Jewish News

Pope Says He Won’t Judge Gay Priests

Pope Francis reached out to gays on Monday, saying he wouldn’t judge priests for their sexual orientation in a remarkably open and wide-ranging news conference as he returned from his first foreign trip.“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Francis asked.His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, signed a document ...

Austria Faces Questions Over Nazi-Era Hitler Bell

An Austrian castle, located 60 miles east of Vienna, has sparked concern after it was revealed that it contains a bell dedicated to Adolf Hitler.The bell, carved with a swastika, was installed in 1939 by Austrians sympathetic to the Nazis and has apparently evaded notice for over 70 years, according to reports.The bell tolls every hour in Wolfpassing village and has ...

10 Sifrei Torah Burn in Netanya

A fire that started in the Shifat Revivim synagogue near the Chabad neighborhood in Netanya, Israel Monday night incinerated 10 Sifrei Torah, some of them critically. There were no human casualties.Naftali David, head of the Hatzolah organization in the Sharon valley told the website that “the firefighting teams that reached the holy ark rescued the scrolls, but 7 of them ...

‘Original’ Schindler’s List Goes Unsold on eBay After Being put on Auction for $3m

A list of Jews to be rescued during the Holocaust by German industrialist Oskar Schindler did not find a buyer on an eBay auction, after it was listed with a reserve price of $3 million.The 14-page list, which was immortalized in the 1993 film “Schindler’s List,” identifies 801 Jewish prisoners by name, birth date and profession.No one met the opening ...

No Need to Return Lost Smartphone

An innovative halachic ruling issued recently states that there is no need to return a lost “non-kosher” phone to its owner.The ruling was given following an incident which took place in a bakery in the central city of Bnei Brak, when a saleswoman refused to return a smartphone to its owner. The case sparked a halachic debate on social networks ...

US Jewish Group Runs BDS ‘Summer Camp’ to Teach Boycott Tactics

The Israeli government and private groups are watching closely the activities of an anti-Israel American group that supports the BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) movement against Israel. The Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), a San Francisco-based organization, has been operating since 1996 and has conducted numerous anti-Israel activities, especially on college campuses.JVP claims not to be anti-Israel, but many officials in the Jewish community said that, ...

Jews in Sports: Jordan Farmar Returns Home

Many questions surround the Los Angeles Lakers after the team missed out on re-signing center Dwight Howard. No larger question than if the Lakers can reclaim its championship luster.The team took a step towards its quest for glory by signing free agent guard Jordan Farmar to a one-year, $1 million-dollar deal, which in turn gives Los Angeles the critical bench ...

Oz, Boteach and Sharansky Discuss Jewish Values in Jerusalem

A full-capacity crowd gathered Monday evening at the capital’s newly launched Jerusalem Press Club to hear a panel discussion among luminaries Dr. Mehmet Oz, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky about Jewish values and their impact on society.Oz, known as “America’s Doctor,” and Boteach, who has been called “America’s Rabbi,” arrived in Israel together with their families ...

Israeli Company Using Social Media to Return Property Lost in Holocaust

When Cati Holland checked her email a few weeks ago, she was surprised to find a message saying she was eligible for compensation for her grandmother’s Berlin store that was seized by the Nazis more than 70 years ago.It wasn’t spam or a phishing attempt or even a legitimate note from a German official working to track down victims and ...

US Jewish Leaders Urge Netanyahu to Resume Peace Talks

A broad range of US Jewish figures wrote Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to encourage him as peace talks restart.“We recognize that achieving a two-state solution will require a territorial compromise that provides for a Palestinian state without jeopardizing Israel’s security,” said the letter, initiated by the Israel Policy Forum and signed by 140 leaders of religious groups, donors, and ...

Religious Women Infuse Modesty with Style

Wearing a sleek black dress topped with a taupe bolero and long stiletto-heeled boots, Nathalie Benhaim cuts an elegant figure. For her, Orthodox Judaism’s rules of modesty have never been synonymous with austerity.“I’m always made up and have my hair done, I never let myself go. It’s important for me and for my husband,” explains this mother-of-four who has just ...

Chabad Emissary Shot in Russia Lands in Israel

Rabbi Ovadia Isakov, who was shot and seriously wounded in Dagestan, Russia late on Wednesday night, has been flown to Israel.The ZAKA organization worked with Russia’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Berel Lazar, to bring Rabbi Isakov to Israel’s Beilinson Hospital. The medical flight was funded by Russian Jewish communities.The hope is that Rabbi Isakov will receive more advanced medical care in Israel than in ...