National News

‘It’s Always Better To Have Dialogue’

12/04/2012 | Steve Lipman | Staff Writer

The latest breach between some leaders of the U.S. Jewish community and a major sector of American Christianity remains open, two months after liberal Protestant participants in the Christian-Jewish Roundtable dialogue group urged Congress to reconsider aid to Israel because of the Jewish state’s “widespread human rights violations committed against Palestinians.”

Reactions To UN, E-1

12/04/2012 | Stewart Ain | Staff Writer

Seven White Plains rabbis have told their congregants that the United Nations vote granting the Palestinians nonmember observer status should be “greeted with cautious optimism and not simply recriminations, finger-pointing and expressions of despair.”

Community Breaks Silence On Bush-Era Tax Cuts

12/04/2012 | Stewart Ain | Staff Writer

As President Barack Obama and Congress tackle the financial crisis and the politically explosive issue of tax reform, the American Jewish community has remained quiet — until now.

Nearly 240 rabbis have signed a letter in support of the president’s proposal to allow tax cuts to expire at the end of the year for those making above $250,000 annually. The letter was written by Bend the Arc Jewish Action, which bills itself as the largest Jewish social justice organization devoted to domestic policy issues.

A Freedom March Of Our Own

12/04/2012 | Rabbi Joshua Hammerman | Special To The Jewish Week

At the recent General Assembly of Jewish federations, Elie Wiesel and Natan Sharansky sat together to reminisce about what may have been the most successful revolution in the Jewish world in recent history — and the most forgotten one as well. It’s time for that to change.

UPDATED: Hazon, Isabella Freedman To Merge

12/03/2012 | Helen Chernikoff and Julie Wiener

Three Jewish environmental organizations have announced plans to merge, finding one answer to the question of sustaining innovative “second-stage” Jewish organizations.

Hazon, the Jewish organization known for its bike rides and community-supported agriculture (CSA) network will join forces with the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center and Teva Learning Alliance, which trains environmental educators.

"Seriously, No F***ing Jews," Says Flyer In Harvard Dorms

12/03/2012 | JTA

Harvard University students received flyers from a supposed “Harvard’s Newest Final Club” explicitly stating that Jews should not apply but “coloreds” are welcome to do so.

The flyer invited students to an introductory club event, listing three virtues: “inclusion,” with the footnote of “Jews need not apply”; “diversity,” followed by the words “Seriously, no f*ing Jews. Coloreds OK”; and “Love,” which directed students to the word “Rophynol,” a misspelled version of the date rape drug rohypnol, according to the Harvard Crimson.