Author: David Leibermann

(JTA) — The year was 1999, and Jonathan Hauser was working as a concierge at the famous King David Hotel in Jerusalem. At the time, Hauser was playing for the Jerusalem Lions flag football team, a part of the American Football in Israel organization. The league was 10 years old at the time but lacked […]

This article was sent as a newsletter. Sign up for our weekly Jewish sports newsletter here.  Hello, Jewish sports fans! The Australian Open is in full swing. Here’s how each of the players we mentioned last week have fared so far: Madison Brengle: Lost in the first round in both singles and doubles. Taylor Fritz: […]

(JTA) — Last year, Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s top diplomat, drew criticism after saying Ukraine’s Jewish president was like Hitler. Now he’s upped the ante: Western countries assisting Ukraine in repelling Russia’s invasion are seeking a “final solution.” Lavrov made the comments Wednesday during an annual press conference with Russian media. “The United States formed a […]

(JTA) — In a decision that could lead to the dissolution of Israel’s new government coalition, the country’s Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a minister who has been previously convicted in multiple fraud cases is not fit to serve in government. The Court ruled 10-1 to disqualify Aryeh Deri, a longtime lawmaker and leader […]

(JTA) — Five countries stood out on a statement signed by more than 90 countries calling on Israel to end punitive measures it imposed on the Palestinians in retaliation for a United Nations vote that referred Israel to the International Court of Justice. Those five countries — Estonia, Germany, Italy, Lithuania and Romania — were […]

HAIFA — On a recent chilly morning, six Israeli Druze women gathered in a room at the University of Haifa library to discuss the joys and frustrations of living in a modern, Jewish, largely secular country. Chatting in Arabic and Hebrew, many of the women, all students at the university, spoke about the challenges of […]

(JTA) — Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square on Saturday to protest their new government’s plans to significantly decrease the power of the country’s Supreme Court. Authorities reported that as many as 80,000 protesters braved a rain storm in Tel Aviv, while smaller protests took place in other cities across […]

(JTA) — Yoav Silberstein, 16, waited an hour and a half to get into 7-Eleven’s new flagship — and so far only — store in Israel. Located in the heart of Tel Aviv in Dizengoff Center, the store opening on Wednesday attracted throngs of mostly teenagers hoping to get a taste of America in the […]

(JTA) — The genealogy website MyHeritage posted 1.7 million Israeli immigration records online this week, making accessible a trove of ship and plane passenger lists stored in bound tomes at the Israel State Archives.  The records cover arrivals to the country for about 60 years starting in 1919. They include details such as the name […]

(JTA) – As Israel’s new right-wing government continued to signal that it would push through measures to cripple the judiciary and clamp down on public dissent and news operations, thousands of citizens took to the streets in protest and one prominent opposition figure warned of imminent “civil war.” A reported 10,000 demonstrators gathered Saturday night […]