October 30, 2013
WASHINGTON (JTA) – The LivingSocial website apologized for a Halloween party it sponsored in Washington following a complaint that some of the decorations were anti-Semitic.
LivingSocial, which is owned by AOL, offers discount deals at area businesses throughout the country, decorated its “greed” room with dreidels and gold coins at its “7 Deadly Sins Halloween Party” on Oct. 26.
“We have looked into it and determined that the inclusion of...
October 30, 2013
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Shalom Center joined 21 activist organizations in a lawsuit against the National Security Agency concerning the government’s collection of telephone records.
Collecting people’s records “is illegal, is destructive, and should be stopped,” said Rabbi Arthur Waskow, founder and director of the Philadelphia center.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco and submitted by Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization working to protect civil...
October 30, 2013
NEW YORK (JTA) — The Jewishly-identified adult children of intermarried parents are less likely to participate in organized Jewish activities than their peers with two Jewish parents, according to a new study obtained by JTA.
The Jewish Outreach Institute, a nonprofit that promotes more inclusion of intermarried and unaffiliated Jews into Jewish life, conducted a survey of 204 self-identified Jews raised in intermarried homes and compared the results to a...
October 30, 2013
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Construction plans for eastern Jerusalem settlements were announced as 26 Palestinian prisoners were released.
The plans for construction were announced after midnight Tuesday night as 21 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails were greeted in Ramallah in the West Bank by thousands of family members and well-wishers. Also, as another five were reunited with their families in Gaza.
The plans reportedly were announced concurrently with the prisoner...
October 30, 2013
By ALAN ELSNER
Even the firmest supporters of a two state solution to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians could be forgiven for holding their noses when reading about today’s release of 26 Palestinian prisoners, all of whom had been convicted of murdering Israelis.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended this release – the second in a series of four staged releases – as a “necessary evil” and part...
October 30, 2013
Jonathan Sarna, the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun professor of American Jewish History in the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department at Brandeis University and the chief historian of the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, makes a rare trip to the Crescent City tonight at Loyola University.
Sarna will speak in Nunmaker Hall on the third floor of the Monroe Building on Loyola’s campus. His topic...
October 30, 2013
(JNS.org) – Christians United For Israel (CUFI) founder and Chairman John Hagee held his 32nd annual “Night to Honor Israel” event at the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday, Oct. 27. Joining Hagee was former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Israeli Consul General to the American Southwest Maya Kadosh.
During his remarks, Hagee focused on the threats to Israel as well as Iran’s nuclear program.
“Iran’s charm offensive...
October 30, 2013
(JTA) — A rabbi was arrested at the Jewish youth center where he works in Beverly Hills, Calif., on child sex abuse charges from New York.
Menachem Tewel, known also as Mendel Tevel, was arrested Tuesday at the JEM Center, the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles reported.
A spokesman for the Beverly Hills Police Department told the Jewish Journal that Tewel would be extradited to New York under an outstanding...
October 30, 2013
Touro Infirmary is currently in need of adult volunteers to help staff several positions. Located at 1401 Foucher St., the hospital needs assistants at the chemo infusion center, several information desks, in the family surgery lounge and with the book cart. Interested volunteers should call Volunteer Services at 504-897-8107, search online at www.touro.com or email volunteer coordinator Denise Chetta
October 30, 2013
By RON KAMPEAS
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Bernard Madoff. An unscrupulous contractor. Art that disappeared or was destroyed by fire — it’s not clear which. Bad, bad bookkeepers. And did we mention Bernard Madoff?
These were among the causes of “material diversion” of assets — tax-speak for lost funds or property totaling $250,000 or 5 percent — reported by Jewish organizations on their tax returns.
Since 2008, the IRS has asked...