Report: Global anti-semitism increased by 30 percent

April 07, 2013

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Global anti-Semitism increased by 30 percent in 2012 over the previous year, an annual report found.

Following two years of decline, there was a “considerable escalation” in the level of violent acts and vandalism against Jews in 2012,...

Nazi-looted art going back to heirs of NY collector

April 05, 2013

(JTA) — Two artworks sold under duress during the Nazi occupation of Germany will be returned to the heirs of a New York art collector.

The drawings are being returned to the estate of Michael Berolzheimer, who died in 1942...

Vienna archbishop opposes recognizing Jewish, Muslim holidays

April 05, 2013

(JTA) — The archbishop of Vienna has advised Austria’s government not to add Jewish and Muslim dates to the list of national holidays.

“Both the Jewish and the Muslim community are not big enough in Austria that their holidays should...

Historic Damascus synagogue looted and burned

April 02, 2013

(JTA) — The 2,000-year-old Jobar Synagogue in the Syrian capital of Damascus was looted and burned to the ground.

The Syrian army loyal to President Bashar Assad and rebel forces are blaming each other for the destruction of the historic...

Poll: 45 percent of Britons favor banning kosher slaughter

April 01, 2013

(JTA) — About 45 percent of 1,900 Britons polled favored banning Jewish ritual slaughter and 38 percent said they favored banning non-medical circumcision.

In the poll, which was conducted last week by the YouGov polling agency for The Jewish Chronicle...

Report: ‘Prisoner X’ spy tipped off Hezbollah

March 28, 2013

SYDNEY (JTA) – The man known as Prisoner X unwittingly leaked classified information to Lebanese authorities, leading to the arrest of two Hezbollah agents who were spying for Israel.

Ben Zygier, an Australian-Israeli citizen who was working for the Mossad,...

Greek neo-Nazi party calls for Lauder boycott

March 28, 2013

ATHENS, Greece (JTA) — The Greek Golden Dawn party called for a boycott of Estee Lauder cosmetic products after World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder urged Greece to ban the neo-Nazi group.

Due to the “hostile attack on Greek sovereignty,...

Disuted Schneerson library moving to Moscow museum

March 28, 2013

(JTA) — Russia plans to move Jewish texts claimed by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement to Moscow’s newly opened Jewish museum next month.

Russian Deputy Culture Minister Grigory Ivliyev told the Interfax news agency on Wednesday that the disputed Schneerson library will...

Armed men capture Israeli in Sinai

March 25, 2013

(JTA) — Armed men in the Sinai took two tourists captive, including an Israeli.

Israeli and Arabic media outlets reported last Friday that armed Bedouins in a car rammed another car on the road from Taba, the Egyptian city on...

Erdogan: Conditions to normalize ties must be met first

March 24, 2013

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said normalization of relations with Israel will not take place until Israel fulfills its part of the agreement. Turkey and Israel agreed to normalize ties after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized...