WASHINGTON (JTA) — Jon Ossoff, a Jewish investigative documentarian who lost a close 2017 race for the U.S. House of Representatives, is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia. Georgia is seen as a possible pickup for Senate Democrats in 2020 as they seek control of the body.… Read more »
National
He met Bob Dylan at a Jewish camp, and they stayed good friends for 50 years
(JTA) — Jewish summer camp is such a crucial part of the American Jewish experience that many Jewish adults, even in their older age, likely remember the names of many of the kids in their cabins from when they were 11 years old. One of those cabins more than… Read more »
In the era of ‘gotcha journalism,’ sometimes charges of anti-Semitism are just another weapon
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Late last month, a reporter for Bloomberg Law called the U.S. Department of Labor for comment about a recently hired staffer who had riffed on Facebook about excessive Jewish influence, including the observation that the Jewish media “protects its own.” Within hours, Leif Olson had resigned.… Read more »
Rabbi suffering from ALS makes cross-country trip for son’s bar mitzvah
(JTA) — A Southern California father of seven suffering from ALS made the cross-country trip to be at his son’s bar mitzvah with family and friends in his hometown of Brooklyn. Rabbi Yitzi Hurwitz, 47, of West Hollywood, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s… Read more »
What does John Bolton’s departure mean for Israel?
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Benjamin Netanyahu had quite a Tuesday. One week before Israelis go to the polls in their country’s second election this year, the Israeli prime minister went on live television with a promise that if re-elected, he is prepared to annex sensitive areas of the West Bank… Read more »
Trump fires John Bolton, national security adviser close to Israel
WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Donald Trump fired John Bolton, his national security adviser and one of the administration officials seen as closest to the views of Israel’s government. “I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House,” Trump said Tuesday on… Read more »
In Orthodox Jewish Brooklyn, a spate of assaults feels all too familiar
NEW YORK (JTA) — As he talks about the recent string of attacks on Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn, Yosef Rapaport points to a small scar above his right eye. It’s the remnant of an anti-Semitic attack he experienced 50 years ago as a teenager in Montreal. “For those of… Read more »
Sackler family in talks to give up ownership of Purdue Pharma under proposed opioid settlement
(JTA) — The Sackler family would give up ownership of Purdue Pharma and pay $3 billion of its own money to settle thousands of state and federal lawsuits over its role in fueling the nation’s opioid epidemic. The settlement, according to a tentative negotiated agreement described to NBC and… Read more »
Jewish socialist philosopher who met with Hamas is running for president
(JTA) — A Jewish socialist philosopher who met with the leader of Hamas is running for president. On Wednesday, Jerome Segal announced that he would run as the nominee of the Bread and Roses Party he founded last year. The party supports wealth redistribution, as well as guaranteed employment… Read more »
Orthodox Jewish doctor loses challenge to New Jersey ‘assisted-suicide’ law
(JTA) — A New Jersey law that permits doctors to prescribe life-ending medications went into effect after an Orthodox Jewish doctor lost in his bid to challenge the measure. The Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act was to take effect Aug. 1, but a state Superior… Read more »
Back from the brink, Hadassah banks on bipartisanship in attracting new members
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A decade after the Bernie Madoff debacle — one so serious that Hadassah officials refuse to even utter the Ponzi schemer’s name — the women’s Zionist organization is back. The finances are robust — 2017 tax returns show $108 million in assets — and a staff… Read more »
As U.S.-Iran tensions escalate, Jews are warned they could be targeted
WASHINGTON (JTA) – In 1992, Israel killed Abbas al-Musawi, a founder of the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon, in a dramatic helicopter attack. Iran, Hezbollah’s primary funder, threatened to retaliate – talk that was somewhat expected for a country that routinely calls for the destruction of Israel. But two… Read more »
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is doing well after treatment for tumor on her pancreas
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg completed a three-week treatment course for a tumor found on her pancreas, the Supreme Court said Friday. “The focused radiation treatment began on August 5 and was administered on an outpatient basis to treat a tumor on her pancreas.” the… Read more »
Nadler criticizes Tlaib and Omar for sharing controversial cartoon
NEW YORK (JTA) — Rep. Jerry Nadler criticized fellow Democrats Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib for sharing a cartoon that shows President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu covering their mouths. Omar, D-Minn., and Tlaib, D-Mich., were criticized for sharing it last week because the cartoonist Carlos… Read more »
Trump doubles down on ‘disloyalty’ comments, saying that all Democratic voters — not just Jews — are against Israel
(JTA) — President Donald Trump clarified who voters — Jewish or otherwise — are being disloyal to when they vote for Democrats. “If you vote for a Democrat, you’re being disloyal to Jewish people, and you’re being very disloyal to Israel,” Trump said Wednesday as he left the White… Read more »
Police arrest suspect in shooting of elderly man outside Miami synagogue
(JTA) — Police have arrested a suspect in the shooting of an elderly man outside a synagogue in Miami, Florida. Miami-Dade Police took Carlints St. Louis, 30, into custody a day after he filled out a report with a nearby police department claiming that a firearm had been stolen… Read more »
Tucsonans join Tisha b’Av vigils protesting migrant deaths
More than 50 Jewish demonstrations were held across the country last weekend in opposition to U.S. immigration policy and to mark Tisha b’Av, the traditional Jewish day of mourning. The call to action came from T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights and other organizations, including the refugee aid… Read more »
As a Mexican-Jewish lawmaker, I feel doubly targeted by hateful rhetoric
I am proud to be Jewish, Latina and bilingual. I have the honor of representing the state House of Representatives district where I was born and raised in Arizona. My home in Tucson is less than one hour away from the U.S.-Mexico border. Tucson and El Paso in many… Read more »
21 Israeli lawmakers say 2-state solution is ‘far more dangerous to Israel’ than boycott movement
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Twenty-one right-wing Israeli lawmakers rebuffed a House bill that endorsed a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while rejecting efforts to boycott the Jewish state. In a letter addressed to U.S. Reps. Brad Schneider, Lee Zeldin, Jerry Nadler and Ann Wagner, the co-sponsors of the bill… Read more »
The relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Jewish philanthropist Leslie Wexner, explained
(JTA) — One of the most befuddling questions surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein saga is why Leslie Wexner, a billionaire entrepreneur, entrusted all of his money to Epstein, a secretive financier with no college degree. For those immersed in the Jewish world, there’s an added question: How did Wexner —… Read more »