Middle East

ROME (WJC)—At his highly publicized visit to Rome’s Great Synagogue on Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI said the Vatican had “provided assistance” to Jews in a “hidden and discreet way” during the Holocaust, thus indirectly defending his predecessor Pius XII. While not citing him by name, Benedict XVI attempted to address concerns in the Jewish community […]

 HAIFA (Press Release)–“Carry out all my demands or the entire country’s electricity will be cut off.” Is this another line from a suspense film, or is it a palpable threat made possible with a computer keyboard? “Today, there is a growing trend amongst hackers around the world to threaten national infrastructures for ransom,” says Dr.

By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–Despite his occasional strong-man bluster, or perhaps because of it, there’s much to suggest that Binyamin Netanyahu – Bibi to friends and foes alike – is a weak Prime Minister. Two current issues in the news imply it. First, the Turkey fiasco reminds us again that Netanyahu isn’t really in charge

JERUSALEM (Press Release)– Shaare Zedek Medical Center announced that four of its senior medical personnel have been dispatched to Haiti as part of the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s search and rescue mission to the earthquake ravaged region.  Dr. Ofer Merin, recently named Deputy Director General at Shaare Zedek and Director of the hospital’s Emergency Preparedness and Response

By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–Israel’s precarious relations with its neighbours have forced it to be always prepared for war. Having had to fight several of them, its army has gained great experience in dealing with and preparing for emergencies. That’s why Israel has been able to respond so swiftly, and apparently so efficiently, to the

AMMAN, Jordan (WJC)–On Thursday afternoon, a remote-controlled bomb placed by unknown terrorists was detonated when a convoy with two Israeli diplomats coming from Amman was driving toward the Allenby Bridge crossing between Israel and Jordan. No one was injured in the blast, but the two vehicles sustained some damage. The bomb was placed on a

ROME (WJC)—Israel’s former chief rabbi and current chairman of Yad Vashem, Israel Meir Lau, has said in an interview with Italian television that Pope Benedict XVI should be welcomed when he visits Rome’s main synagogue on Sunday, but that he should halt moves to beatify his controversial wartime predecessor Pius XII. Lau, a Holocaust survivor