Yad Vashem honors Dutch couple for sheltering Jews they had never met

JERUSALEM (WJC)–Israel’s Holocaust Memorial institution Yad Vashem has named the late André Reeders and Aaltje Reeders-Wittermans as Righteous Gentiles Among the Nations for sheltering the Jewish couple Sally and Claire Gimnicher-Hirsch in their home near Amsterdam in 1942, at the request of the Dutch resistance movement. Unlike most cases, the two couples had had no […]

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Middle East

U.S. Senators urge Uganda not to criminalize homosexuality

WA SHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland and Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, both Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 10 other Senators today urged Ugandan President Yoweri Musseveni to block enactment of a law that would criminalize homosexuality and codify prejudice against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered and HIV-positive Ugandans. The

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USA

Shonda file: Sting targeted executives willing to bribe foreign officials

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–Twenty-two executives and employees of companies in the military and law enforcement products industry have been indicted for engaging in schemes to bribe foreign government officials to obtain and retain business, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips for the District of Columbia; and

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Middle East, USA

ADL says Pope's visit to synagogue strengthened Catholic-Jewish relationship

NEW YORK (Press Release)– The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said that the visit to the Rome Synagogue by Pope Benedict XVI “acknowledged the validity of Judaism and affirmed the Catholic-Jewish relationship.”            Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:   “Pope Benedict acknowledged the validity of Judaism and affirmed the Catholic-Jewish relationship by his

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Travel and Food

Cowles Mountain hike, Tu B'Shevat seder planned by Young Israel Jan. 30

SAN DIEGO (Press Release)–Young Israel of San Diego, a small Orthodox congregation located near the base of Cowles Mountain, plans to celebrate Tu B’Shevat  with an evening hike to the top of the mountain, weather permitting,  at 8 p.m., Saturday, January 30. On return, hikers will enjoy a Melava Malka/ Tu B’Shevat seder featuring the fruits

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San Diego Calendar

Israeli backpackers in New Zealand listen to Christian missionaries in exchange for cheaper lodgings

HAIFA (Press Release)–Israeli backpackers find themselves hosted by Christian missionaries in New Zealand because of the good lodging deals that they offer; but during their stay, these Israelis also get unique spiritual experiences. This has been illustrated in a new study carried out at the University of Haifa’s Center for Tourism, Pilgrimage and Recreation. “Even

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Middle East

Jordanian sources point finger at Iran for attempted car bombing of Israeli diplomats

JERUSALEM (WJC)–The failed bomb attack against Israeli diplomats in Jordan last week could have been carried out by a local al-Qaeda cell acting on instructions from Iran, sources close to the Jordanian intelligence community have told the ‘Jerusalem Post’. The unnamed sources said that the attack had come in response to the killing of Iranian

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Middle East, USA

Norway's Foreign Minister rejects charges his country is anti-Semitic

JERUSALEM (WJC)–Norway’s Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store, who visited Israel this week, has told the newspaper ‘Haaretz’ that there were forces in Israel that unfairly portrayed Norway as an anti-Semitic country. “There are references to anti-Israel sentiments in the Israeli press. I see part of that as a campaign which is being organized and orchestrated

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Middle East

Nine West Bank settlers arrested for mosque attack and vandalism

JERUSALEM (WJC)–Israeli police have arrested a group of militant Jewish settlers in the West Bank for alleged vandalism, including an attack on a mosque in a nearby Palestinian village in December. Nine settlers were arrested for attacks on Palestinian property, including five linked to the torching of a mosque last month.  The vandals burned prayer

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Middle East, USA

Jewish, Israeli organizations provide service, raise millions for Haiti

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (WJC)–Jewish humanitarian organizations in the United States and Canada have already raised millions of dollars for Haiti relief aid since the devastating earthquake that hit the Caribbean nation a week ago. Among the top fundraisers are the American Jewish World Service (AJWS), which has received US$ 2 million so far, and

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Middle East, USA

The Brilliance of Chelm and IB Singer; Shlemiel the First on the West Bank of the Hudson

By Jeanette Friedman New York Bureau Chief, San Diego Jewish World   MONTCLAIR, New Jersey–It’s amazing when New Yawkers cross the Hudson to go see a show. And when Robert Brustein’s fantastic adaptation of Shlemiel the First was at Montclair State, they got in their cars, rented buses and hied themselves over to the Kassner Theater, where this Yiddish-flavored musical tripped the lights

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Travel and Food