism. Kobili Troare admitted… Read more »
Yearly Archives 2019
New York City to launch 3 initiatives to combat anti-Semitism
NEW YORK (JTA) — New York City will launch three initiatives aimed at combating anti-Semitic hate crimes. Mayor Bill de Blasio made the announcement at a dramatic news conference Sunday afternoon at the central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library following weeks of anti-Semitic assaults and vandalism that have… Read more »
Suspect in Monsey Hanukkah attack had journals with references to Hitler
NEW YORK (JTA) — Prosecutors filed federal hate crimes charges Monday against the man who allegedly attacked several individuals with a machete during a Hanukkah celebration at a Hasidic rabbi’s home in Monsey. “Officials said they had recovered handwritten journals expressing anti-Semitic views, including references to Adolf Hitler and… Read more »
Volunteer group Guardian Angels will patrol Brooklyn Jewish neighborhoods after spate of anti-Semitic attacks
(JTA) — The Guardian Angels said it would start patrolling in Brooklyn after an increase in anti-Semitic attacks in the area. The group’s founder, Curtis Sliwa, told NBC News that the patrols would start on Sunday, first at noon in Crown Heights and later in the day also in… Read more »
Graffiti featuring Star of David and ‘9 11’ painted on buildings in North London
(JTA) — Graffiti featuring a Star of David and “9 11” was painted on buildings on several streets in North London. The graffiti, discovered on a synagogue and store windows in Hampstead and Belsize Park on Sunday morning, seems to refer to a conspiracy theory that Jewish people were… Read more »
After a machete stabbing on Hanukkah, Monsey’s Orthodox Jews are defiant but searching for answers
MONSEY, N.Y. (JTA) — When a man wielding a machete burst into a Hanukkah party at a rabbi’s house in this New York City suburb, Joseph Gluck sprang into action. Seeing the attacker, Gluck, the administrator of the Orthodox synagogue next door, helped evacuate party guests from the house.… Read more »
Geert Wilders calls for kicking out ICC prosecutor over Israel ‘bias’
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — The leader of the second-largest party in the Netherlands called for expelling from the country an International Criminal Court prosecutor for attempting to try Israelis for war crimes. Geert Wilders called Thursday for the expulsion of Fatou Bensouda over her Dec. 20 report alleging that both… Read more »
The Jews who defined the 2010s
(JTA) — The 2010s were nothing if not turbulent. The decade brought us unprecedented political polarization, war and increasing conflict in Israel, dozens of horrific mass shootings, and a new age of election hacking and private data collection enabled by the proliferation of social media. It was capped by… Read more »
Ezra Koenig explains the Jewish history behind the Vampire Weekend song ‘Harmony Hall’
(JTA) — Vampire Weekend’s singer and songwriter Ezra Koenig has teased in previous interviews that his latest album, the Grammy-nominated “Father of the Bride,” contains some Jewish content. The band has also put out music videos recently that involve Jewish delis and a Passover seder. But now Koenig has… Read more »
The top 10 Jewish stories of 2019
(JTA) — For many Jews around the world, there’s probably no love lost for 2019. As the year draws to a close, the Jewish community continues to grapple with the continued rise of global anti-Semitism — one major community in Europe is facing the possible election as prime minister… Read more »
A man entered the Chabad world headquarters and threatened to it shoot up
This is a developing story. NEW YORK (JTA) — A man wearing a hoodie entered the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters located at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn on Friday morning and threatened to shoot up the place, according to ABC 7. After approaching a congregant, the man reportedly left… Read more »
Vying for seats at World Zionist Congress, liberal newcomers like Peter Beinart hope to block Israeli settlements funding
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The list includes names like Peter Beinart, the liberal writer; Jeremy Ben-Ami, the president of the liberal Middle East policy group J Street; and Sheila Katz, the CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women. No, it’s not an ad for a symposium on the Upper East… Read more »
Netanyahu easily wins Likud party primary to remain prime minister candidate
(JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won his party’s leadership primary with 71.5 percent of the vote, according to an exit poll. A tweet by Direct Polls, an Israeli firm, showed challenger Gideon Saar with 28.5 percent.The poll had a margin of error of 3.2 percent, and… Read more »
Flood damages Beirut’s only Jewish cemetery
(JTA) — Four graves were destroyed and others covered by rubble as a flood swept through Beirut’s only Jewish cemetery. The flood in the Lebanese capital on Thursday destroyed a retaining wall in the city’s only Jewish cemetery, whose graves date back to the 1820s, according to Agence France-Presse.… Read more »
Chickpeas are set for world domination in 2020
This article originally appeared on The Nosher. The 2010s saw chickpeas rise to fame in the manner that God always intended. The king of chickpea dishes, hummus, turned from a hippy health food to a fridge staple. This was great in terms of accessibility, but not so great for… Read more »
In Amsterdam, the world’s priciest menorah gets a new life
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — For the Amsterdam Jewish Historical Museum, Hanukkah this year entailed the stressful chore of assembling the world’s most expensive menorah. Last week, the Rintel Menorah, a 266-year-old menorah valued at over a half-million dollars, was put back on display at Amsterdam’s Jewish Historical Museum following the… Read more »
Was ‘The Man in the High Castle’ good for the Jews?
This article originally appeared on Alma. Significant spoilers for all four seasons of “The Man in the High Castle” contained below. When I started watching “The Man in the High Castle,” the idea of a show set in an alternate universe where the allies were defeated in WWII and the… Read more »
Three assaults against Jews reported in New York in just over 24 hours
(JTA) — A Jewish man wearing a yarmulke was physically and verbally assaulted in Manhattan in one of three assaults against Jews in New York just over a 24-hour period. A Miami man was arrested and charged with assault as a hate crime for the attack late Monday morning… Read more »
Columbia University accused of anti-Semitic discrimination in first case related to Trump executive order
(JTA) — A federal complaint has been filed against Columbia University accusing the school of anti-Semitic discrimination. It is the first case filed since President Donald Trump’s executive order on combating anti-Semitism, which grants Jewish students the same protections as other minority groups. The complaint requests a formal investigation… Read more »
Holocaust survivor dies from injuries after being dropped in transit to White House Hanukkah party
(JTA) — Rosalee Glass, a Holocaust survivor recognized by President Donald Trump during the White House Hanukkah party, has died following injuries sustained during travel to Washington, D.C. Glass died in Los Angeles on Dec. 14 of a blood clot to her heart. She was three weeks shy of… Read more »