Category: World News

(JR) — The Dutch elections in November sent shockwaves through Europe, as voters delivered victory to Geert Wilders, a hard-right populist known for crusading against Islam, immigrants and the European Union — along with professing support for Israel. But for some Dutch Jews, who have watched an atmosphere of fear and antisemitism grow since the […]

BERLIN (JR) — Recognizing Israel’s right to exist is now mandatory for those who want to become German citizens in the former East German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Applicants living in the state will have to confirm in writing “that they recognize Israel’s right to exist and condemn any efforts directed against the existence of the […]

BUENOS AIRES (JR) — South America is getting its first Jewish university next year. The Latin American Rabbinical Seminary in Buenos Aires — which is affiliated with the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the Conservative movement’s flagship — obtained legal approval last month to establish the Isaac Abarbanel Jewish University Institute. The school will confer diploma, […]

(JR) — Nearly three decades ago, Rodolfo Barra resigned as Argentina’s justice minister in the wake of revelations about his past membership in a violent antisemitic group. Now, the newly elected prime minister has tapped Barras to head the country’s top legal office. The appointment by Javier Milei, a far-right upstart who backs Israel and […]

(JR) — Throughout Hollywood history, many stars of Jewish ancestry have soft-pedaled that heritage, changing their names or speaking rarely, if at all, about their Jewishness. No one can accuse Barbra Streisand of either. The singer and actress of the stage and screen — one of the most beloved Jewish American icons of the past […]

BUENOS AIRES (JR) — For weeks, TV soccer announcer Hernan Feler has been making headlines by talking about the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas during broadcasted games. In doing so, he has mentioned one Israeli by name: his aunt, Ofelia Roitman, who was captured in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7. “Omitting and staying […]

(JR) — Germany has seen antisemitic incidents surge 320% since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, according to a federal agency’s report released on Tuesday. The Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism, known in Germany as RIAS, tracked 994 antisemitic incidents between Oct. 7 and Nov. 9. That average of 29 […]

TAIPEI, Taiwan (JR) — Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza, massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations have taken place in Jakarta and other Indonesian cities. They have startled Jews like Maryam, who asked to be identified by only her first name to maintain safety and privacy. She said she has […]

(JR) — Gil Ofarim’s allegation that a hotel clerk in Leipzig, Germany, denied him a room after seeing his Star of David necklace ignited outrage when the pop singer made it in an October 2021 video that went viral. Jews and others protested outside the hotel, and the employee was temporarily suspended. But Ofarim’s story […]

(JR) — For his first trip abroad since being elected president of Argentina last week, Javier Milei picked an auspicious destination: the tomb of the Lubavitcher rebbe in Queens, New York. The site is a frequent pilgrimage location for Jews and others who believe there is special spiritual significance to prayers made at the burial […]