By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — In 1953, the brilliant scholar Dr. Theodor H. Gaster published Festivals of the Jewish Year: A Modern Interpretation and Guide. It was updated in 1961. It is about the Jewish festivals and the Sabbath, their description, origin, and comparison to other ancient festivals. In six chapters […]
A Modern Approach to the Understanding of Judaism Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — “You’re very brave to travel abroad in these times,” we were told by various friends and acquaintances, both at home and abroad, when referring to our recent trip to France. The underlying message was that we were being foolish to risk our health by boarding a plane and
By Abigail Klein Leichman (Israel21c via JNS) On Aug. 13, 2020, an extraordinary event transformed the Middle East: Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed a joint statement of intent to normalize diplomatic relations. Formalized at the White House in September, the historic Abraham Accords opened wide a door that seemed hopelessly shut between the two countries. True, discreet
Israel and UAE Celebrate First Year of Normalization Read More »
Middle East
(JNS) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the United States is “deeply concerned” by legislation passed by the Polish parliament earlier in the day barring Holocaust survivors and their descendants from reclaiming property seized by the country’s communist regime. Blinken called on Polish President Andrzej Duda not to sign the bill
US ‘Deeply Concerned’ by Polish Bill Blocking Holocaust Victims From Reclaiming Property Read More »
International, USA
(JNS) Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday announced a national plan to fight crime in the country’s Arab sector. Referring to out-of-control violence in the streets of Arab-majority towns and villages, Bennett said, “my government is determined to take action and wage an unceasing, constant and persistent fight, with full force, against crime and
Israeli PM Announces Nationwide Plan to Fight Arab-Sector Crime Read More »
Middle East
By Shayna Kaufmann, PhD SAN DIEGO — Four years ago, my now 20-year-old daughter Tara declared (not asked) that she was postponing college to do a gap year in Europe. She intended to work as an au pair in France in order to speak French, expand her horizons and have a culturally immersive experience. I
Embracing Your Heart’s Yearnings…Before It’s Too Late Read More »
Lifestyles, Shayna Kaufmann
(JNS) A total of 145 ShinShinim (gap-year emissaries) will depart this month for communities around the world on behalf of the Jewish Agency for Israel to begin a year of voluntary service to help strengthen world Jewry’s relationship with Israel before their required national army service. They will arrive against the backdrop of the ongoing
145 Jewish Agency Young Emissaries Set to Arrive in Communities Around World Read More »
International, Middle East
Published by Reuters By Lisa Shumaker and Peter Szekely (Reuters) -California on Wednesday became the first U.S. state to require that its teachers and other school staff be vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19, a move Governor Gavin Newsom called “a responsible step” to ensure the safety of children. The move comes as Texas Governor
California becomes first state to order teachers to get COVID vaccine or test Read More »
USA
(JNS) Prosecutors in Germany are getting ready to bring forward more than a dozen legal cases against elderly men and women for their alleged work at Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust. Prosecutors confirmed last week that a 100-year-old man is deemed fit to stand trial in October for serving as a guard at the
German Prosecutors Prepare Dozen-Plus Cases Against Nazi War Crime Suspects Read More »
International
SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Heidi Gantwerk, Interim President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of San Diego County, and Jack Maizel, Board Chair of the Federation, today issued the following announcement regarding an upcoming memorial service for former Federation CEO Michael Jeser, who died July 24: Friends, In observance of the conclusion of Sheloshim
Memorial Service for Former Federation CEO Michael Jeser to be Held August 26 Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County
By Yaakov Lappin (JNS) Representatives from the U.S. and Israeli Air Forces met last month to discuss a remarkable development: what the Israel Defense Forces described as “updated orders for the cooperation between the two nations’ air-defense systems during emergency situations.” The Israeli delegation was led by Brig. Gen. Gilad Biran, commander of the IAF’s
US and Israel Tighten Air Defense Cooperation Read More »
Middle East
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. This parasha may be an environmentalist’s dream. It says, “When you besiege a city for an extended period, to make war against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down;
Parashat Shoftim: An Environmentalist’s Dream Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
HAIFA, Israel (Press Release) — A research initiative led by the University of Haifa-and partners in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea recently revealed deep sea brine pools and related habitat hotspot, including hundreds of deep-water sharks and the largest concentration of deep sea shark eggs ever found. These represent one of the most significant discoveries of
Unprecedented Deep-Sea Shark Discovery in Israel Sheds Light on Climate Change Read More »
Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education
(JNS) Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid traveled to Morocco on Wednesday to inaugurate the Israeli Liaison Office in Rabat. His two-day visit to the country is the first by an Israeli foreign minister since 2003. The inauguration of the office, which has been operating since the arrival in January of Israel’s new envoy to the
Lapid Travels to Morocco in First Visit by an Israeli Foreign Minister Since 2003 Read More »
Middle East