Debate over God's authorship of the Torah also a debate over meaning in the world

By Rabbi Philip Graubart LA JOLLA, California–Did God write the Torah?  The question came up in my son’s Jewish high school last week provoking some surprisingly heated discussions.  I say “surprisingly” because I wouldn’t have expected eleventh graders to care so passionately about a theological issue.  Also, this is a community Jewish school, a pluralistic, […]

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Travel and Food

Haiti field hospital demonstrates Israel’s humanitarianism, technical skills

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Considering all of the bad press Israel receives, I was thrilled to see the NBC Nightly News positive coverage of the field hospital set up by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) following the earthquake in Haiti. If you did not see the NBC broadcast last Tuesday, you can

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International, Middle East

Has U.S. eliminated Israel's qualitative edge over possible Arab foes?

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. —The Forward started it in December. Ha’aretz picked up the theme this month, writing, “The Bush administration violated security related agreements with Israel in which the U.S. promised to preserve the IDF’s qualitative military edge (QME) over Arab armies, according to senior officials in the Obama administration and Israel,” and

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Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USA

B'nai B'rith wants airline personnel to be educated about Jewish religious articles

NEW YORK (Press Release)–Following the incident on US Airways flight 3709 from New York to Louisville on Jan. 21—which made an unscheduled landing when a flight attendant was alarmed by the Jewish religious article of a young passenger—B’nai B’rith International is urging aviation officials to more systematically equip both airline crew and airport security personnel

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Travel and Food

Hoekstra calls on Obama to rescind decision to close Guantanamo Bay prison

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)- U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, Republican-Michigan, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement to mark the failure of the Obama administration to meet its rushed, self-imposed one year deadline to shutter the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and implement the so-called High Value Detainee Interrogation Group

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USA

Cardin seeks review of reported plans to hold some Guantanamo detainees indefinitely

 WASHINGTON, D.C (Press Release)– U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat-Maryland), chairman of the Judiciary Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee, on Friday called for a careful examination of the Administration’s plans for the indefinite detention of Guantánamo detainees. He released the following statement:   “One year ago today, President Obama ordered the closure of the Guantánamo

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USA

Two Guantanamo detainees transferred to Algeria

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–Two Algerian detainees, Hasan Zemiri and Adil Hadi al Jazairi Bin Hamlili, have been transferred from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the custody and control of the Government of Algeria. As directed by the President’s Jan. 22, 2009 Executive Order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of

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USA

Military drops charges in 9/11 cases to clear way for civilian prosecution

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–The Defense Department announced Friday that the convening authority for Military Commissions withdrew and dismissed the charges, without prejudice, against the five detainees charged in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. This action comes in light of the announcement by the attorney general of the United States that the Department of Justice intends to

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Travel and Food

Congressman Bilirakis calls for increased U.S. visa screening overseas

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (Republican, Florida) Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight on Thursday, sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urging prompt action to enhance our nation’s visa screening capabilities overseas to keep terrorists out of the United States.

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Travel and Food

Napolitano, Europeans discuss airline safety upgrades

TOLEDO, Spain (Press Release)—Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday traveled to Toledo, Spain, at the invitation of her Spanish colleague, Interior Minister Alfredo Rubalcaba, to meet with her European counterparts regarding ways to bolster international aviation security measures and standards. “The attempted terrorist attack on Dec. 25 threatened the lives of individuals from

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USA

Petraeus says references to biblical verses have no place on rifle scopes

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida (Press Release) – Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. Central Command commander, stated on Thursday that he was very concerned to learn that rifle scopes being used by some troopers deployed within the CENTCOM area have coded numbers referencing Bible verses on them, in addition to the normal markings on the scopes. “The codes on

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USA

ADL: Limbaugh should apologize to Jewish community for stereotyping

NEW YORK (Press Release)– The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said Rush Limbaugh reached a new low with “borderline anti-Semitic comments” on his radio show, in which he raised the possibility that liberal Jews were having “buyer’s remorse” with President Obama in light of the outcome of the Senate election in Massachusetts. Limbaugh told his listeners: “To

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Travel and Food

Seattle-based Internet hate-monger spreads 'organ harvesting' rumor about Israel in Haiti

NEW YORK (Press Release)–In a disturbing illustration of what can happen when one person takes a message of hate and incitement to the Internet, the Big Lie of Israeli organ harvesting for profit has again resurfaced and gone global practically overnight, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Claims that the Israel Defense Forces mobile hospital

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Middle East, USA