News Brief

Sen. Paul, In Jerusalem, Says Israel Better Off Without U.S. Aid

01/08/2013 | JNS

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), known for his opposition to foreign aid, on Monday reiterated that stance during his visit to Israel.

Rabbi Abraham Hecht, Chabad And Sephardic Leader, Dies At 90

01/08/2013 | Staff Report

Rabbi Abraham B. Hecht, an Ashkenazi who led a Sephardic congregation and was also closely affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, died Saturday night at 90. He was a passionate advocate of traditional Torah values and strict interpretation of halacha.

Rabbi Hecht was leader of Congregation Shaare Zion in Midwood, Brooklyn for over 50 years and rabbi emeritus of that congregation at the time of his death. He was also the longtime president of the Rabbinical Alliance.

Arabs To Soon Outnumber Jews In Israel, Palestinians Claim

01/02/2013 | JNS

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday projected that Israel’s Arab population will match its Jewish population by 2016 and surpass it by 2020.

Year-end Israeli population data for 2012 said that 6 million Jews live in the country, compared with the 5.8 million Arabs the Palestinian bureau said live in Israel, the West Bank, Gaza and eastern Jerusalem, the Associated Press reported. By 2020, Arabs will outnumber Jews by 7.2 million to 6.9 million, according to the Palestinian bureau.

Texas Prison Must Serve Inmate Kosher Meals, Court Says

01/02/2013 | JNS

A U.S. federal appeal court ruled that a Jewish man incarcerated in Texas must receive kosher meals in prison in a case revolving around the 2000 Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which forbids the government from restricting religious rights of institutionalized individuals.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that Max Moussazadeh, 35, is a practicing Orthodox Jew and that the state of Texas infringed on his religious beliefs by denying his request for kosher meals.

Judaica Fight Pits Touro Synagogue Against Shearith Israel

01/02/2013 | Staff Report

Two of the oldest Jewish congregations in the United States are battling over a pair of silver Torah ornaments, according to a published report.

Sixteenth Street Shul Wins Stay In Eviction Fight

12/26/2012 | Staff Report

Members of the Sixteenth Street Synagogue in Manhattan’s Flatiron District have won a temporary stay of an eviction order that would have had them vacating the premises by Jan. 7.

The congregation said it will now seek to be recognized as a co-owner of the building.

The parties will appear in court the following day to argue before a state Supreme Court judge whether the stay will be continued or denied.