This story originally appeared on Alma. After I came out as a lesbian, my mother embraced me with open arms. She loved me, and this didn’t change that. But she knew — and I knew — that I had to leave my gayness at the door when entering Bukharian… Read more »
Tagged HEADLINES
Tel Aviv suburb votes to operate public transportation on Shabbat
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Tel Aviv suburb has approved operating public transportation on Shabbat. The City Council of Ramat Gan, a municipality in central Israel, approved the measure on Tuesday by a vote of 15-6. In a harbinger of the religious freedom debate that will infuse the campaign for… Read more »
Pompeo assures Christian Zionists that Israel permits conversions to Christianity
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a point of reminding a conference of Christian Zionists that Israel permits conversions to Christianity, just weeks after his department reported on the difficulties converts face there. Pompeo, speaking Monday to the annual Washington summit of Christians United For Israel,… Read more »
Netanyahu meets with head of Ukrainian party that includes neo-Nazis
(JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has come under fire in recent years for allegedly failing to confront anti-Semitism and revisionism in Central and Eastern Europe, met Wednesday with the head of a European political party whose membership includes ultranationalists and neo-Nazis. Oleh Lyashko of the Ukrainian… Read more »
Gal Gadot to star in $130 million Netflix film
(JTA) — Israeli actress Gal Gadot will star in the biggest feature film ever made by Netflix. “Red Notice,” also starring Ryan Reynolds and Duane Johnson, will have a production budget of about $130 million. The action thriller, set for release in late 2020, is centered around the pursuit of… Read more »
Israeli city inaugurates a ‘Donald Trump Square’
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The central Israel city of Petah Tikvah inaugurated a city square in honor of President Donald Trump. Donald Trump Square was inaugurated on Wednesday to thank Trump for his support of Israel, especially the president’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The square is… Read more »
‘Politics is not for women,’ leading religious Zionist rabbi says
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A leading religious-Zionist rabbi in Israel rejected the possibility of asking former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked to head the Union of Right Wing Parties because “politics is not for women.” Rabbi Shlomo Aviner was one of dozens of rabbis who signed a letter objecting to seeing… Read more »
41 percent of young European Jews have considered emigrating due to anti-Semitism
(JTA) — Forty-one percent of young Jews in Europe have considered emigrating because of safety concerns, according to the findings of a survey published Thursday. Some 2,700 respondents aged 16-34 said they wanted to leave “because they did not feel safe living there as a Jewish person,” the European… Read more »
Virginia GOP legislature candidate takes down ‘concentration camp’ joke after Jewish Democrat complains
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A Republican running for the Virginia state legislature removed from his Facebook campaign page a meme that mocked comparisons of migrant camps to concentration camps. Paul Milde, running to be a delegate in Virginia’s 28th district, encompassing the town of Fredericksburg about halfway between Washington, D.C.,… Read more »
36 Jewish protesters arrested at ICE detention center in New Jersey
NEW YORK (JTA) — Thirty-six protesters from a new Jewish group were arrested at a demonstration in front of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The arrests Sunday afternoon followed a protest outside the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility organized by a group called Never… Read more »
Dozens arrested in demonstrations protesting Ethiopian-Israeli’s shooting death by off-duty cop
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Thousands of Ethiopian Israelis and their supporters demonstrated in cities across Israel on Tuesday night to protest the killing two nights earlier of an Ethiopian teen by an off-duty police officer. At least 60 protesters were arrested and at least 47 police officers were injured as… Read more »
Ethiopian-Israeli teen shot and killed by off-duty police officer who felt under threat
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Ethiopian-Israeli teen was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer who said he felt in danger after he tried to break up a street fight in a Haifa suburb. Solomon Tekah, 19, was killed Sunday night in Kiryat Haim, in northern Israel. Eyewitnesses to… Read more »
Arizona to establish trade office in Israel
Arizona lawmakers approved an $11.8 billion budget last month that will include funding for the establishment of an Arizona trade office in Israel. Gov. Doug Ducey signed the budget on Friday, May 31. The budget includes nearly $500,000 dedicated to three trade offices: one in Israel and two in… Read more »
Security training targets bombs, hate crimes
Tucson Police Officer Rob McCusker delivered a community training on suspicious package recognition at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona on June 13. With about 25 in attendance, the explosives and hazardous device technician discussed ways to recognize potential dangers and manage bomb threats, and suggestions for managing lockdowns… Read more »
UA seeks Middle East travel photographs
Visiting Israel or other parts of the Middle East this summer? The University of Arizona Center for Middle Eastern Studies is seeking photo submissions for its 29th annual exhibit, “Ordinary and Extraordinary.” Each year, the UA Center for Middle Eastern Studies organizes a photography exhibit featuring images from the… Read more »
Israeli Scouts perform in Tucson
The Israeli Scouts Tzofim Friendship Caravan performed their high-energy song and dance show for about 200 people at the Tucson Jewish Community Center on Thursday, June 20. Prior to the show, the scouts spent the day at Camp J. They gave a morning show for the camp, the Taglit… Read more »
Shinshiniyot celebrate b’not mitzvah
About 60 community members celebrated with Tucson’s outgoing shinshinyot (Israeli teen emissaries), Rotem Rapaport and Ron Benacot, as they were called to the Torah at Temple Emanu-El on Saturday, June 15. The young women had celebrated coming of age with parties in Israel, but neither had read from the… Read more »
Restoring a beautiful smile: tips on choosing crowns vs. veneers
Tooth restoration is a great way to enhance your smile at any adult age. Veneers or crowns are two popular options. Both are dental restoration methods to improve the appearance of your smile, but they are very different procedures. Tooth preparation may be a determining factor in deciding which… Read more »
Israel’s next spacecraft will shoot higher than the moon
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Two months after the Beresheet spacecraft crashed on the surface of the moon, the SpaceIL organization said it will not make a second attempt. Instead, the Israeli non-profit organization announced late on Tuesday in a statement and on social media, “we will seek out another, significant… Read more »
Ehud Barak forms a new political party saying ‘Netanyahu regime must be felled’
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak announced Wednesday that he is forming a new political party. At an evening news conference, Barak said he rushed to make the announcement to thwart Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to cancel the Sept. 17 election. “Netanyahu has reached the… Read more »