The number of South African immigrants to Israel has nearly doubled in the past year, the Jewish Agency said. According to agency data released this week, 300 South African Jews are expected to have made aliyah by the end of 2008, compared to 178 last year. “This is partially due to the current political situation… More ▸
An 88-year-old woman who was a passenger on the Exodus in 1947 immigrated to Israel. Frances Greenberg arrived in Israel Tuesday along with more than 200 other immigrants from North America on a flight charted by Nefesh B’Nefesh. Greenberg, was the only family member to survive World War II. After the Exodus was denied entry… More ▸
Droplets of water sliding down the Star of David tattoo on his right arm, the 22-year-old swimmer from Kansas City crouches into a diving position and listens for his coach’s call. "Boom," bellows Leonid Kaufman from the bleachers. Max Jaben plunges into the water, disappearing into its blueness only to emerge half a length later…. More ▸
Angelina Jolie brought her twins into the world on Shabbat. That fact may have been overlooked last Saturday by the thousands of media outlets covering the birth, which took place at Lenval Hospital’s Santa Maria Clinic. But the timing did not escape Dr. Michel Sussmann, Jolie’s Jewish obstetrician. Sussmann, a former vice president of Nice’s… More ▸
Diaspora Jews are stepping up pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to intervene in a dispute in Israel over conversions to Judaism. Leaders of the United Jewish Communities federation umbrella organization sent a sharply worded letter to Olmert on July 9 urging him to assign his Cabinet secretary “to oversee conversion.” At issue in… More ▸
From cutting-edge geothermal power deep underground to wind turbines and solar panels capturing energy from the sky above, foreign investors are pouring money into Israel’s growing clean tech sector. And it’s not just Jews. “Every day I get calls from people asking for opportunities to invest in clean technologies in Israel,” said Michael Granoff, president… More ▸
The public relations firm trying to restore the image of the embattled kosher meat producer Agriprocessors is wrestling with a controversy of its own after being accused of impersonating online a leading critic of the company. The New York-based agency, 5WPR, is accused of making a fraudulent posting to several Web sites in the name… More ▸
Israel and the Diaspora must act to help the dwindling Jewish communities of the former Soviet Union, Ehud Olmert said. The Israeli Cabinet heard briefings Sunday about Jews living in the former Soviet Union, which according to the prime minister now number approximately 880,000 and have an 80 percent intermarriage rate. Olmert also said they… More ▸
The UJA-Federation of New York will spend $1.5 million over three years on programs for young Israeli children and parents at risk. The program is part of an initiative being launched this week to improve literacy and school readiness in Israel for children from birth to 3 years old. It is geared to needy populations… More ▸
Many Israelis support Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s plan to fund programs to strengthen Jewish education in the Diaspora, a survey found. Some 46.1 percent of Israelis say they back Olmert’s new policy to support the strengthening of Jewish education, culture and heritage in the Diaspora, according to the third annual “Survey of Contemporary Israeli Attitudes… More ▸
