Articles from the February 15, 2013 edition
Sorted by date Results 26 - 43 of 43
Scene Around
Farewell, my friend… Just a little tribute to a wonderful man I was fortunate to meet when he visited our Orlando Jewish community some years ago. I refer to former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, who d... Full story
Documents show Venezuela spying on Jewish community
NEW YORK (JTA)—Espacio Anna Frank says its goal is to promote tolerance by teaching the life story of the teenage diarist murdered by the Nazis. But is there something sinister lurking behind the Vene... Full story
Weekly roundup of world briefs from JTA
Netanyahu says Syria, Iran and peace process on Obama agenda in Israel JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama will focus on Iran, Syria and advancing the peace process when Obama visits Israel. Netanyahu at t... Full story
Brooklyn cantorial concert is milestone for new Barclays Center
NEW YORK (JTA)—Who knew the man behind the Brooklyn homecomings of Jay-Z and Barbra Streisand had a thing for heimische melodies? Bruce Ratner, the developer and majority owner of the Barclays C... Full story
Cavs’ Omri Casspi courting his opportunity to contribute
BALTIMORE (JTA)—Even as he sits on the Cleveland Cavaliers bench, watching yet another game proceed without him, Omri Casspi is working to improve. He studies his teammates and his opponents, focusing on the player he’d likely be defending if he were... Full story
Women struggle to find their role in Syrian revolution
Idlib, Syria—Nine-year-old Salima Hamid jerked her hips to the musical chants as the older male youths clapped their hands. Behind them in the crowd, Amal Nuran and her head-scarf-covered friends exchanged cell phone pictures snapped at the day’s ant... Full story
Vision of Rawabi nears fruition
The American businessmen and women appeared transfixed as they listened to the man behind the first Palestinian planned city depict his journey from vision to reality. Bashar Al-Masri was describing the day in 2008 when in Qatar on the first stop on... Full story
Jews vocal on both sides of France’s gay marriage debate
(JTA)—Wide-eyed and smiley, Elay-Gabriel seems utterly unaffected by the French media’s sudden interest in him. A dozen French journalists have visited the 18-month-old in recent months because he is... Full story
Syrian businesses take refuge in Jordan
AMMAN, Jordan—Street noises mix with a call to prayer coming from the King Hussein Mosque in downtown Amman, the city’s commercial center, while on a nearby street corner, Issam, a Syrian businessman, calmly answers a steady flow of phone calls and... Full story
Despite probe of Burgas bombing, EU noncommittal on Hezbollah designation
(JTA)—In his many years of service for France’s spy agency, Claude Moniquet has seen much evidence linking Hezbollah to terrorist-related activities in Europe and beyond. The attacks, says Mon... Full story
Torah for Teens
For many students, one of the most difficult parts of their bar/bat mitzvah preparation is writing the speech about their Torah portion. While there are many Torah commentaries, it’s rare to find one whose comments relate directly to the lives of c... Full story
In 2 Oscar-nominated documentaries, Israel takes a hit on occupation—and helps pays for it
LOS ANGELES (JTA)—It’s hard to imagine two more divergent perspectives on Israeli-Palestinian relations: that of a Palestinian farmer whose village is resisting the encroachment of a nearby Jew... Full story
Israel’s navy plans to protect offshore gas fields
TEL AVIV—Israel’s first large gas field, Tamar, is due to begin producing natural gas next April. It is an economic bonanza for the state, and a security nightmare for the navy, tasked with protecting the huge area, much of which is outside Isr...
Not ordinary at all
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon dedicated this year’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day to rescuers of Nazi victims who were not famous heroes but little-known people living “ordinary” lives. Yet some of those little-known rescuers... Full story
American-born Orthodox rabbi among surprising faces of Israel’s future
The surprise of Israel’s 2013 election was the rapid ascendance of the new Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party, led by former television celebrity Yair Lapid, at the expense of Israel’s known pol... Full story
Blowing 1,000 shofars in hopes of finding a mate
AMUKAH, Israel (JTA)—They walked up a tree-lined path through stony hills to a square, white building—men in black hats, beards and frock coats; in T-shirts and jeans; in sweaters, slacks and velvet k... Full story
Synagogues across the country swimming in old prayer books
NEW YORK (JTA)—After years of watching synagogue members die or move away, the Sephardic Jewish Center of Canarsie made the difficult decision to downsize. The 50-year-old Brooklyn synagogue had been... Full story
Meet Brian Bendis, the man who killed Spiderman
NEW YORK (JTA)—Spiderman heroically dispatched countless foes since he arrived on the scene in 1962. Nearly a half-century later, Brian Michael Bendis managed to kill him. In 2000, Bendis was hired t... Full story