Britannia Radio

	Daily Briefing

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

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Featured Stories Jewish groups vie to land Obama as speaker Some of the Jewish leaders present at the White House meeting with President Obama on July 13, 2009 are hoping he picks their organization as the venue for his first major address to the Jewish community as president. (White House) Yes, it was probably nice to be one of the 14 organizations invited to send a representative to last week's White House meeting with President Obama. But which group will be the first to win the big prize: landing the president as a keynote speaker. Read more » U.S. eyes Syrian, Palestinian tracks Despite the latest clash between Israel and the Obama administration over building -- this time in eastern Jerusalem -- the United States is pressing ahead with plans to reopen negotiations on both the Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Syrian tracks. Read more » Editors' Picks Calamity or opportunity? Steven Windmueller, the dean of the Los Angeles campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and its chair of Jewish communal service, has a lengthy outline of what he sees as the impact of the economic downturn on the Jewish communal landscape. The Fundermentalist offers a potentially more optimistic view of what the future could hold. Sharansky speaks Natan Sharansky grants his first full-length interview since the former Soviet dissident was selected as the new chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel. Watching Human Rights Watch JTA's Ron Kampeas breaks down the controversy over reports that during a visit to Saudi Arabia, an official with Human Rights Watch highlighted her organization's criticism of Israel and its battles with pro-Israel activists. Civil war Writing in the Los Angeles Times, author Rich Cohen says the internal rift that sent the Jewish nation wandering for 2,000 years has reappeared. Breaking News Hadassah Hospital officials may discharge a boy starved by his mother after the hospital chief received death threats from the fervently Orthodox community. The U.S. men's and women's swimming teams both won in the 400-meter relay at the Maccabiah Games. Yair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, started basic training in the Israeli military. The Israel Defense Forces is formulating a plan to evacuate two dozen illegal outposts in one day, an Israeli newspaper reported. Police investigators have recommended that Ehud Olmert be indicted for unlawful political appointments. The mayor of a Romanian city and his son dressed in German World War II uniforms for a fashion show. U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor told Christian Zionists that U.S. policies in the Middle East must be "firmly grounded" in Judeo-Christian principles. Jordan revoked the citizenship of thousands of Palestinians to keep them from remaining permanently in the country. The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Buenos Aires Jewish community center bombing. The Israel and the United States agreed six years ago that Israel could build within the boundaries of existing settlements, an Israeli Cabinet member said. The American Jewish Committee is urging Germany to reconsider bestowing an honor on a harsh critic of Israel. A Ukrainian national commission banned two xenophobic books that it said incite interethnic hatred. The Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa, was sold to a Canadian company. The Orthodox Union distanced itself from a pamphlet that implies friendly meetings between Vatican and Hezbollah officials. Ukrainian Jewish youth met to discuss issues facing them and lobby for the interests of the country's Jews. A renovation project was completed at a historic Jewish cemetery in Ukraine. The U.S. State Department did not summon Israel's ambassador for a special meeting on building in Jerusalem, Israeli officials said. U.S. Senate appropriators named six Israeli health and education institutions among 15 recommended for U.S. funding.