Category: Israel

GHAJAR, Israel (JTA) – A group of 40 tourists filed into Khateb Sweets on a recent Sunday afternoon, bringing chatter — and their cash and credit cards — to what had been a quiet cafe in this equally sedate village in the Golan Heights. They left after consuming pastries and hot tea spiced with ginger, […]

(New York Jewish Week) — The head of North America’s largest Jewish federation made the rare step of criticizing proposed legislation by Israel’s government and “imploring” its prime minister to shelve it. In an email sent Friday to supporters of the UJA-Federation of New York, its CEO, Eric Goldstein, wrote that he is “alarmed” by […]

AUSTIN, Texas (JTA) — The new Israeli government is listening to the concerns of more liberal Jews, Israel’s new minister of Diaspora affairs said on Thursday. But Amichai Chikli said that while some proposed changes that worry Americans — including an overhaul to the country’s Law of Return — would happen slowly, any criticism is […]

(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 […]