TEL AVIV (JTA) — President Obama began his first presidential visit to Israel with an airport speech calling the United States the “strongest ally and greatest friend” of Israel. “Why does the U.S. stand with Israel?” Obama asked the crowd at the welcoming ceremony Wednesday afternoon at Ben-Gurion Airport. “We… Read more »
News
Israeli government coalition, after twists and turns, ‘determined by the negotiators’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finally assembled a governing coalition following nearly six weeks of negotiations, the maximum time allowed under Israeli law. The Knesset approved the new government on Monday by a vote of 68 to 48, with four absent. The Israeli government coalition includes Netanyahu’s ruling… Read more »
Plight of Palestinians in Syria could have implications for Israel
WASHINGTON (JTA) — It’s the latest Palestinian refugee crisis, but it has nothing to do with Israel or the West Bank — yet. With Syria home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, the raging civil war there is destabilizing a population with nowhere to turn, and some analysts are… Read more »
With Islamic groups replacing traditional foes, Israel faces long-term instability on its borders
HERZLIYA, Israel (JTA) — Three weeks ago, militants in Gaza landed a rocket near the Israeli city of Ashkelon. Two weeks ago, Egypt raised its state of emergency in the Sinai Peninsula, warning of an increase in jihadist activity there. Last week, a rock thrown by a West Bank… Read more »
Long the bane of Venezuelan Jews, Chavez is gone. Now what?
(JTA) — For more than a decade, Venezuelan Jews have been holding their breath, subject to the whims of a mercurial president who used his bully pulpit to intimidate, rail against Israel and embrace Iran There was the police raid of a Caracas school in 2004, allegedly to search… Read more »
Jews find early signs from Pope Francis encouraging
ROME (JTA) — When the white smoke rose last week at the Vatican, signaling to the world that the College of Cardinals had chosen a new pope, Catholics weren’t the only ones waiting with bated breath. Jews, too, were eager to see whether the new pontiff would be someone… Read more »
Jewish leaders join new alliance pitching domestic fossil fuels
WASHINGTON (JTA) — On page 15 of the most recent edition of the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association’s newsletter, beneath griping about perceived threats to the industry posed by President Obama’s tax and energy policies, was a nugget of positive news: A new coalition had formed between the… Read more »
For Israeli souk’s old-timers, healthy Mediterranean diet is no secret
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Puffing on a cigarette, Amnon Tubi says he always knew what scientists only recently have proven about staying healthy. “I knew that Mediterranean food is the best,” he said, surrounded by tables overflowing with tomatoes, cucumbers and oranges. “The legumes are healthy. There’s a lot… Read more »
Lots of listening, no grand initiatives expected on Obama’s Mideast trip
TEL AVIV (JTA) — When President Obama visits Israel next week, Gavriel Yaakov wants him to jump-start the peace process. “I’m excited,” said Yaakov, 67, sitting in a Tel Aviv mall. “I want negotiations to get to an agreement on a long-term peace with the Palestinians.” Yaakov said he… Read more »
With the help of Knesset members, Women of the Wall get to pray
JERUSALEM (JTA) — If ever there were a gathering of Women of the Wall that was going to spark a wider conflict, Tuesday’s would have been the one. For the past several months, police have detained members of the women’s prayer group during their monthly Rosh Chodesh services for… Read more »
Lautenberg Amendment, Soviet-era law now helping Iranians, gets lifeline
WASHINGTON (JTA) – When the Lautenberg Amendment was introduced in 1990, it provided a mechanism for hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jews to exit their crumbling country and immigrate to freedom in the United States. Since 2004, it has served as a lifeline for religious minorities fleeing the Islamic… Read more »
Netanyahu, with team of rivals, puts together a government
TEL AVIV (JTA) — He’s had to bite a few bullets to get there, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will lead Israel’s next government. Barring a last-minute surprise, Israel’s new governing coalition will be sworn in this week: a center-right grouping of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud-Beiteinu faction, the centrist… Read more »
Fossilized pollen unlocks secrets of ancient royal garden in Israel
Tel Aviv — Researchers have long been fascinated by the secrets of Ramat Rahel, located on a hilltop above modern-day Jerusalem. The site of the only known palace dating back to the kingdom of Biblical Judah, digs have also revealed a luxurious ancient garden. Since excavators discovered the garden… Read more »
UA Holocaust Vigil to add family scenes, Butterfly Project
The University of Arizona Hillel Foundation’s Annual Holocaust Vigil — a 24-hour program dedicated to Holocaust remembrance — will take place on the UA mall from Wednesday, March 20 at noon until Thursday, March 21 at noon. This year’s theme is “Silence Helps the Oppressors.” The event will include… Read more »
Teen honored with Bryna Zehngut Mitzvot Award
The Advisory Council of the Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona awarded Ital Ironstone its seventh annual Bryna Zehngut Mitzvot Award at the Connections brunch on Sunday, March 3. The award recognizes an outstanding Jewish teenage girl. The council, which includes past Women’s Philanthropy chairs and… Read more »
UA professor will probe Kabbalah at Hadassah lunch
David Graizbord, Ph.D., associate professor of Judaic studies at the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies, will present “Kaballah, What is it, Really and What does it Matter (Especially if You are Not a Hasid or Neo-Hasid)” at a Hadassah Southern Arizona luncheon on Sunday, March 17 at noon at… Read more »
Jewish War Veterans lunch to honor 117th anniversary
Jewish War Veterans Friedman-Paul Post 201 will sponsor a lunch meeting on Sunday, March 17 at noon in honor of the 117th anniversary of the national veterans’ organization. The guest speaker will be James Ross, administrator of the Arizona State Veteran Home in Tucson. Jewish War Veterans of the… Read more »
IDF officers to accompany Poland/Israel trip
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces is sponsoring a mission to Poland and Israel next month. Fifty IDF officers will accompany supporters of FIDF from the United States and Panama on the 10-day “From Holocaust to Independence” journey, April 8-19. In Poland, the group will travel to historical sites… Read more »
JFSA will match doctors, students for Seder
For Passover, the Maimonides Society of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is continuing its new program of matching established Jewish doctors in Tucson with Jewish medical students and residents from the University of Arizona for home holiday meals and observances. If you are a doctor planning a Passover… Read more »
Swarm of 1 million locusts hits Israel
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A swarm of 1 million locusts crossed into Israel from Egypt. The locusts on Tuesday remained concentrated in areas of southern Israel near the border, but sightings were reported throughout the country, including Tel Aviv and the Carmel region of northern Israel. Residents of the Ramat… Read more »