News

(JTA) — To the many colleagues and supporters of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, who died Wednesday at the age of 67, he was a man of vision whose enormous drive to succeed both facilitated and complicated his relentless efforts on behalf of the Jewish people. As head of the International Fellowship… Read more »

(JTA) — Swastikas were spray-painted on the inside and outside of a suburban Atlanta public high school. The blue swastikas were painted on the outside of the Centennial High in Roswell, Georgia, the Atlanta Jewish Times and other local publications reported. School employees discovered the vandalism when they arrived… Read more »

(JTA) — A yeshiva in upstate New York was set on fire and swastikas were spray painted on the building. The incident at the Yeshiva Deah Yoreh, located on a former farm in White Sulphur Springs, occurred on Jan. 28 but was first reported by the Rockland/Westchester Journal News… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The race for the Democratic presidential nomination is starting to look like a CNN panel — more people fit than you think possible. Up next is Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. She’s committed to bipartisanship, close to Republicans like her late Senate colleague John McCain from Arizona… Read more »

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Shalva Band, a group of musicians with various disabilities, didn’t expect to advance so far in the competition to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest in May. But they made it all the way to the finals — and won’t find out if they… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — A bipartisan slate of House members introduced a bill that would grant money to Holocaust education in schools. The Never Again Education Act would establish the Holocaust Education Assistance Program Fund in the U.S. Treasury. The bill would combine appropriated funds and private donations. A release… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Donald Trump linked his actions on Iran to the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, pivoting during his State of the Union address from his decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal to a declaration that anti-Semitism must be confronted “anywhere and everywhere it occurs.” Trump… Read more »

The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is accepting applications for scholarships to Jewish overnight summer camps for the summer of 2019. The need-based scholarship is funded by the Mo and Frances Beren Family Scholarship Fund and the Loebl Family Scholarship Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona.… Read more »

  Leonard Dinnerstein, a professor emeritus at the University of Arizona, known as one of the foremost scholars of anti-Semitism in America, died Jan. 22, 2019 at the age of 84. Mr. Dinnerstein served as a professor of history at the UA from 1970 through 2004, and as the… Read more »

(JTA) — A synagogue that was returned recently to Hungarian Jews following centuries of disuse hosted its first bar mitzvah in 332 years. The young celebrant, Yonatan Sebok, had his rite of passage event on Jan. 26 at the Buda Castle Synagogue, which reopened in September, the website Chabag.org reported Wednesday.… Read more »

(JTA) — A city in Germany has approved plans for a sausage museum to be built on the grounds of a former concentration camp. The national Bratwurst Museum would be built in an area that used to belong to the “Martha II” camp – an extension of the infamous… Read more »

(JTA) — Airbnb has been put on Florida’s list of scrutinized companies over its decision to remove listings of rooms and homes for rent in West Bank Jewish settlements. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Cabinet voted to place the company on the list following a recommendation by the… Read more »

NEW YORK (JTA) — At a conference here on Jewish life in Africa, Magda Haroun spoke of being only one of a handful of Jews left in Egypt, a country that was once home to a Jewish community of 80,000. Abere Endeshaw Kerehu shared the struggles faced by the… Read more »

(JTA) — A federal grand jury has added hate crimes charges to the indictment against the alleged gunman in the shooting attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 worshippers dead. The new indictment announced Tuesday adds a total of 19 charges, including 13 for hate crimes, to the… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Prominent Democrats are launching a pro-Israel group to counter a drift away from Israel on the party’s left. The Democratic Majority for Israel will be led by Mark Mellman, a longtime Democratic Party pollster who has been active in the pro-Israel community. “Our mission at Democratic… Read more »

This is a developing story. JERUSALEM (JTA) — Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah submitted his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas. The rest of the government also resigned on Tuesday, according to reports. Abbas will have to decide whether to accept any or all of the resignations. The resignations… Read more »

(JTA) — Black Jewish actor Jussie Smollett, best known for his work on the show “Empire,” was hospitalized in Chicago on Tuesday following an assault that is being described by police as a possible hate crime. Smollett was exiting a restaurant when two men approached him. The Chicago Police… Read more »

(New York, NY) As extreme weather is sweeping across the United States and Europe, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is urging the public to support local and global winter aid efforts aiding poor populations. JDC has provided winter aid this year to more than 9,500 poor Jews, including… Read more »

The Hava Tequila speakeasy opens Saturday, Feb. 2 for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s annual Young Leadership gala. “This year we are having live music, which I think people will be really excited about,” says co-chair Samantha Minkus. The 1920s-theme and the Jewish History Museum venue bring sophistication… Read more »

The Rabbi Samuel S. and A. Irma Cohon Memorial Foundation will present three awards at its 2018 award ceremony, which will take place at Congregation Beit Simcha’s Shabbat service on Friday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. The award recipients, who will describe their work at the ceremony, are Phyllis… Read more »