(JTA) — A former Nazi SS soldier was charged with denying the Holocaust in Germany. Karl Munter, 96, was indicted in the German state of Lower Saxony on Wednesday for questioning the extent of the Holocaust and offensive comments he made about the victims of a massacre of civilians… Read more »
Tagged HEADLINES
Abbas says the the Palestinian Authority will ‘sever all ties’ with Israel
(JTA) — Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, reiterated statements about terminating his government’s dealings with Israel. Abbas’ announcement Thursday followed an emergency meeting after Israel razed Palestinian buildings built without permit on the edge of Jerusalem, near the security barrier that Israel built in the West… Read more »
After outcry, French authorities allow Israeli soccer fans to wave their flag in Strasbourg
(JTA) — Following protests, authorities in eastern France rescinded a ban they had issued forbidding soccer fans from Israel from flying their country’s flag in the streets of Strasbourg. The prohibitions, which are unusual and provoked vociferous criticism, came in a four-page order Thursday from the head of the Bas-Rhin… Read more »
Historian Yuval Noah Harari self-censors Russian translation of his latest book
(JTA) — Yuval Noah Harari, an internationally celebrated historian from Israel, omitted criticism of Russia from a translation of a book to avoid censorship there, he said. The criticism was “liable to be censored by the Russian government,” Harari told Haaretz in an interview published Thursday about the Russian-language… Read more »
CNN photo editor quits after anti-Semitic tweets surface
(JTA) — A CNN photo editor resigned after some anti-Semitic tweets he made in 2011 were discovered. Mohammed Elshamy, a 25-year-old former photojournalist with the Anadolu news agency, quit Thursday night after an employee of Israel’s Government Press Office flagged on Twitter some of the anti-Semitic statements by Elshamy,… Read more »
A UN forum only singles out Israel, saying it violated women’s and human rights
(JTA) — Norway and six EU countries voted at the United Nations in favor of two resolutions that singled out Israel for criticism as a violator of women’s and human rights. Israel was the only country named Tuesday as a violator or trouble spot by the 54-nation UN Economic… Read more »
Crowdfunding campaign raises $2.2 million in 5 days to save 2-year-old Florida girl’s life
(JTA) — A campaign on a Jewish crowdfunding website raised more than $2 million in five days to provide a “miracle drug” to help a 2-year-old Florida girl. Eliana Cohen, daughter of Ariel and Shani Cohen of Aventura, was diagnosed with an extremely rare disease called spinal muscular atrophy… Read more »
All the tributes planned for the 25th anniversary of the AMIA Jewish center bombing
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — On July 18, 1994, at 9:53 a.m. local time here, a car bomb destroyed the city’s AMIA Jewish center, killing 85 people and injuring more than 300. The 25th anniversary of the bombing is Thursday, and commemorations are planned throughout Argentina to pay tribute to… Read more »
The Jews getting arrested at ICE centers are just getting started
NEW YORK (JTA) — If you’re going to physically block an entrance to an ICE detention center, the handbook says, don’t act nice about it. Do chant in Yiddish. Do sing Hebrew prayers. “Defiant, angry, urgent, Jewish,” reads the #NeverAgainIsNow Action Toolkit, a six-page Google Doc meant for Jews… Read more »
Anti-Semitic fliers in Massachusetts declare Holocaust ‘fake news’
BOSTON (JTA) — Two anti-Semitic fliers that deny the Holocaust were posted at a Massachusetts synagogue, with reports of similar incidents at synagogues in two other states. Police are investigating what the Anti-Defamation League described as a coordinated campaign by a national online white supremacist group. The fliers at… Read more »
How Jews have reacted to Trump’s tweet targeting some Democratic congresswomen
NEW YORK (JTA) — President Donald Trump’s comments on Sunday calling for some Democratic congresswomen to “go back” to their countries of origin have been widely condemned as racist. “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” the… Read more »
Rhoda Smolow becomes Hadassah president
(JTA) — Rhoda Smolow was officially elected as national president of Hadassah. The new president, the organization’s 27th in its 107 years, will lead over 300,000 members, associates and supporters claimed by the world’s largest women’s Zionist organization, Hadassah announced Tuesday. The announcement camed during Hadassah’s convention at the… Read more »
The Lubavitcher Rebbe died 25 years ago, but his impact lives on across all Jewish denominations
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, at the microphone, shown in New York circa 1975. (Tim Boxer/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — When the last Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, died in July 1994, I was one of many journalists in the Jewish media who did not see how the Hasidic movement he led could survive, much less thrive, in his absence. It has, of course. That… Read more »
Israeli education minister says calling intermarriage a second Holocaust was ‘not an appropriate term to use’
(JTA) — Israeli Education Minister Rafi Peretz walked back his recent statement that intermarriage is “like a second Holocaust,” writing that the phrase was “probably not an appropriate term to use.” Jewish leaders in Israel and the United States had criticized the analogy made at a July 1 Cabinet… Read more »
Emmys 2019: All the Jewish nominees
Natasha Lyonne at the Women in Film Annual Gala in Beverly Hills, Calif., June 12, 2019. She's nominated for best comedy actress for her role in "Russian Doll." (Emma McIntyre/FilmMagic,)
(JTA) — It’s Emmy season again and Jews in the TV industry have plenty of reason to celebrate. Out of all the nominees announced Tuesday, here’s a roundup of the Jewish picks on the list. Winners will be announced on Sept. 22 at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater. “The Marvelous… Read more »
Tucson rabbi: The rumors of my retirement are greatly exaggerated!
Dearest Friends of the Tucson Jewish community, It seems to me that many of you have forgotten the training we all received when we were children. Remember the nurse at school who taught you two important rules: 1) Wash your hands, and 2) Don’t put something in your mouth… Read more »
After 41 years, Tucson Hebrew High undergoes evolution
Students in last year’s senior class at Tucson Hebrew High work together on an assignment. (Debe Campbell/AJP)
Tucson High School for Jewish Studies, better known at Tucson Hebrew High, will undergo an evolution as it launches its 41st year in August. Still in development, the Jewish teen network will unfold as the year progresses, says Rabbi Ruven Barkan, THH director. “The success of this past year… Read more »
‘Spirit’ offers free Jewish learning for men and boys
(L-R) Rabbinic student Avrohom Luban talks with Tucsonans Max Lazar and Al Gordon during a ‘Spirit’ study session in 2014. (Courtesy Southwest Torah Institute)
The 2019 Dr. Paul W. Hoffert Spirit Program, a free Jewish learning opportunity for men and boys from the Southwest Torah Institute’s Naomi Adir Center for Torah Education, begins July 28 and runs through Aug. 11. In morning or evening sessions, individuals or groups can study the topic of… Read more »
New school year brings exciting programs to Tucson Jewish community
Local Jewish educators are gearing up for the new school year, which starts next month. Here are some of the new programs awaiting students. Congregation Anshei Israel is introducing a new, integrated youth education program, B’Yahad (Together). B’Yahad will provide experiential learning opportunities for students of CAI’s religious school… Read more »
Mad magazine taught me to think like a furshlugginer Jewish intellectual
A cover of Mad Magazine, which will no longer publish new content, from 1968. (Elizabeth W. Kearley/Getty Images)
Mad magazine is on life support, and I can’t say I’m either surprised or all that sad about it. DC Entertainment announced last week that the satirical magazine will stop publishing new content. It was like hearing about a beloved old relative who passed away: I hadn’t had any… Read more »



