(JTA) — President Donald Trump reiterated his rejection of anti-Semitic bigotry and hate attacks in a proclamation for Jewish American Heritage Month. “Tragically, Jewish men, women, and children continue to face anti-Semitic discrimination, persecution, and violence today, and Jewish institutions and places of worship remain targets of vandalism and… Read more »
News
Israel could be prosecuted for war crimes with International Criminal Court ruling that Palestine is a state
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Palestine is a state and the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction involving its cases, the ICC prosecutor ruled Thursday, which could pave the way for a war crimes investigation against Israel. A three-judge panel of the ICC Pretrial Chamber must now affirm the decision by Fatou… Read more »
Parents of teen terror victim name their new baby girl
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The parents of Rina Shnerb, 17, Israel’s only terrorism fatality in the last year, named their new baby daughter eight months after her sister’s death. Rabbi Eitan and Shira Shnerb of Lod, in central Israel, named their newborn Tiferet, which means “glory,” on Wednesday in an… Read more »
Jewish groups’ letter condemns NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio for ‘scapegoating’ entire Jewish community
(JTA) — Dozens of Jewish organizations and Jewish leaders are unhappy with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and they let him know about it in an open letter. The letter released Wednesday accused de Blasio of “scapegoating” the Jewish community in response to a large Hasidic funeral… Read more »
Utah suspends use of surveillance technology over company founder’s involvement in 1990 synagogue shooting
(JTA) — The state of Utah has suspended the use of a service to help first responders and law enforcement after learning that the founder of the company providing the technology has a white supremacist past and was involved in a 1990 synagogue shooting. Damien Patton, CEO of Banjo,… Read more »
Legislation enabling unity government coalition in Israel moves a step closer to passage
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Legislation to enshrine into law the rotation of prime minister under the new unity government in Israel is two parliament votes away from passage. On Thursday, the Knesset’s first reading to amend the quasi-constitutional Basic Law passed in a 72-40 vote. The bill must go through… Read more »
It’s official: Most Reform Jewish camps will cancel this summer due to COVID, affecting at least 10,000 kids
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074827/4-30-20-camp-scaled-1024x768.jpg)
This is a developing story. (JTA) — Nearly all Reform Jewish summer camps, and at least one Conservative camp, will remain closed for the 2020 summer due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has learned. The landmark decision, made Thursday afternoon, will affect 15 Reform overnight… Read more »
National Museum of American Jewish History furloughs two-thirds of staff without pay
(JTA) — The financially strapped National Museum of American Jewish History has furloughed about two-thirds of its staff without pay. The Philadelphia museum, which is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, closed on March 13 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The staff had already taken pay cuts in an effort… Read more »
Israeli-American entrepreneur got tens of millions for ventilators he never delivered
WASHINGTON (JTA) — New York State paid $69 million to an Israeli-American entrepreneur for ventilators he never delivered. Last month, the state paid Yaron Oren-Pines $47,656 per ventilator for 1,450 ventilators, three times the normal asking price, BuzzFeed reported Wednesday. The state suspended its usual checks of contractors as… Read more »
Domestic violence hotline doubles its hours during stay-at-home orders
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074828/04-30-20-Domestic-Violence-Helpline-1024x633.jpg)
(JTA) – The change was clear as soon as New York City’s stay-at-home order went into effect: Calls to the domestic violence department at the city’s leading Jewish poverty nonprofit departed from their regular pattern. Women used to call during the day while at work or while their abusers… Read more »
No time for a breather: A nurse’s account of Israel’s first coronavirus death and life inside a COVID-19 ward
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074828/4-30-20-hazmat-suit.jpg)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Nearly six weeks have passed since Arie Even, an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor, died of the coronavirus. It happened at the end of Shabbat dinner on a Friday night in March at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. Even drew headlines as Israel’s first COVID-19 fatality.… Read more »
Jewish security network plans for threat contingencies when institutions reopen
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Secure Community Network, the security consultancy for U.S. Jewish organizations, has set up a task force to prepare Jewish institutions to face the threats that might come when the coronavirus pandemic recedes and doors reopen. “Individuals and groups have been identified that are seeking to exploit… Read more »
New York City police break up another Orthodox funeral as crowds gather
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074827/04-30-20-Boro-Park-Funeral-1024x683.jpg)
(JTA) – Two days after New York City’s mayor called out “the Jewish community” when vowing to crack down on gatherings, city police intervened in another funeral in a Jewish neighborhood, resulting in a tense scene and at least one arrest. A video shared on Whatsapp showed a chaotic… Read more »
JWI Flower Project supports victims of domestic violence, who are even more at risk during coronavirus pandemic
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074826/flower-project-Sending-love-with-no-jwi-logo_CMYK.jpg)
More than 45,000 women and children spend each Mother’s Day in domestic violence shelters. At this unprecedented time in the U.S., many women who have escaped abuse for the safety of shelters now find themselves stuck in place, unable to move forward with rebuilding their lives. Jewish Women International’s Flower… Read more »
‘We don’t have time’: Rabbi launches Jewish climate change initiative during coronavirus crisis
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074826/4-29-20-climate-scaled-1024x729.jpg)
NEW YORK (JTA) — Rabbi Jennie Rosenn has spent most of her career working on Jewish social justice causes. Until recently, however, there was one issue that didn’t resonate as strong. “The environment was something that I knew was important, but I wasn’t passionate in my kishkes about… Read more »
As the sexual assault claim against Joe Biden builds, some Jewish women wonder whether he deserves their support
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074826/4-29-20-biden-scaled-1024x711.jpg)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Monday was supposed to have been a good news day for Joe Biden: The venerable New York congresswoman Nita Lowey convened hundreds of women on a phone call to launch a new group, Jewish Women for Joe. The timing, though, was not auspicious. The same day,… Read more »
Netanyahu’s son calls for return of a ‘free, democratic and Christian’ Europe’
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Yair Netanyahu, a son of the Israeli prime minister, called for the return of a “free, democratic and Christian” Europe in a tweet that criticized a joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial ceremony for Israel’s Memorial Day. Netanyahu’s post on Tuesday, Yom Hazikaron in Israel, was in response to… Read more »
JFNA plans global virtual celebration for Yom Haatzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day
The Jewish Federations of North America are hosting a Facebook Live worldwide celebration of Israel’s Independence Day on Wednesday, April 29. The event celebrating Israel’s 72nd birthday can be viewed on JFNA’s Facebook page or its YouTube page. No login is required. Beginning at 11 a.m. Mountain Standard Time,… Read more »
Virtual Yom Hazikaron commemoration for Southern Arizona planned
The Weintraub Israel Center and the Tucson Jewish Community Center will host a virtual event for Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s memorial day, on Monday, April 27 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. All those in Tucson and beyond are invited to gather as a community to honor the memory of Israel’s fallen… Read more »
Tucson Festival of Books featuring talk with Jewish author Jennifer Rosner
The Tucson Festival of Books will hold a Facebook Live session with author Jennifer Rosner today, April 22 at 3 p.m.MST. Rosner will speak about her recently released novel “The Yellow Bird Sings,” To participate, follow Tucson Festival of Books on Facebook. Once you are on the page, make… Read more »