Rep. Pramila Jayapal walks back criticism of Israel as a ‘racist state’

((JEWISH REVIEW)) — A powerful House Democrat walked back her description of Israel as a “racist state” after she faced backlash from her colleagues and party leadership. Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chair of the 100-member Congressional Progressive Caucus, made the comments on Saturday at Netroots Nation, a progressive conference in Chicago, when faced with […]

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New Jersey teen pleads guilty to online threats detailing attacks on Jews

((JEWISH REVIEW)) – The New Jersey teen charged with making threats to synagogues and other Jewish institutions last year has pleaded guilty.  Omar Alkattoul, 19, of Sayreville, was arrested in November, shortly after many Jewish institutions in New Jersey, including synagogues and schools, briefly shuttered amid warnings from the FBI about a “broad threat.”  Jewish […]

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Key congressional committee OKs a hike in funding for the antisemitism monitor

WASHINGTON ((JEWISH REVIEW)) —A congressional committee approved an increase in funding for the office of Deborah Lipstadt, the State Department’s antisemitism monitor, from $1.5 million to $2.5 million. The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee approved the bill, which pays for State Department and foreign operations, late Wednesday. It now goes to the full House, and […]

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Law firm issues report on Orthodox feminist group’s handling of allegations against its sex-guru founder

((JEWISH REVIEW)) — After sexual harassment allegations against its co-founder broke into public view last year, the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance commissioned an investigation into itself. Now, 14 months later, the investigation is complete — and the third-party law firm hired to complete it has verified the actions that underlay the allegations but concluded that […]

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Is antisemitism always delusional? The Pittsburgh synagogue shooter’s punishment could hinge on the answer.

PITTSBURGH ((JEWISH REVIEW)) — To try to save his client from the death penalty, a lawyer defending the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter spent hours this week pressing a prominent psychiatrist on a question that has occupied many over time: Is hating Jews a manifestation of mental illness? Robert Bowers was convicted last month of committing the […]

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