World

Pope Francis condemns ‘barbaric resurgence’ of anti-Semitsm

(JTA) – A week before International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Pope Francis renewed his condemnation of anti-Semitism, decrying its “barbaric resurgence.” Francis was addressing a delegation from the Simon Wiesenthal Center that met with him at the Vatican on Monday. International Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed in Italy and throughout… Read more »

23% of French Jews say they were assaulted by anti-Semites, survey finds

(JTA) — In a survey about anti-Semitism in France, nearly a quarter of 1,027 Jewish respondents said they had experienced a physical anti-Semitic assault. The results of the survey, carried out this year by the IFOP for the American Jewish Committee, were published Tuesday in Le Parisien. In addition… Read more »

Nancy Pelosi leads congressional delegation to Poland and Israel

(JTA) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, leading a congressional delegation to Poland and Israel to commemorate 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, laid a wreath at the former Nazi camp on Tuesday. Pelosi joined her Polish counterpart, Elzbieta Witek, the speaker of the Sejm, the lower house of… Read more »

At 97, a Dutch resistance hero wants to give fellow Jewish fighters overdue recognition

Selma van de Perre signs her book at the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam, Jan. 9, 2020. (Cnaan Liphshiz)

AMSTERDAM (JTA) — Shortly after her capture by the Nazis in 1944, Dutch resistance fighter Selma van de Perre was transferred from a regular prison to the worst concentration camp in the Netherlands. Van de Perre arrived at the infamous Camp Vught about five months after its commander, Adam… Read more »

Ukrainian parliament commemorates Holocaust for the 1st time

(JTA) — Ukraine’s parliament for the first time commemorated the Holocaust ahead of the international date in memory of the victims. The Verkohvna Rada in Kyiv held a memorial ceremony on Thursday ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27. The date was designated in 2005 by the… Read more »

Anti-Semitic incidents decreased by 27% in Ukraine in 2019, Jewish group says

(JTA) — A Jewish organization in Ukraine said that the number of anti-Semitic incidents documented there last year decreased by 27 percent over 2018. The United Jewish Community of Ukraine, one of several groups representing Ukrainian Jewry, said in a report published Monday that it has documented 66 anti-Semitic… Read more »

Italian police arrest suspected synagogue vandal caught on video

(JTA) – Police in the northeast Italian city of Trieste analyzed security videos to identify and arrest a man suspected of vandalizing the city’s synagogue twice in the past few months. The suspect was accused of breaking two windows “for the purposes of ethnic-religious hatred,” police said. A statement… Read more »

500 rabbis and Jewish leaders call for action against climate change

(JTA) — Five hundred rabbis and other Jewish leaders from around the world are calling for climate change action. The letter released earlier this month was signed by rabbis and leaders spanning the denominational spectrum — from Orthodox to Reform and secular — and from countries including the United… Read more »

Anti-Semitic incidents decreased by 27% in Ukraine in 2019, Jewish group says

(JTA) — A Jewish organization in Ukraine said that the number of anti-Semitic incidents documented there last year decreased by 27 percent over 2018. The United Jewish Community of Ukraine, one of several groups representing Ukrainian Jewry, said in a report published Monday that it has documented 66 anti-Semitic… Read more »

In France, a killer’s successful insanity defense sparks outrage

French Jews at a march protestic anti-Semitic violence in Paris, France on March 28, 2018. (Cnaan Liphshiz)

(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 »

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 top 10 Jewish stories of 2019

Police vehicles gather around the synagogue where a shooting took place in Poway, Calif., April 27, 2019. (Xinhua/ via Getty Images)

(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 »