Jewish News

Shas urges PM to oppose IDF conversion bill

The spiritual leader of Shas, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, ordered the party on Wednesday to express his discontent with a recent decision to respect IDF conversions.Shas warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a new bill, which states that Israel will automatically approve conversions carried out by the Israel Defense Forces without necessitating the chief rabbi’s signature, counters coalition agreements.Read More: @ ynetnews.comYou ...

Shas rabbi’s son: OK to sit next to woman

Shas’ spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, has yet to address the exclusion of womenissue. But his son, Holon’s Chief Rabbi Avraham Yosef on Wednesday slammed the “kosher” bus lines phenomenon.“There is no exclusion when it comes to a strange woman,” he said in regards of gender segregation supporters. “Apart from touching, apart from looking, apart from smelling any good smell ...

Shas rabbi’s daughter for women’s rights

Rabbanit Adina Bar Shalom, the daughter of Shas’ spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, has criticized the exclusion of women from the public domain in the ultra-Orthodox sector, which she says “violates Torah.”Speaking Monday at the Women Talking Women economic conference in Tel Aviv, Bar Shalom mentioned the “kosher bus lines”, defining the phenomenon as “the exclusion of women from the ...

Shas rabbi: Woman’s voice allowed on radio

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of the Shas party, has ruled that a woman’s voice can be heard on the radio.The rabbi was asked to address the issue following complaints filed against haredi Sephardic radio station Kol Barama for refusing to have women present programs or call in as listeners.According to a report on the Young Shas website, affiliated ...

Shalit’s day of release appears on rebbe’s dollar bill

According to reports, these coincidences also created “much excitement” in the Shalit family.Chabad website COL reported that emissaries of the Hassidic movement in the Talbiyeh neighborhood in Jerusalem – Eliyahu and Chana Kenterman – gave Gilad’s mother Aviva a special “charm” several months ago: a dollar bill they had received from the Lubavitcher Rebbe years ago.Chana, who was in contact ...

Shalit Transferred to Egypt

Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Youm reported late Wednesday that Hamas moved captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit into Egypt pursuant to the deal brokered with Israel for his release.Egyptian officials reportedly told the newspaper Shalit was transferred to Egypt through the Rafiah crossing.According to eyewitnesses, Shalit was driven through the Rafah crossing in a black car that has not undergone any inspection – a common procedure used when moving senior Hamas officials.Shalit, who was kidnapped by Hamas six years ...

Shalit family to protest outside weekly cabinet meetings

Gilad Shalit’s family announced this weekend that starting today, they plan to rally outside the Prime Minister’s Office during Sunday cabinet meetings. Shimshon Liebman, who heads the campaign calling for the abducted soldier’s release, told Haaretz yesterday, “The public is with us – it expects us to do more and we will do more.” This weekend, visitors continued to stream ...

Shalit family to PM: Your refusal to free Gilad signs his death sentence

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to strike a deal that would secure the release of Gilad Shalit is equivalent to signing the abducted Israeli soldier’s death sentence, a missive from the Shalit family said on Thursday.Writing in an open letter to Netanyahu on Thursday, Zvi Shalit, Gilad’s grandfather severely criticized what he considered the premier’s inaction in face the IDF ...

Shabbat opening on Christmas Eve (sort of)

As quietly as rising challah, Jews prepare for Christmas.Slipping a favorite DVD into the player, then popping open a take-out carton or two of Kung Pao something, we make ready for a quiet December’s eve.But before you get shluffy from all that MSG, let me recommend a film to consider for a Christmas Eve from my personal collection of imaginary ...

Shabbat 1500 Event Breaks National Record

For the first time in history, more than 1,500 people attended the Shabbat 1500 event on Friday night at Binghampton University.Chabad’s annual event was co-sponsored the Student Association, Hillel-JSU, the Elaine Heumann Memorial Foundation and a few social and professional fraternities. Students were encouraged to bring their friends to the 6 p.m. dinner at the Events Center.Chabad at Binghamton started ...

Sexual abuse case sheds light on Emmanuel’s ethnic tensions

A sexual abuse case recently made public is shedding some new light on the development of the ethnic tensions that exploded in Emmanuel last year.Channel 2 reported on Monday that the principal of Emmanuel’s Ashkenazi elementary school for boys, Rabbi Moshe Nussboim, is currently on trial behind closed doors in the Kfar Saba Magistrate’s Court on suspicion of sexually abusing ...

Settler jailed for assaulting Palestinian teen

The Jerusalem District Court sentenced Zvi Struck, a 28-year-old resident of the Shilo settlement, to 18 months in prison for kidnapping and abusing a 15-year-old Palestinian boy.Struck was convicted on the charges of aggravated battery, kidnapping with intention to injure, causing damage and three counts of assault. In addition to the prison term, the court sentenced him to one year ...