Spurred by a grass-roots alliance of local Jews, Latinos, labor unions and clergy, California’s state legislature is investigating the business dealings of Dr. Irving Moskowitz, a controversial sponsor of Jewish settlements in Arab neighborhoods of east Jerusalem.

Nineteen months after it was first proposed, an “unusual” agreement was reached this week between the Vatican and Jewish leaders to assemble a team of scholars to study World War II-era Vatican records that have been publicly available for more than 30 years.
Jewish leaders cautioned it is only a first step in answering questions about the Vatican’s response to the Holocaust. A key area of inquiry will be the actions of Pope Pius XII, whom critics say kept silent during the Holocaust.