Jesse Orine -

British government backs NHS antisemitism reforms that would restrict political symbols

June 4, 2026June 4, 2026Jesse Orine

Doctors and nurses in the U.K. could soon be banned from wearing pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel symbols at work following recommendations from the British government’s independent advisor on antisemitism. The advisor, Lord John Mann, delivered 36 recommendations to tackle antisemitism across the National Health Service in a report that the government formally accepted on Thursday. “Jewish […]

The Jewish Brigade fought fascism in Italy. Now its flags spark protests.

June 4, 2026June 4, 2026Jesse Orine

When the Jewish Brigade appears today in Italian public debate, it is rarely about the British Army unit, formed largely by Jewish volunteers from Mandatory Palestine, that was sent to fight in Italy in the final months of the Second World War. The Jewish Brigade has become a screen onto which other conflicts are projected: […]

Finalists announced for lucrative Jewish literary award

June 2, 2026June 2, 2026Jesse Orine

Amir Tibon’s memoir about his family’s ordeal during the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and Laura Hobson Faure’s history of Jewish children who fled from Germany to France during World War II are among the finalists for the 2026 Sami Rohr Prize. The annual award — which alternates each year between works of fiction and […]

‘Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,’ Carney says as he unveils effort to address antisemitism

June 1, 2026June 1, 2026Jesse Orine

Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney announced on Monday a new government body to combat racism, saying its first priority would be tackling antisemitism. Carney addressed Canada’s surge in antisemitic hate crimes during a speech at Holy Blossom Synagogue, Toronto’s oldest Jewish congregation. He said the government had to “start with clearly admitting that Canada’s civic […]

Hasan Piker blames Israel after UK bars him from entry, citing ‘potential risk’

June 1, 2026June 1, 2026Jesse Orine

Leading British Jewish groups are applauding the UK government’s decision to bar the influential anti-Israel streamer Hasan Piker as well as his controversial uncle Cenk Uygur from entering the country. The British interior ministry revoked Piker’s and Uygur’s travel authorizations on Monday, saying in a statement that “their presence in the UK may not be […]

For the first time, a kosher restaurant has won a Michelin star

May 29, 2026May 29, 2026Jesse Orine

As golden confetti rained down around him Thursday, Israeli chef Raz Shabtai broke down in tears and was embraced by his cheering staff. Moments earlier, a livestreamed Michelin ceremony had announced that his Miami restaurant, Mutra, had become the first kosher restaurant ever awarded a Michelin star, long regarded as the highest honor in the […]

London police are ‘reviewing’ video of Helen Mirren being called ‘an evil Zionist’

May 29, 2026June 5, 2026Jesse Orine

London police are reviewing footage that showed actress Helen Mirren being called “an evil Zionist b—h” by a person on the street. The video, which circulated widely online this week, records Mirren walking with her husband Taylor Hackford when a person off-camera approaches and calls her an “avowed Zionist.” “She said Israel should last forever […]

Israel-Lebanon talks set to proceed in U.S. Friday despite renewed violence

May 29, 2026May 29, 2026Jesse Orine

Israeli and Lebanese military officials are set to meet for talks at the Pentagon on Friday aimed at resolving their decades-long conflict. The new meeting comes as fighting increasingly shakes what’s left of a ceasefire between the two countries, and as the United States and Iran also look to extend their ceasefire to give more […]

Rome’s Pride parade bars Jewish LGBTQ float over refusal to call Gaza war ‘genocide’

May 28, 2026May 28, 2026Jesse Orine

Organizers of Rome’s annual Pride parade have barred Italy’s only Jewish LGBTQIA+ organization from marching with a float at this year’s June 20 parade, although they are still allowed to participate in the march itself. In a statement that came out Monday, Roma Pride said Keshet Italia had failed to endorse its political manifesto, which […]

Yad Vashem chooses Germany for first overseas education centers

May 28, 2026May 28, 2026Jesse Orine

BERLIN – For the first time in its 73-year history, Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial museum and archive, is establishing educational centers outside the Jewish state. The institution announced in a statement Thursday that the first centers will be in Germany — one in Munich, and a subsidiary in Leipzig. The Conference of European Rabbis, […]