SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) -- Jewish groups have stepped up efforts to combat anti-Muslim bigotry, with several national initiatives announced this week and supporting statements coming in from a range of Jewish voices.
In Washington, officials from several Jewish organizations took part Tuesday in an emergency summit of Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders that denounced anti-Muslim bigotry and called for a united effort by believers of all faiths to reach out to Muslim Americans.
JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli President Shimon Peres in a Rosh Hashanah message called on Jews in the Diaspora and Israel to work together.
In a message to Jewish communities around the world, Peres called for Israel to continue to "be a part of the Jewish and Zionist education of Jewish youth in the Diaspora," and for youth to visit the Jewish state as a way to achieve this goal.
WASHINGTON (JTA) -- President Obama told American rabbis that securing Israel was critical to the peace process.
The president, in a 35-minute Rosh Hashanah call Tuesday with 600 rabbis of all denominations, said his administration's efforts to reassure the Israeli government of U.S. backing for its security helped bring about the renewed peace process.
The Obama administration in the past year has enhanced intelligence sharing and missile defense cooperation with Israel, and has taken the lead in isolating Iran until it makes transparent its nuclear program.
(JTA) -- A major Jewish umbrella organization again has called on the ambassadors of United Nations member states to walk out on a speech by Iran's president.
Anticipating that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again will seek to address the General Assembly this year, leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations sent letters asking delegates to leave should Ahmadinejad be allowed to speak before the international body.
SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) -- A Muslim student group at the University of California, Irvine, had a yearlong suspension shortened to four months.
The Muslim Student Union (MSU) on the Irvine campus will be barred from operating this fall semester, the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles reported.
WASHINGTON (JTA) -- In an address to Muslims, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cited George Washington's letter to the Jews in making the case for American tolerance.
Clinton spoke at her department's annual Ramadan break-the-fast celebration for diplomats and American Muslim leaders.
She praised rabbis and other clerics for speaking out against a Florida church's plan to burn the Koran.
JERUSALEM (JTA) -- More than 150 American television and film artists have signed a letter in support of an Israeli artists' boycott of performing in the West Bank.
The letter, signed by American actors, writers and directors, was drafted and organized by the Jewish Voice for Peace organization.
Praising the "brave decision" by Israeli theater professionals not to perform in Ariel, the letter says "we salute our Israeli counterparts for their courageous decision."
(JTA) -- An interfaith summit of Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders denounced anti-Muslim bigotry.
In a statement released by the group, which represented the majority of the country’s Jews, Muslims and Christians, participants announced that they came together Tuesday in Washington, D.C., “to denounce categorically the derision, misinformation and outright bigotry being directed against America’s Muslim community.”
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
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Steve Lipman
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Staff Writer
A few months ago Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbi, began discussing with some other leaders of religious organizations the idea of “reconfiguring” a Commission of Religious Leaders (CORL) that had stopped operating four years ago.
Rabbi Potasnik and his friends picked a good time. Although interest in the ecumenical CORL predated the acrimony over the planned Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero, the increasingly heated comments by politicians and journalists have given the religious leaders discussion a new urgency.
Once upon a time, Jewish home cooks planning a holiday meal swapped recipes over the kitchen table, scribbled down Grandma’s secret ingredients on index cards, or simply paged through cherished (and often food-stained) cookbooks.
Today, they’re more likely to check the Internet. And thanks to Tamar Genger, a new site, JoyOfKosher.com, enables kosher cooks not only to share recipes, but to plan menus and read about kosher restaurants around the world.
