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• Will Congress Listen to Liberal Pro-israel Groups’ Criticism of Gaza Operation?

  December 31, 2008 5:00am

  In the first sign of a post-election struggle to set the American Jewish community’s Middle East agenda, a quartet of liberal pro-Israel groups is criticizing Jerusalem’s decision to launch retaliatory attacks against Gaza. J Street, Americans for Peace Now, Brit Tzedek v’Shalom and the Israel Policy Forum all issued statements defending Israel’s right to strike…

• Jewish Food Movement Comes of Age

  December 31, 2008 5:00am

  Oren Massey of Berkeley came to the Hazon Jewish food conference looking for comrades interested in building land-based Jewish communities. David Kantor came from Pasadena to reinvigorate his “green” commitment. Mark Fishman, a longtime butcher in Kansas City, came to take part in a turkey shechita, or kosher slaughter. Falynn Schmidt of San Francisco is…

• What Kind of Meat Do Jewish Food Activists Eat?

  December 31, 2008 5:00am

  When the executive committee for December’s Hazon Jewish food conference got together last July to plan the menu for the four-day gathering, they agreed that, as much as possible, the food served should be local. No problem with produce. California’s Central Coast is one of the nation’s most fertile growing areas. It is rife with…

• Chabad Committee Formed to Help Rubashkin Defense

  December 31, 2008 5:00am

  Chabad members formed a committee to support the legal defense of former Agriprocessors manager Sholom Rubashkin. Rubashkin, who managed the now-shuttered kosher meat plant in Postville, Iowa, was arrested in late October on charges that he helped illegal immigrants secure fraudulent documentation that permitted them to be employed at Agriprocessors. While free on bond he…

• New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty in Spy Case

  December 31, 2008 5:00am

  An elderly New Jersey man pleaded guilty to spying for Israel. Ben-Ami Kadish, an 85-year-old former army engineer, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one of the four conspiracy charges he faced, The Associated Press reported. Kadish is to be sentenced in February and, according to a prosecutor, the government will not oppose a sentence calling…

• Sick Holtzberg Son, 4, Dies

  December 31, 2008 5:00am

  The son of a Chabad couple killed last month in Mumbai has died. Dov Holtzberg, the 4-year-old son of Chabad emissaries Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, died of a genetic disease and was buried Tuesday morning next to his parents and older brother. His brother died of the same disease two years ago. Dov had been…

• U.S. Pledges Palestinian Aid

  December 31, 2008 5:00am

  The United States will contribute $85 million to the United Nations agency providing aid to Palestinian refugees. The State Department announced Tuesday that $25 million of the funds would go to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East’s Emergency Appeal for the West Bank and Gaza. Those funds will…

• Protesters, Police Clash at London Embassy

  December 31, 2008 5:00am

  Protesters clashed with police during a demonstration near the Israeli Embassy in London. Seven activists were arrested at Monday’s demonstration as they tried to break down barriers placed by police to keep them away from the embassy compound. About 400 people took part in the demonstration, much smaller than a violent demonstration held on Sunday….

• Arab Protesters Bring Sydney to Standstill

  December 31, 2008 5:00am

  Angry Arabs brought downtown Sydney to a standstill as they protested Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip. More than 1,000 Arab Australians marched on the U.S. Consulate Tuesday in an anti- Israel, anti-U.S. rally, according to the Australian Associated Press. The demonstration came after Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard backed Israel’s operation in Gaza, stating…

• Bush Pressing for Cease-fire

  December 31, 2008 5:00am

  The Bush administration is in consultations with leaders in the Middle East to bring about a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Gordon Johndroe, Bush’s spokesman, once again emphasized that the United States blames Hamas for the fighting, when he announced efforts by President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to bring about an end…