Analysis: Sharansky setting JA on new path

The Jewish Agency, for years seen as a troubled and declining shell of its former self, may be getting a new lease on life, with a new organizational structure and a new mission.

Ask The Rabbi: Orthodox Jewry’s stance on homosexuality

Many recent scholars, including the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, understand homosexual inclinations as a reflection of innate, involuntary desires. 

Parashat Purim: The good, the bad and the confused

Apparently we must continue to drink on Purim until the truths of the Bible completely overturn the confusion of a world which has lost its moral compass. 

Ask the Rabbi: A grave matter

When we pray at cemeteries, to whom do we pray?

Rabbi blames inaccessible system for fall in conversions

Though statistics for former Soviet Union conversions are up, soldiers and Ethiopians are a different matter, says Seth Farber.

'IDF actions used as pretext for anti-Semitic violence'

French envoy says anti-Semitism is a problem for the entire French Republic and the world as a whole.

London ceremonies mark Holocaust Memorial Day

Former British POW Denis Avey honored for changing places with a Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz. 

Jewish cemetery desecrated in Francedesecrated

At least 18 tombstones at Cronenbourg cemetery found marked with swastikas.

'Zionism has always been about building exemplary society'

Dr. David Breakstone on why the aging World Zionist Organization, contrary to popular opinion, should continue to exist.

Har Etzion rabbis speak out against soldiers' protests

Heads of Har Etzion Yeshiva issue statement saying 'Yeshiva students are soldiers, with all this implies, are obligated to display complete loyalty to military.' Yeshiva to work to establish joint IDF-yeshiva body to deal with points of conflict between military orders and halacha

Haredi exposure

Images from ultra-Orthodox world star in press photo competition's 'Religion and Faith' category 

Rabbi Elyashiv: Don't sell kidney to fund wedding

Lithuanian spiritual leader shocked as yeshiva student addresses him with bizarre query, urges considerable cutting back on marriage ceremony costs

Jewish lobby wages war on Christmas trees

Lobby for Jewish values passes out fliers against hotels, restaurants putting up Christmas trees, other Christian symbols ahead of civil New Year, say businesses who do so risk losing kosher certification

New committee for billboard modesty in Tel Aviv

After provocative ads offend religious, municipality decides that each billboard will need committee's okay before going up

Europe: Anti-Semitism up, Islamophobia down

Study on 'group-focused enmity' conducted by researchers from University of Bielefeld in Germany finds hatred of Muslims decreased over past year, while hatred of Jews and homosexuals growing. Poland defined as most racist country

Study: 14% of Canadian Jews are Israeli emigrants

Study conducted by Jewish student shows number of Israeli emigrants to Canada constantly rising. Most have trouble assimilating socially, but end up staying longer than planned

Jewish group slams Swiss ban on minarets

Anti-Defamation League urges Switzerland's government to be vigilant in its commitment to ensuring freedom of religion

Religious weekly allows women's pictures to protest Shalit deal

Religious Zionist publication' Mayanei Hayeshua' strays from code adopted from haredi journalism, posts pictures of women terrorist victims on cover in bid to block release of prisoners. Director: If someone is 'affected' by these pictures, he should seek help

Jerusalem Municipality withdraws ads promoting Shabbat event

Haredi councilmen protest promotion of festival that 'desecrates Sabbath'; municipality says ads were a mistake

Former MK to seculars: Instead of protesting, have babies

Menahem Porush, who was active in religious disputes in Jerualem, tells Ynet that behind every secular protest in capital 'is a small group of youngsters consumed by hatred.' He also has some strategic advice for his ideological rivals

Western Wall books containing prayer for Israel ripped

Zionist overtones, appeal for welfare of IDF soldiers apparently not well-received by worshippers, who tear them out of prayer book. Wall rabbi vehemently condemns act

Birthright for high - schoolers

Hundreds of thousands of Jewish college-age youth have visited Israel in recent years, their trips funded all or in part by Jewish organizations, philanthropists or the state.

International symposium to focus on Spain's Jews

Senior Spanish Government officials to join eminent scholars from US, Canada and Israel at Center for Jewish History in NYC in early December to examine historic link between Spain, Jewish people

Rabbi-to-be is a punching preacher

Yuri Foreman, 29, is World Boxing Association's newest champion. When he's not throwing punches in the ring he's hitting the books by training to become a rabbi

Police arrest woman praying at Western Wall

Dozens Women of the Wall hold traditional monthly prayer service at holy site. Woman carrying Torah scroll detained for questioning by police. Western Wall rabbi says act was violation of law. WOW chairwoman: 'Citizen of State cannot be arrested for donning prayer shawl, holding scroll'

Artists to receive Religious Tolerance award

Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies awarding Marc and Henia Liebhaber Prize for the Promotion of Religious Tolerance and Cultural Pluralism to Jacky Levy, Shlomo Gronich. 'The fact of the prize indicates that those who practice tolerance are the few against the many. I am pleased yet somewhat ashamed to receive this award,' says Levy

Tiny survivor doesn't remember Mumbai attack

Moshe Holtzberg, who appears not to recall his parents' death in a terror offensive in India, celebrates his third birthday as many Jewish children – by getting his first haircut

Ethiopian Jews celebrate return to Jerusalem in Sigd festival

Thousands of Ethiopian Israelis gathered on the Haas Promenade in the capital's Armon Hanatziv neighborhood on Monday to celebrate Sigd, which has been observed for centuries to pray for the community's return to Jerusalem.

High court lets student switch from religious to secular school

The High Court of Justice on Sunday found one good man in Sodom and gave him permission to switch from the state religious junior high school in Shlomi to the Western Galilee state secular regional school.

An unforgettable Sar-El experience

It was still early as we lined up in front of the flag pole, jostling about, trying to mimic the IDF troops to our left. We were volunteers, a mixed-bag of Zionists from literally around the world - New Zealand, Australia and South Africa; Russia, England and Holland; Chile, Canada and the US.

Hizbullah 'expels' Anne Frank from Lebanese school

Al-Manar TV condemns distribution of textbook which contains excerpts from 'The Diary of Anne Frank.'

New sense of urgency emerges at GA

Head of Jewish Federations of North America dispatches 'mystery shoppers' to gauge conference-goers' reactions.

Book advocating killing gentiles who endanger Jews is hard to come by

Tome to be excluded from Mercaz Harav's library.

The time of her life

After documenting her struggle with lung cancer, Shari Gershan passed away on Yom Kippur, but not before describing her illness as an "amazing, awesome and holy journey."

PM sides with conservatives, not Shas

Trying to reassure non-haredi Diaspora leaders, Netanyahu says Margi's opinion not like his own.

Virginia Jews 'shocked' by Teitel case

Members of the Orthodox community of Virginia Beach condemn actions of man who came from their midst.

New York Jewish Federation raises $43m.

Money raised in spite of recession to go toward Jewish families in need throughout the world.

From Judaism to Islam and back again

Jewish woman flees abusive Muslim husband.

Birthright strengthening Jewish identity abroad, research shows

Participants more likely to marry Jews, defend Israel on college campuses.

Students not happy with anti-Semitism report at Toronto's York U.

Hasbara at York to create a task force in response to February anti-Semitic incident.

Getting Diaspora Jewish youth to love Israel

"We've succeeded with birthright & MASA, but we have to get them to stay."

Survey: Religious Jews twice as likely to fall in religiosity as members of other faiths

53% of Jews and 83% of Muslims responded they were satisfied with their religious leadership.

Gov't not paying for promised retraining of olim

Immigrant Absorption Ministry confirms it has a NIS 30m. shortfall in budget for professional courses.

World of the Sages: Justice and a good lawyer

Are we really so fearful of the dangers of a new place that whenever we arrive and depart there are specific prayers for the occasion mandated by our sages?

Face value

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's kosher empire is doing divine business.

Holocaust memorial unveiled in Romania

Romanian president says it\'s his country\'s duty to \"recognize the genocide during WWII\" and to honor the victims.

Dachau, Rosh Ha'ayin to forge pact

Bavarian city which hosted Nazi concentration camp was seeking Israeli sister-city to push youth learning

Russian Jewish group vows to pay IDF legal bill

Shpigel: I supported the IDF's actions against terror organizations in the past and I support them now.

People of the book

Four Jews, three Christians and a Muslim walk into The Jerusalem Post and decide to write about atonement - no joke. This year for our pre-Yom Kippur edition we asked men and women of faith - practitioners and not - to write short essays on what atonement means to them.

Wiesenthal Center slams Babi Yar hotel

Dr. Efraim Zuroff, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center of Jerusalem, expressed his outrage Thursday over plans to erect a hotel on the memorial site of the Babi Yar Massacre in Ukraine.

Irish comic: 'Six million? I would have got 10 or 12 million out of that'

Irish comedian Tommy Tiernan has provoked global condemnation and outrage for his controversial and anti-Semitic comments made during an interview at the Electric Picnic Festival in Dublin this past weekend.

Anti-Semitic attacks hit Argentina and Russia

Anti-Semitic attacks on Saturday once again preceded Rosh Hashana for two communities on opposite sides of the globe.

Campaign to break Orthodox monopoly

Hiddush, a trans-denominational organization aimed at promoting religious freedom in Israel, was launched at a press conference in Tel Aviv on Monday.

Haredi rabbis attack Shas MK for leniency on conversions

A mouthpiece for haredi Ashkenazi rabbinic leadership blasted Shas MK Haim Amsalem on Monday for suggesting that conversion criteria for non-Jewish IDF soldiers should be more lenient than for other prospective converts to Judaism.

Lithuania says solved dispute over Jewish cemetery

Government agrees to mark part of area in middle of capital as former Jewish cemetery, with no soil digging allowed there

Safed rabbi asks Madonna to 'perform in modest clothing'

On eve of her two Holy Land concerts, queen of pop receives surprising letter from Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, who urges her to act in accordance with values of Kabbalah

Following protests, Gaddafi to avoid NJ Jewish neighborhood

Bowing to pressure from US lawmakers and members of New Jersey's Jewish community, Libyan officials said Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi has scrapped plans to pitch his tent in that state during a visit to America next month.

Yemen's tiny Jewish minority shrinking fast

Ancient community dwindles as external pressures in poor, strife-stricken country make life increasingly difficult for remaining community members. Shiite revolt in north, increasing Sunni alliance, murder of community member last year all incentives for Jews immigrating to Israel in growing numbers

US Jews protest Catholic salvation text

Major Jewish groups and rabbis from the three largest branches of American Judaism said Thursday that their relationship with Roman Catholic leaders is at risk because of a recent US bishops' statement on salvation.

Shoah survivor: Swedes are the ones who saved me

Golda Zandman, 89, who arrived in Sweden after Holocaust, finds it difficult to understand Lieberman's remarks against Scandinavian country. Yad Vashem historian: Foreign minister's statements inaccurate

US court: Prison okay to stop man's kosher meals

Michigan appeals court rejects lawsuit filed by inmate who stopped receiving costly kosher meals at St. Louis Correctional Facility after he being caught buying non-kosher munchies at prison store

Rabbi Burstein: Single women not allowed to procreate

Head of Jewish fertility organization says Rabbi Yuval Cherlow has reconsidered approval given to 40-year-old woman to get pregnant from sperm donation

Settlers: Rabbis' support for dismantling of outpost homes not a precedent

Leading rabbis and settlement leaders have rejected the idea that a rabbi's decision to support voluntary evacuation of homes in an unauthorized West Bank outpost set a precedent for additional concessions by settlers.

Rabbis fly over Israel in hopes of eliminating swine flu

Fifty people, most of them kabbalists join flight aimed at containing epidemic by prayer

Rabbi Aviner: Non-Jews shouldn't serve in IDF

Following resignation of Druze officer Brigadier-General Imad Fares over traffic accident scandal, prominent Religious Zionism rules, 'Maimonides said explicitly – only Jews in the IDF.' Druze are loyal soldiers, he adds, but should do national service instead

Agency celebrates birthday with arrival of UK olim

The Jewish Agency celebrated its 80th birthday by bringing 107 British Jews "back home" late Tuesday night.

Oldest active US synagogue opens visitors center

Dedicated in 1763 by local Sephardic community, Touro Synagogue in Newport Rhode Island is the oldest in the US to still maintain an active Orthodox congregation. Its new visitor center aims to share places \'great story and history\'

Gov't, JAFI look to boost aliya from FSU with NIS 32m. plan

Aliya from the former Soviet Union (FSU) should get a boost in the coming months after the Immigrant Absorption Ministry and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) announced on Sunday a NIS 32 million aid package for immigrants arriving from there.

NCSY summer program teens demonstrate 'power in numbers'

The National Conference of Synagogue Youth held a celebratory "mega event" for its Israel summer program participants on Sunday night. Six hundred and fifty high schoolers from North America attended the event, which was held at Ein Yael in southern Jerusalem.

European imams, rabbis visit 'The House that Ruth Built'

During a trip to Yankee Stadium with a group of European imams and rabbis last week, their host, Rabbi Marc Schneier, was struck by the impact of the stadium's kosher food: All of his guests, with their varying dietary restrictions, could take part in the fare.

'FBI sting was a case of anti-Semitism'

Anti-Semitism was behind the highly publicized arrests last week of rabbis, including three from the Aleppo-Syrian Jewish community in New York and New Jersey, according to Yitzhak Kakun, editor-in-chief of the Shas weekly Yom Le'Yom.

Krakow's greatest rabbis speak once again... in Polish

Krakow's rabbis are writing once again.

'An alternative to the Zionist narrative'

The Western Galilee Division of the Partnership 2000 program, run by the Jewish Agency in cooperation with the United Jewish Communities, gives college age Americans and Hungarians a taste of the average Israeli's day-to-day life, and a perspective very different from the traditional Zionist narrative offered by other exchange trips such as Taglit-birthright.

London's Jewish Museum preparing to buy 300-year-old hanukkia for new location

After displaying the Lindo hanukkia, England's earliest known hanukkia, for over 70 years, London's Jewish Museum has almost raised sufficient funds to purchase the relic.

Jewish life grows in North Cyprus

Days after the Mumbai terror attacks last November that left over 170 people dead and included a brutal assault on the city's Chabad House, a Turkish Cypriot police commander arrived at the home of Chabad Rabbi Chaim Azimov in the North Cyprus town of Girne.

Jewish Yemeni bride: I wasn't kidnapped

Footage of a young Jewish Yemeni woman who disappeared two weeks after her marriage to a Jewish man was aired by Channel 2 on Monday, showing her with her purportedly new Muslim husband.

'Israel holding money that could save Jewish schools in FSU'

A network of some 42 Jewish schools in the former Soviet Union are in danger of closing

Veggies' kashrut may be revoked for over-spraying

Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger undertakes unprecedented initiative to withdraw kosher authorization from fruit and vegetable growers who use dangerous pesticides even if their use may not represent actual breach of kashrut laws

UK chief rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks gets peerage

Britain's chief rabbi, Dr Jonathan Sacks, has been made a life peer, it was announced on Monday.

Murder case underscores French fears of anti-Semitism

The sentencing on Friday of the murderers of a French Jew attests to the growing concerns of anti-Semitism in French society.

Obama to meet with heads of US Jewish groups

US President Barack Obama will meet on Monday with over a dozen heads of influential American Jewish organizations and is expected to respond to concerns that the White House is pressuring Israel over West Bank settlements while it is soft-pedaling with some of Israel's worst enemies.

Rabbi Eliyahu warns of rabbis who 'kowtow to women'

Former chief rabbi slams liberal stream in religious Zionism, spreading violation of chastity codes

EJC head urges Polish leaders to address restitution

European Jewish Congress president holds high-level meetings with Polish president, foreign minister to discuss importance of struggle against racism, xenophobia

2 Jewish filmmakers boycott J'lem festival to

Two Jewish activists have withdrawn their documentary from the Jerusalem Film Festival in hopes of making the Israeli public think critically about state policies toward the Palestinians.

Sephardi music pioneer Jo Amar dies in New York

Although he was born in Morocco and spent a major part of his life in the United States, singer Jo Amar, who died in New York on Friday at age 79, always considered himself an Israeli.  

Court declares Jew for Jesus 'kosher'

A Jew for Jesus who demanded kashrut supervision from the Chief Rabbinate won a Supreme Court decision on Monday likely to spark another confrontation between the nation's highest legal arbiter and the Orthodox rabbinical establishment.

A new high tech edge to Poland's Jewish heritage

New website aims to use wonders of cyberspace by recapture evidence of local Jewish community before Holocaust

US reformers back Natan Sharansky

Two of the major backers of the Jewish Agency's governance reform, which has been the subject of a row between the agency and the Israeli government, have taken a step toward assuring the government that its chief demand - the appointment of Natan Sharansky as agency chairman - is likely to pass.

Jewish Agency mentoring program for olim gets new TA headquarters

The Jewish Agency for Israel will celebrate the opening of a new immigrant support center in the heart of Tel Aviv with a ceremony at the new location Tuesday evening.

Medieval Jewish bones reinterred in Toledo

Jewish bones belonging to 105 bodies that were removed from a medieval Jewish cemetery in Toledo, Spain were reinterred Sunday in their original graves.

Al-Qaida spokesman tells of Jewish roots

Al-Qaida's American spokesman said in a message released over the weekend that his grandfather was Jewish and encouraged him to visit Israel and meet relatives there.

Nazi massacre site turned into Jewish cemetery

A Nazi labor camp near Berlin where SS guards massacred more than one thousand inmates over 60 years ago was consecrated Tuesday as a Jewish cemetery.

'Yemenite Jews won't be absorbed by Satmar'

The head of a New York Jewish organization that will help to absorb some of the last Jews of Yemen has rejected accusations that the community he represents - Monsey, New York - is "anti-Zionist."

From a Jewish to a Hebrew identity

It has been thirteen years since Rav Leon Ashkenazi, also known as "Manitou," passed away, but upon examining the avalanche of commemorative events taking place this month, it seems that his influence has only grown stronger with every passing year.

First African American woman rabbi ordained

Alyssa Stanton's long, spiritual journey - one that began 45 years ago - reached a milestone on Saturday when she became the first African-American woman ordained as a rabbi.

Observant MDA personnel to answer Shabbat calls by clenching their teeth

Magen David Adom staffers and volunteers who are religiously observant have been advised to use their teeth to respond to emergency calls using their new Mirs communications devices on Shabbat and festivals.

Can Britain's chief rabbi sell in America?

Most of what you need to know about Jonathan Sacks, the chief rabbi of the British commonwealth, is apparent from the story he tells of how his latest book, "The Home We Build Together," came to be.

Thousands attend march for Israel in NY

Tens of thousands of supporters of Israel crowded New York's Fifth Avenue on Sunday as part of the annual parade celebrating the birth of the Jewish state in 1948.

Ben-Ami Kadish gets $50K fine

A judge spared an 85-year-old former US Army engineer any prison time for passing secret documents to the Israelis in the 1980s but said it remains a mystery why such a grave assault on national security took 23 years to prosecute.

The new American Girl doll: She's Jewish and she's poor

It's official. The newest American Girl doll is 9-year-old Rebecca Rubin, a Jewish-American girl who lives with her family on Manhattan's Lower East Side in 1914.

Chief Rabbi Amar warns of rift in Jewish nation over conversions

Last week's ruling by the High Court of Justice ordering the state to fund Reform and Conservative conversion institutes as well as Orthodox ones could create a schism in the Jewish nation, Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar warned on Sunday.

Yeshiva offers students life coaching

Beginning next school year, trained rabbis at Tel Aviv yeshiva to help students realize their potential by helping them deal with personal problems

Hate goes viral on social network sites

Report issued by Simon Wiesenthal Center warns YouTube, Facebook unable to control hate content uploaded by users. 'Every aspect of the internet is being used by extremists to repackage old hatred,' says center.

Bar Ilan U honors priest fighting Shoah denial

University awards honorary doctorate to Father Patrick Desbois, who spearheads efforts to locate in Ukraine sites of mass shootings of Jews during Holocaust

Rabbi Rosen: Claims against pope unfounded

Member of Chief Rabbinate's inter-religious committee comes to Benedict XVI's defense following religious leaders' attacks. 'I don’t know what they want from him. This is the same group of accusers from the previous pope's visit'.

Chief rabbi orders 'swine flu fast'

Rabbi Shlomo Amar calls on public to dedicate Thursday to fasting, praying as means of battling spreading global pandemic

Chief Rabbinate: Holy Land assets cannot be turned over to Vatican

In response to reports of negotiations on the possible transfer of dozens of holy sites in Israel to Vatican control ahead of pope's visit, Holy Sites Commission member Rabbi Kook says 'this unprecedented historical disgrace threatens the very existence of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish nation'

Report: Obama to visit Buchenwald

London Times reports US president preparing to pay visit to Nazi concentration camp liberated by American soldiers, including his mother's uncle, when he returns to Europe next month

Bible Contest laureate asks PM to help free Pollard

Fifteen-year-old Sapir Malka dedicates victory to classmates slain in 2008 attack on Jerusalem's Mercaz Harav Yeshiva; asks Netanyahu to assist in efforts to get US-held Israeli spy out of jail

Rabbi Ovadia: Smoking students should be slapped

In his weekly sermon, Shas' spiritual leader defines smoking as 'a breach which must be prevented', calls on parents and teachers to act against it. He also offers tips for quitting habit

Victims' message found in Auschwitz

Polish official says workers discovered bottle hidden in wall of a building next to concentration camp site containing scrap of paper on which prisoners who worked there had scrawled their names

Rabbi Sherlo: Ban products that look like chametz

Head of Petah Tikva hesder yeshiva answers woman who accidentally ate chametz cake placed on kosher-for-Pesach shelf at supermarket

California returns art to heirs of Shoah victims

Artwork seized from German Jewish family by Nazis and sold to William Randolph Hearst in 1935 returned to grandchildren of original owners, who perished in Holocaust

Calls to boycott Dankner over Shabbat desecration

IDB group owner faces haredi boycott threats because some of his companies work on Shabbat. But source in ultra-Orthodox sector believes threats are 'nothing but a children's prank'

First lady visits Prague Jewish quarter

US First Lady Michelle Obama spent two hours on Sunday touring Prague's Jewish Quarter synagogues and unique cemetery. Her visit included a stop at the Pinkas synagogue, whose walls bear the names of more than 80,000 Czech Holocaust victims - including the ancestors of Madeleine Albright, the Czech-born former US secretary of state.

UJC budget plan may squeeze charities

Facing a deepening US recession, the umbrella organization of Jewish communities throughout North America is considering a budget proposal that would bolster domestic operations at the expense of programs in Israel and throughout the world.

Netanyahu to ask Sharansky to be Jewish Agency chairman

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will soon ask former minister and dissident Natan Sharansky to serve as chairman of the Jewish Agency, sources close to the two men confirmed on Sunday.

New GPS device makes schlepping around Eretz Yisroel easy

Oy gevalt! You can sure feel like a schlemiel getting around Eretz Yisroel sometimes. Especially if you're a kvetch who doesn't have the chutzpa to ask for directions because you only speak Yiddish.

A little something extra

In the absence of jobs, MASA initiative encourages young Jewish professionals to develop their careers through internships in Israel

Petition to have body parts examined

Yehuda Meshi-Zahav of the ZAKA organization, promised to take legal steps and launch public protest against the exhibit. He said that the origin of the bodies was unclear, and therefore there were concerns for human rights violations – an issue that should be cleared in court.

Rabbi Aviner supports importation of Breslov grave

Zionist-Religious leader says Rabbi Nachman of Breslov desired burial in Israel, therefore supports petition calling on gov't to import his bones

Rabbis meet with pope to smooth interfaith tensions

Delegation of prominent rabbis meets with Benedict XVI in Rome in hopes of healing ties following crisis sparked by pope's decision to lift excommunication of Holocaust-denying bishop

Jerusalem: Stinky solution for Purim riots

Haredi Community uses stench bombs made out of rotten fish to scare away unruly teens accused of 'causing provocations' in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods on Purim eve

Rabbis to meet faction heads on civil marriage

Chief Rabbinate's council says Chief Rabbis Metzger, Amar will hold sit-down with various faction heads in Knesset in effort to broker acceptable solution to sensitive matter

Swedish Jews undeterred by protests

While local Jews admit notable rise in anti-Semitic atmosphere after protest against Israel-Sweden tennis match, Israeli envoy blames riots on small groups of extremists, says public debate on Israel in media may have deterred many from protesting

Neturei Karta: Dressing up as soldiers forbidden

Anti-Zionist stream's leaders urge public not to wear popular costumes of policemen, soldiers on Purim, because they include 'impure symbols' of State of Israel

One on One: 'Israel is our insurance'

'Though we Jews in Gibraltar always say that the Rock is very much our own place, we call it Yerushalayim haktana [little Jerusalem]," says Gibraltar Mayor Solomon ("Momy") Levy, here on a private visit to the actual capital of the country last month.

Grant program to bring Jews back to Alabama town nets 1st family

The first people have moved to the Alabama city of Dothan under a program offering Jewish families as much as $50,000 to relocate and get involved with the city's only synagogue.

Technion rabbi: Remove mezuzot from gay couples' rooms

Religious students protest Haifa's Institute of Technology's decision to allow homosexuals to live in dorms designed for married couples

Poland asks EU for $150m. to help preserve Auschwitz

Poland's prime minister has appealed to leaders of EU countries for help raising €120 million (about $150 million) for badly needed restoration work at the sprawling former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz.

Jewish groups praise US for decision to boycott Durban II

Jewish groups have joined in praising the US decision to withdraw from a UN-sponsored conference on racism, and say they hope that European countries will follow suit. Widely called "Durban II," the conference is scheduled for April in Geneva.

'EU nations fail to track anti-Semitism'

Most EU countries fail to compile statistics on anti-Semitism, a new report says, complicating efforts to gauge the level of animosity toward Jews within the 27-nation bloc.

Women worshippers stir row at Western Wall

Tensions in Jerusalem: Some 100 women wear prayer shawls, chant from Torah at Western Wall to protest 'attempt to silence half of Jewish people'; rally draws angry reaction, holy site's rabbi slams provocation

Holocaust-denying bishop returns to UK

After being deported from Argentina Richard Williamson lands in London Wednesday. Jewish leaders in UK urge authorities not to provide 'safe-haven' for him

New record: Married and divorced at 14

Seventeen-year-old teen and his 14-year-old girlfriend declared youngest couple to get a divorce in Israel, after 'mock wedding' they held became legal according to Jewish law because they had sex

Survey: 31% of Europeans blame economic crisis on Jews

Anti-Defamation League poll conducted in seven European countries shows almost half of Europeans believe Jews more loyal to Israel than countries they live in, 40% say Jews have too much power

Law of Return to be revised

Interior Minister Sheetrit appoints special committee to discuss refining law which he says has been abused, allowing 'people that have nothing to do with Judaism' to receive automatic Israeli citizenship. Interior Ministry says 1 million illegal immigrants living in Israel

Rabbi Aviner: Visiting Nazi death camps forbidden

Prominent Zionist rabbi says leaving Land of Israel not for sake of mitzvah banned, as is helping Poles – who collaborated with Nazis – make living out of death camps

Surge of anti-Semitic attacks in UK

London-based Jewish charity says Gaza offensive sparked dramatic increase in anti-Semitic attacks

Parisian Jews: Anti-Semitism on the rise

On three-year anniversary of murder of 23-year-old French Jew Ilan Halimi, community members say situation only worsened, with racially motivated incidents occurring almost every day. Michael Benhamou, who was attacked last month, plans to immigrate to Israel, says 'there's nothing left for us here'

Tel Aviv: Haredim enraged by Centennial Committee

Senior members of city's ultra-Orthodox community angered by municipality allowing events' sponsor AM:PM chain, whose store are open on weekends, push a Shabbat prayer service. 'Move equals spitting in our faces,' one of them says

Personal security guards for haredi party's leaders

On backdrop of conflicts in ultra-Orthodox world following MK Meir Porush's run for Jerusalem mayor, leaders of United Torah Judaism party hire personal security details

Haredi paper suggests chicken noodles for Shabbat, with cheese

Printing error causes outrage among readers of Hamodia daily after finding non-kosher serving suggestion in paper's weekend edition

US Jews want to see progress, regardless of who's PM

Leaders of American Jewish organizations on Wednesday pledged to work with whoever winds up leading a new Israeli government - but expressed frustration with the near certainty that the next coalition will be weak and one that could hinder progress toward peace.

Families in flux

For a child, a bar mitzva can be a leap from youth to maturity, with all its attendant responsibilities; but for a family, it can be a time of unsettling transition, when older, aging generations are forced to acknowledge the arrival of the next.

Venezuela detains 11 suspects in shul attack

Authorities arrested 11 people, including seven police officers, suspected of carrying out an attack on a Caracas synagogue that raised concerns of rising of anti-Semitism in Venezuela, officials said Sunday.

Reports: Argentine seminary ousts Holocaust denier

A Roman Catholic bishop whose denials that the Holocaust ever happened led to Vatican demands he recant has been removed as the head of an Argentine seminary, local media reported Sunday, citing a Catholic official.

Truly, a good Jew

It's been nearly 74 years but Stanley Abramovitch still vividly recalls the night in March 1935 when he bade farewell to his friends, twin brother, younger brother and mother and left his native Poland for England.

Vatican: Holocaust denier must recant

The Vatican demanded on Wednesday that a Holocaust-denying bishop recant his positions before he can be fully readmitted into the Roman Catholic Church.

German investigators to look for wanted Nazi's body

German investigators who have hunted Nazi war criminal Aribert Heim for decades said Thursday that new information indicating the former concentration camp doctor died in Egypt in 1992 appears credible and that they will attempt to find his body.

Survey: US Jews 'overwhelmingly supported' Gaza op

Poll conducted by ADL finds 81% of American Jews believe Hamas responsible for escalation in violence; 79% think Israel's use of force during operation was appropriate, rather than excessive

A climate of fear

Ever since she was a kid, Sheila wanted to be married in Istanbul's famous Neveh Shalom Synagogue.

Chavez condemns synagogue attack

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday condemned a recent attack on a Caracas synagogue, suggesting that his political foes were responsible for the incident.

Heart recipient's father: We'll never donate organs

Haredi man whose daughter's life was saved thanks to heart, lungs donation from Arab child killed in car crash says Halacha prohibits him, his family from donating organs

Rabbinate cuts ties with Vatican

Chief Rabbinate of Israel cuts ties with Vatican over pardon of Holocaust denier until apology is made, Vatican's position clarified. Survivor Eli Wiesel also comes out against pontiff's pardon of known Holocaust denying bishop, says slight may even have been 'intentional.'

German Jews boycott Shoah service in protest of anti-Semitism

Community leaders refuse to attend Berlin ceremony marking International Holocaust Memorial Day due to organizers' failure to acknowledge survivors present at event, as well as sense of growing anti-Semitism in country in recent years

Yad Vashem blasts envoy's comparison of Gaza op to Shoah

Yad Vashem on Wednesday lambasted a Norwegian diplomat for equating Operation Cast Lead with the Nazis' extermination of 6 million Jews, calling the comparison an "appallingly manipulative" use of the Holocaust that is "fanning the flames" of hatred and anti-Semitism.

World Jewish Congress to stand by Israel

Over 400 representatives of Jewish communities from all continents, international Jewish organizations expected to attend WJC's 13th Plenary Assembly on January 26-27 in Jerusalem.

Serbian city grants Nazi hunter honorary citizenship

The chief Nazi hunter of the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center has been awarded honorary citizenship by the Serbian city of Novi Sad, in recognition of his work in exposing a former Nazi war criminal who helped organize the large-scale massacre of Jews, Serbs, and Gypsies in the city during World War II.

Rabbi Lau: Large number of religious troops not to be ignored

Former chief rabbi praises skullcap-wearing IDF soldiers who are prominent in number in combat units, among wounded. 'Education for loving country and homeland and utmost value of sanctity of life are bearing fruit,' he says. On same token, however, Lau urges avoiding sectoral view of army

Iranian Shoah book to be issued in English

Student-linked Iranian publisher plans to launch English, Arabic-language versions of book of caricatures, satirical writings dealing with 'big historical distortion' of Holocaust

Rabbi Eliyahu goes back to work

After prolonged hospitalization and medical condition defined as 'critical', former chief rabbi returns for first time to his office in Jerusalem. 'This is another step towards his return to leading the religious public,' says rabbi's associate

Israel worried about upswing in international anti-Semitism

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has expressed concern over "a wave of anti-Semitic attacks" faced by Jewish communities worldwide.

France: 55 anti-Semitic acts since start of Cast Lead

Representatives of 20 organizations meet with French Secretary of State for Urban Policies in search of solution to rising tensions between groups. Jewish Students Union head says more incidents recorded since start of Gaza op than at start of second intifada

Rabbis call for immediate truce in Gaza

Dozens of members of Rabbis for Human Rights organization issue letter urging all those involved in fighting to work for immediate, comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza Strip, southern Israel. 'The sanctity of life is a supreme value in Jewish tradition,' letter says

French teenagers charged in attack on Jewish girl

Youths accused of making anti-Semitic insults toward14-year-old girl, pushing her to ground and kicking her as she was leaving school

Disputed Shoah memoir could reappear as fiction

Small publishing house 'in serious discussion' to publish survivor's book of love in concentration camp, which was yanked from publication last month when he admitted it was a hoax

El Al to launch kosher flights for haredim

Ultra-Orthodox reps ask airline to operate special flights that would include separation between men and women, male flight attendants and no movies.

Ask the Rabbi: The way you wear your hat

What is the source and reason for men to wear a kippa?

Europe fears spike in Anti-Semitism over Gaza

Governments, Jewish organizations concerned that figuring in Gaza could lead to surge in anti-Jewish incidents in continent, appeal for calm. Rise in anti-Semitic incidents also recorded in UK

ADL: Nazi imagery abound at anti-Israel rallies

Comparisons of Israel’s actions to those of Hitler, signs altering Jewish Star of David into swastika a recurring feature at many rallies across US

Fears mount of Gaza conflict spillover in Europe

Attacks against Jews in France, Sweden, Denmark and Britain raise concern among gov't officials, Jewish leaders.

Herzog calls on US Jews to voice support for Gaza op

"We're in this together," minister says, urging them "not to be shy" in publicizing Israel's case.

Burning car rams synagogue in southwest France

No Injuries but a rabbi was giving a course to adults inside

Sick son of Holtzbergs dies; 'little Moshe' now alone

Dov, the emissaries' four-year-old son, who had been hospitalized with a genetic disease, was buried Tuesday on the Mount of Olives, near the graves of his parents.

Roseanne Barr: Israel is a 'Nazi state'

Jewish actress says destruction of the Jews in Israel "assured with this inhuman attack on Gaza."

Molotov cocktail thrown at Chicago shul

None hurt in fire bomb attack, minor damage to wall; incident being investigated as hate crime.

Boston Celtics visit Shoah museum

NBA champions take time to tour memorial museum in Washington prior to game against local Wizards. 'I didn't realize six million Jews perished in Holocaust,' says coach Doc Rivers

Clinton taps 2 Jewish deputies for State Department

Jacob Lew and James Steinberg will be Clinton's chief lieutenants, according to a report in Tuesday's New York Times.

Holtzbergs' parents to light candles in Mumbai

Shimon and Yehudit Rosenberg of Afula, and Nachman and Freida Holtzberg of Brooklyn to light Hanukka menora by Gateway to India monument.

French Muslim leaders in Israel to promote undersanding

Muslim Paris police commander: Fighting anti-Semitism top priority

Yeshiva students expelled for getting a driver's license

Four students were expelled from the Tiferet Israel yeshiva in Jerusalem last week after it became known that they had obtained driver's licenses in violation of the yeshiva's rules.

Tourist discovers trove of 1,300-year-old coins in Jerusalem's City of David

Coins are considered one of the most impressive deposits ever found in the capital

Jewish Agency: Yemeni gov't is protecting Jewish community

Amos Hermon tells 'Post' President Ali Abdullah Saleh promised Nahari's murder would be tried.

Bush cuts short Mideast trip to host White House Hanukkah party

Bush cuts short Mideast trip to attend annual holiday party with Jewish leaders in D.C.

Immigrant IAF pilot fights to be recognized as a Jew

The Israel Air Force will receive its first non-Jewish pilot next week, when Andrei (whose last name is classified) receives his wings at the end of a long flight course.

Orthodox praise kosher ruling for inmate

Jewish convert has claimed that his constitutional rights were violated because he was initially refused kosher food.

Police arrest 8 suspects in Yemeni Jew's murder

Yemenite authorities arrested eight suspects in connection with the murder of Moshe Yaish Nahari, a Jewish resident of Riydah, Israel Radio reported on Saturday.

US to unveil court rulings against Nazis

Yad Vashem, US Holocaust Museum to get one of largest contemporary sources of Nazi trial material.

'Israel has reached the end of the road'

After attending anti-Gaza blockade rally in Teheran, Ahmadinejad says Israel committing "atrocities."

'Anti-Semitic' sunflower seed bags sold in Brooklyn

A Russian food chain in Brooklyn stocked and sold dozens of packages of roasted sunflower seeds featuring a caricature of a greedy and sinister-looking Jew wearing a skullcap on the label.

Jewish groups back Israel on Hebron

Some groups, including the Orthodox Union and the Zionist Organization of America, were silent on the matter.

Chabad to rebuild Mumbai Jewish Center

The new head of a devastated Jewish center in Mumbai vowed Tuesday to restore the facility that was devastated when suspected Islamic gunmen rampaged through the Indian city ten days ago. The owners of the iconic Taj Mahal hotel, meanwhile, pledged to reopen with an interfaith ceremony.

Study shows Spain's Jewish-Muslim mixed

New evidence shows mass conversions during Spanish Inquisition

Polish Jewry has bright future, says chief rabbi

Poland's chief Rabbi said this week in Israel there is no telling how many Poles have yet to discover their Jewish roots.

S. Africa Jews upset over anti-Israel petition

Zionist Federation blasts South African president for signing petition equating Israel with apartheid.

At synagogue overlooking Obama's house, blacks and Jews live side by side

Security around U.S. president-elect's Chicago home causes disturbance, but doesn't deter congregants

Mumbai Jewish community on edge after attacks in India

Leaders of 5,000-person community say anti-Semitism has never been a problem, plan to beef up security.

The last Shabbat in Mumbai

Rabbi Moishe Silverman stood taking inventory of a meat freezer at South Florida Kosher, the supermarket and butcher shop where he works. Dressed in a yarmulke and tie and wearing a plastic apron over his white butcher jacket, he surveyed the piled boxes of chicken and beef.

Customers stew as kosher meat becomes rare

Rabbi Moishe Silverman stood taking inventory of a meat freezer at South Florida Kosher, the supermarket and butcher shop where he works. Dressed in a yarmulke and tie and wearing a plastic apron over his white butcher jacket, he surveyed the piled boxes of chicken and beef.

Holocaust survivor meets her Polish savior after 60 years

During World War II, the Sozanska family gave shelter to Rozia Rothshild and her family, hiding them from the Nazis. Sixty years later, Rozia reunites with Wiktoria Sozanska for the first time. 'Her bravery is what has allowed me to live and build a wonderful family of my own,' she says

Member of Subbotnik community appeals to make aliya

The High Court of Justice will hold a hearing on a petition Thursday that could have ramifications for 20,000 Russians whose Jewish status is being questioned by the State of Israel.

OU delegation petitions Barkat against dividing J'lem

A delegation of American Jews from the New York-based Orthodox Union presented Jerusalem Mayor-elect Nir Barkat Wednesday with a petition against any future division of Jerusalem as part of a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Germany to pursue Holocaust denier's arrest

After British court rules against extradition of Australian Gerald Fredrick Toben, German state prosecutor says 'we will continue to attempt to have him arrested in other countries'

US: Child sex abuse claims divide Orthodox community

Initiatives encouraging victims to come forward or offering support for those claiming they were molested encounter strong opposition, lead to death-threats in Orthodox community

Want to make it to 120? Then get to shul once a week

Maybe it's providence or God's way of saying thank you, and maybe it's the relaxed ambience at houses of prayer, but mosques, churches, synagogues and shrines apparently keep the angel of death away.

Chief rabbis declare day of prayers on economic crisis

Rabbis urge people to pray, repent and give charity on Thursday, as way to battle implications of global financial meltdown

Conversion must be taken out of haredi hands, officials say

The three Israeli officials most involved in relations with the Diaspora called on Wednesday to remove the country's conversion process from the "hands of the haredim."

Jewish Republican Eric Cantor elected party whip

Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor won his race to become the new minority whip Wednesday, becoming the second-ranking Republican in the US House of Representatives.

Bridging the Muslim-Jewish divide

There was nothing unusual about some 20 devout Muslims from the King Fahad Mosque bowing and prostrating themselves as they recited the Isha, or night prayer.

Jewish Agency calls for 'independent' conversion authority

The Jewish Agency Assembly called on the government on Sunday to create an "independent" authority dealing with conversion, removing responsibility for conversions from the Prime Minister's Office.

10 new conversion judges await A-G's OK

A committee headed by Chief Sephardi Rabbi Shlomo Amar appointed 10 new conversion court judges during a meeting on Sunday in the chief rabbi's office. The appointees await the approval of the attorney general, who will decide whether civil service appointments can be made ahead of national elections.

The affair stirring up Bnei Brak

Beautiful divorcee threatens to tell local Hasid's wife of their affair if he fails to pay her NIS 350,000

European haredim unfazed by 'loss' of Jerusalem

The Orthodox rabbinic leadership of Europe, meeting in Prague at a summit of the Conference of European Rabbis, took the haredi loss of the mayoralty of Jerusalem in stride Wednesday.

Day of prayer for philanthropists organized amid financial crisis

Leaders of Israel's largest religious seminaries have designated a day of prayer for the financial health of Jewish philanthropists.

Gov't approves aliya of some 150 Bnei Menashe from India

The Interior Ministry has granted permission to the Shavei Israel organization to bring a group of some 150 Bnei Menashe from northeastern India on aliya, a government source told The Jerusalem Post this week.

Rabbi Lau elected Yad Vashem Council chairman

Cabinet approves former chief rabbi's appointment as head of Holocaust memorial museum's Council. Lau, a Holocaust survivor, says he is grateful for the appointment

Keep your lights on: Remembering Kristallnacht

Worldwide memorial events to take place on 70th anniversary of Nazi pogrom, including night-long light vigils in synagogues across world, international conference in Jerusalem

The JewBerry: Praying on the PDA

A $30 software program for BlackBerries, brainchild of two entrepreneurs who attended New York's Yeshiva University, provides texts of daily prayers

Anti-Semitism is alive and kicking in Romania

Recent desecration of some 200 graves in the great cemetery in Bucharest shows prevailing anti-Jewish trend.

More than 1,000 attend Limmud FSU Jewish learning conference

The organizers of the biggest informal educational conference in the former Soviet Union states were amazed with the success and scale of the operation.

10 arrested in false rabbinical titles scam

Some 1,500 policemen, prison employees and soldiers have been receiving NIS 2,000-NIS 4,000 per month more than they deserved because they falsely claimed they were rabbis, the state revealed on Sunday in an indictment filed in Jerusalem District Court.

US soldier discharged for beating Jew

The US Army has kicked out a soldier for beating a Jewish trainee who complained about religious harassment in their basic training unit, a spokesman said Monday.

Rabbi’s ruling: Torah falls; community must fast

Sacred scroll falls out of 12-year-old Modiin boy's hand during Simchat Torah celebrations. All adult male synagogue members must repent, says city's chief rabbi

Ivanka Trump converting to Judaism

Ahead of marriage to Jewish businessman, head of New York Observer Jared Kushner, daughter of real estate tycoon Donald Trump begins conversion process in Manhattan synagogue

Kosher Iowa meatpacker fined nearly $10 million

In September, plant owner and managers charged with 9,311 misdemeanors alleging they illegally hired minors and let children younger than 16 handle dangerous equipment.

Germany presents Israel Holocaust-era records

Culture Minister Bernd Neumann hands Yad Vashem personal details of 600,000 Jewish residents of Nazi Germany. 'This list is much more than a list. It is a unique document about life in Germany and tells the story of those who could not tell their own story,' he says

German economist apologizes for Jewish comparison

A leading German economist apologized Monday for drawing a much-criticized parallel between corporate managers today and the Nazi-era persecution of Jews that followed the 1929 financial crisis.

Anti-Obama email targets Jewish voters

Republicans disavowing message sent to 75,000 Jewish voters reading, 'Many of our ancestors ignored the warning signs in 1930s, 1940s and made a tragic mistake'

Up to 200 Jewish graves found desecrated in Bucharest cemetery

Up to 200 graves in the Jewish community's biggest cemetery in Bucharest have been vandalized, Romanian authorities said Friday.

Jerusalem and Babylon / Should Pope Pius XII be made a saint? Leave that to the Vatican to decide

The more theologically accurate answer is that it doesn't matter, what you, I, or anyone else thinks on the matter - not even the current pope. According to the rules of the Catholic Church, Pius XII either is a saint already or is not and can never be.All that's left to the powers that be in the Vatican is to recognize him as the saint that he either is or is not.

36 Jews who have shaped the 2008 U.S. election

The John McCain-Barack Obama contest has been one in which the issues of Wall Street and fitness for the presidency have far overshadowed the subject of Israel. But the Jewish vote remains a key element in battleground states, and, playing a wide variety of roles, Jews have helped to shape the campaigns.

Tens of thousands attend priestly benediction in Jerusalem

Jewish worshippers congregate at Western Wall for traditional Sukkot event; chief Ashkenazi, Sephardic rabbis bless nation.

U.S. rabbis: McCain attacks on Obama creeping toward 'hate speech'

Rabbis for Obama also denounce Republican Jews for labeling Democratic candidate as 'reckless on Israel.'

Paul Krugman wins Nobel economics prize

Krugman praised for formulating new theory on free trade

S. Africa's Jews praise president's greetings

Motlanthe wishes for country's Jews to be "inscribed in the Book of Life."

Brown lauds Israel as 'symbol of hope'

British prime minister pays tribute to the tenacity and achievements of the Jewish people.

Lebanese union to sue Israel for 'claiming ownership' of falafel

Lebanese union suing Israel for claiming falafel, hummus, and tabouleh, which they note is Lebanese delicacies

Haifa chief rabbi addresses the Vatican

Cohen makes the 1st appearance by a Jew before the Catholic Church's supreme representative body.

Burial artifact inscribed 'Son of High Priest' found near West Bank fence route

Artifact dates to the time of Jesus and the Second Temple, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The Holocaust, Tarantino-style: Jews scalping Nazis

New film starring Brad Pitt stirs controversy in Germany, where discussion of WWII is usually restricted to historical discourse

Astronaut Ilan Ramon's diary put on display in Jerusalem

After  a year of restoration and 4 years of deciphering the pages, Ramon’s diary is put on display in the Israel Museum.

US: Jewish recruit says he was beaten

Pvt. Michael Handman said one sergeant used anti-Semitic slur, another made him remove kippa.

ADL: Financial crisis sparking upsurge in anti-Semitism on internet

Watchdog says postings accuse Jews of controlling U.S. government, finance as part of a 'Jew world order.'

Young Jews to push Florida grandparents to vote Obama launched

A new Jewish political action committee is encouraging, the Jewish Council for Education and Research, is organizing "The Great Schlep" over Columbus Day Weekend.

Aussie Holocaust denier nabbed in UK

Gerald Toben arrested on EU warrant at Heathrow for alleged anti-Semitism, Holocaust revisionism.

Holocaust charity hopes 5769 will be better for survivors

Efforts to help Israel's Holocaust survivors live out their final years in dignity should happen the whole year around and not just on certain Jewish holidays

McCartney warms up in Tel Aviv

Ex-Beatle tours Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, visits Beit Sahour school, jokes about 'Post' story.

World Jewish population grows by 70,000

Jewish Agency reports that in past year, number of Jews rose to 13.3 million; 5,500,000 in Israel.

Despite UN speech, Jews dine with Ahmadinejad in New York

'Friends of Gilad Shalit' to hold Rosh Hashanah dinner across from Livni's house

Friends of Gilad Shalit will hold a “captivity dinner”

Pope says wartime pontiff Pius XII worked to save Jews

Pope Benedict XVI defends predecessor; says Pius' many interventions were "made secretly and silently."

American Iraq war veterans tour Israel

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America arrived in Israel this week for a week-long tour.

Rabbi Amar calls for end to discrimination against Ethiopians

Israel's chief Sephardic rabbi issues plea to community's schools, asks that they stop refusing Ethiopian students' admission

Pope slams anti-Semitism in meeting with French Jews

Pope Benedict XVI referred to anti-Semitism as to being “anti-Christian”

Parents angry over lack of kashrut on Poland trip

"It is not possible that they take such a large sum, more than NIS 7,000 per student, and they cannot supply kosher food."

Ashkenazim, Sephardim fight over Chief Rabbinate appointments

Degel Hatorah and Agudath Yisrael refuse to form a united voting bloc with Shas in protest against Shas's candidate Rabbi Avraham Yosef

Nazi hunter wants US, Austrian, Hungarian suspects

Efraim Zuroff says he is providing Serbian officials with evidence against Peter Egner, who lives in the United States, Milivoj Asner, who lives in Austria, and Sandor Kepiro of Hungary.

World's largest Jewish museum to be built in Moscow

Museum to be established in a historic building at the Jewish community center

Anti-Semitic remark draws Malaysian ire

Malaysian gov't slams official for urging Chinese minority not to become like "dominating" Jews in US.

215-year-old stolen manuscript to be returned to library

Israeli Embassy officials are currently arranging the manuscript's transfer from the German National Library in Berlin back to Israel.

Obama campaign targets Florida Jews in close race for key state

Poll released this week shows Obama and McCain tied in state which could prove crucial to November victory.

Muslim immigrants attack three Jewish teens in Paris

All three youths were hospitalized, one with a broken nose and jaw.

Wanted: Jewish families

Offered as much as $50,000 to relocate to Dothan, Alabama.

'Teacher's birthright' may get $100m. boost

The plan to bring thousands of Diaspora Jewish educators to Israel on free trips could receive over $100 million in state funding, according to initiatives being developed in the Prime Minister's Office

'Anti-Zionism a type of anti-Semitism'

A Cologne regional court ruling on Wednesday resulted in a partial legal victory for Henryk M. Broder, a prominent Jewish journalist who had asked the court to vacate a temporary restraining order barring him from labeling statements from fellow Jew Evelyn Hecht-Galinski as anti-Semitic.

Russian archaeologists find long-lost Jewish capital

Russian archaeologists said Wednesday that they had found the long-lost capital of the Khazar kingdom in southern Russia, a breakthrough for research on the ancient Jewish state.

Hawaii's 1st Jewish governor: Palin more experienced than Obama

Says Republicans will growing numbers of Jewish voters, citing 'stronger position on Israel.'

Greece urged to educate youth on Shoah after teens filmed urinating on memorial

In YouTube clip, vandals decried "propaganda about chosen people."

Petah Tikva religious schools reject kids of Ethiopian immigrants

Parents say they were told by adminstrators there was a surplus of Ethiopian students.

Jewish New Orleans undergoing dramatic transformation

Three years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the face of Jewish New Orleans is undergoing a dramatic transformation.

YouTube removes memorial desecration video

YouTube removed a video showing a teenager urinating on the Holocaust memorial in Rhodes.

UK academic union bans anti-Semitic poster from Web site

Jenna Delich posted a link to an anti-Semitic article on the Web site of former Klu Klux Klan leader, David Duke.

Holocaust haunts survivors; agencies try to help

Nearly every night, Martin Hornung's nightmare unfolds to the same haunting strains. Of Auschwitz. Of screaming voices.

Swastikas painted on Berlin Holocaust memorial

German Police are searching for vandals who painted 11 swastikas on some of the 2,700 gray slabs of Berlin's Holocaust memorial.

Biden has 'solid pro-Israel record,' says head of Jewish Democratic group

The head of a major Jewish Democratic organization praised Barack Obama on Saturday for an "outstanding selection" in tapping Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware to be his vice presidential running mate.

PMO: No decision yet on Bnei Menashe

PM Olmert still to decide if 7,000 Bnei Menashe can immigrate

Jews and Iranians among student body on new version of '90210'

When the hit television series "Beverly Hills, 90210" premiered on the Fox network nearly two decades ago, many viewers pointed out that the show did not reflect the reality of Beverly Hills High School. The real Beverly Hills High is both predominantly Jewish and heavily Iranian.

Jewish World / Britain is a good place to be Jewish

Last month, my organization, the anti-Semitism watchdog CST released a report showing yet another rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Britain.

Fictitious IDF rabbis to refund military expenses

Army officers accused of fraudulently presenting themselves as rabbis in order to solicit pay raise ordered to refund army's expenses on their salaries. Some face disciplinary action, others may face criminal charges

Bnei Brak residents hold funeral for torched Torah scrolls

The two Torah scrolls were severely damaged in an arson attack on the city's Beit Yaakov synagogue

A 78-year-old bar mitzvah boy

Holocaust survivor Arieh Czeizler to celebrate bar mitzvah at 65-year delay, because 'Germans took us before I managed to read from the Torah’

Venezuela's Chavez meets world Jewish leaders, vows to fight anti-Semitism

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met with Jewish leaders on Wednesday, pledging to work together against anti-Semitism and open up channels of communication despite differences on Middle East politics. Both Chavez and leaders of the World Jewish Congress called the meeting a success.

French Jewish group sues YouTube

A French Jewish group said on Thursday it is suing the YouTube video-sharing website over a clip showing a host of Jewish public figures to the soundtrack of a pre-war anti-Semitic song. The video posted on the US site YouTube and its French rival Dailymotion shows a slideshow of more than 150 French politicians, TV stars, journalists, writers, philosophers, actors, singers and comedians.

Report: Berlin to compensate Hungarian Holocaust survivors

Jewish group says Germany agreed to pay 12.3 million euros to some 6,500 Hungarians 'in recognition of the incarceration and suffering of Budapest Shoah survivors'.

Georgian Jews flee to Israel as clashes with Russia continue

Many Georgian Jews preparing to leave as Georgia clashes with Russia over South Ossetia.

German police:Neo-Nazis stepping up violence

German neo-Nazis increasingly turning to violence according to top police officer.

Auschwitz museum appeals for funds

Management of death camp museum says it needs millions of euros urgently to maintain vast site, adding ruins of gas chambers and wooden barracks that held inmates are under threat

Satirical jab at Sarkozy's son sparks cries of anti-Semitism

Jean Sarkozy engaged to Jewish woman, rumors he is considering conversion

Archaeologists unearth proof of plot to kill Prophet Jeremiah

Israeli archaeologists unearth seal impression from 2,600 years ago during dig in Jerusalem.

Rising popularity in use of internet rabbis

Exodus passenger makes successful aliyah after 60 years

Obama struggling to convince all Jewish voters

Belz Hasidic Court logs onto web

Man arrested after spraying graffiti on Berlin's Holocaust memorial.

300 new olim arrive in Israel