By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California–Hanukkah, the little holiday that could, begins with the lighting of the first candle against the darkness this Tuesday, December 16. Year after year, the assessments begin and the questions accumulate: Is Hanukkah the Jewish Christmas? Which one came first and how are they related? (Of course, the real inquiry […]
Why Chanukah is important to Christmas Read More »
Jewish History
AUSCHWITZ, Poland (WJC)–More than 100 Auschwitz survivors from at least 17 countries will travel to Poland to participate in the observance of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz on 27 January 2015, on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The official event will be organized
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International, Jewish HistoryWASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — The following is the text of a joint statement issued December 8 by the United States of America and France. “Today, France and the United States have signed an agreement in Washington to establish a compensation fund for those Holocaust victims deported from France who had not been able to
France, U.S. formally agree on Shoah payments Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East, USABy Dan Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — I wasn’t searching specifically for this story, and I did not know the reporter’s byline until recently, but while surfing the internet last week for some news about France, I stumbled, happily, upon Cindy Mindell’s nice touch-your-heart story about the power of “thank you” and the redemption of
Jewish ‘thank you’ story resonates across time Read More »
International, Jewish History, USANEW YORK (Press Release)– Shurat HaDin, a civil rights organization based in Israel, has filed a whistleblower action against the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In its 38 page complaint, the group provides substantial evidence that PCUSA violated its non-profit tax-exempt status for engaging in a range of prohibited activities
Tax status challenge to Presbyterian Church USA Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East, USANEW YORK (WJC) — A lawmaker of Venezuela’s governing party recently told Lebanese television that Zionists had bankrolled Hitler prior to World War II and suggested that “no representatives of global Zionism” had been killed during the Nazi Holocaust for that reason. Speaking in Arabic, Adel El Zabayar, a member of Venezuela’s National Assembly born
Venezuelan lawmaker: Zionists, Bushes funded Hitler Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, USA
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Press Release) – Former Prisoner of Zion Yosef Mendelevitch made an emotional return to the city where he was imprisoned in the 1970s to join hundreds of Jews from across Russia for the 4th Annual Limmud FSU (former Soviet Union) St. Petersburg during the Nov. 28-30 weekend. The three-day Jewish learning festival, at the
Former prisoner Mendelevitch returns to Russia Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East
By Anav Silverman JERUSALEM (Tazpit) — Although the Israel Border Police have been very busy in Jerusalem amid the terrorist attacks that have engulfed the city in the recent month, a group of border policemen took the time between shifts to celebrate a very important birthday to Leah Genzel, 79, a Holocaust survivor living in
Border police ‘adopt’ Holocaust survivors Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East
BERN, Switzerland(WJC)–The Kunstmuseum Bern, which earlier this week accepted the Gurlitt bequest, has published a list of all art works found in the possession of the late Cornelius Gurlitt. The museum was named as sole heir to the collection and on Monday reluctantly accepted the bequest, pledging total transparency to head off any criticism over
Bern museum publishes list of Gurlitt art collection Read More »
Jewish HistoryVATICAN CITY (WJC) — Pope Francis has reiterated his position to open the secret Vatican archives covering the period of World War II to allow researchers to assess the role played by Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust. In an extensive interview with the Israeli newspaper ‘Yediot Ahronot’, Francis said there was “an agreement between
Pope Francis willing to open Pius XII archives Read More »
Jewish HistoryISTANBUL, Turkey (WJC)– A provincial governor of Turkey whose anger at Israel led him to call for turning a synagogue into a museum, has apologized to the country’s chief rabbi – though he claimed he was misunderstood. Dursun Şahin, governor of the northwestern Edirne province, offered an “apology” that expressed “profound sadness” that his words
Turkish governor apologizes to chief rabbi Read More »
Jewish History, Middle EastBy Jack Forman LA JOLLA, California — King David’s rich and full life is meticulously detailed in Samuel I and II and Chronicles, and his last years are described at the beginning of Kings I. He is a larger-than-life figure who plays a central role in Judaism because it is from King David’s lineage, according
Rabbi Wolpe delves into King David’s lives Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish HistoryBy Tzvi Zucker JERUSALEM (Tazpit) — Fierce debate, both inside Israel and abroad, has been raging over a piece of legislation that would become a Basic Law. This legislation, dubbed “the Nationality Bill”, would enshrine in law the definition of Israel as a state of the Jewish people. Basic Laws are the building blocks of
Nationality bill shakes Israel’s ruling coalition Read More »
Jewish History, Middle EastBy Richard L. Cravatts, PhD BOSTON– “What if the Jews themselves were Nazis?,” mused French philosopher, Vladimir Jankélévitch in 1986. “That would be great. We would no longer have to feel sorry for them; they would have deserved what they got.” The recasting of Israelis, and, by extension, Jews as Nazis has, in fact, taken
The Ivory Tower’s attempt to Nazify Jews Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East, Richard L. Cravatts