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Israel in Olympics to win, or not at all

Alpine skier Michael Renzin, left, and the brother-sister ice-dancing team of Roman and Alexandra Zaretsky comprise the Israeli delegation for the Winter Olympics in Vancover, Canada. (The Olympic Committee of Israel / Flash90 / JTA)

Israel's decision to limit its Olympics participation to those with a strong shot at a medal has stirred controversy and anger among its athletes who otherwise would have qualified for the Olympics. Read more »

Op-Ed: The vital center and Modern Orthodoxy

In the face of escalating controversy over Modern Orthodoxy, Rabbi Shmuel Hain of Yeshiva University argues for shifting focus to the center and to substance. For example, he says, stop fighting over the decision by two rabbis to bestow a feminized version of the title rabbi to a woman, and instead focus on discussing how to create positions for female scholars to serve as spiritual, pastoral and educational resources that will be widely accepted. Read more »

Idea #8: Jewish Artists Residency

In the latest installment of the 28days28ideas initiative, Rebecca Guber, the director of the Six Points Fellowship, proposes the creation of a place for Jewish artists where there is community, opportunities for learning, space for solitary practice, and an environment that nurtures the creative process free of interruptions and distractions. Read more » Idea #7: Central game portal for teaching Hebrew Idea #6: Tzedakah Box 2.0 Idea #5: The Idea Accelerator Model: from Seeding to Scaling

Editors' Picks

Conflict of interest? (N.Y. Times) Should New York Times Jerusalem correspondent Ethan Bronner be reassigned because his son serves in the Israeli army? Editors at The New York Times debate the point on the paper's pages.

Warm welcome for Omri (Denver Post) Playing on the road can be tough in the NBA -- but not for Omri Casspi, the first Israeli to play in the league.

From the NFL to Chabad (N.Y. Times) A former offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers who now goes by the name Shlomo and wears tzitzit says the Torah is the real playbook for how to live one's life.

The stink at JTS (N.Y. Post) A former executive assistant at the Jewish Theological Seminary is suing over a former boss whom she claims emitted "constant barrages of ... flatulence" in her work area -- then allegedly fired her due to age discrimination.

Hamas' cartoons (Daily Show) With the help of a stale, talking bagel, Jon Stewart takes on Hamas' latest anti-Semitic cartoons.

Jewish givers score in top 60 The Fundermentalist figures about a dozen Jews are represented on the Slate.com's Slate 60 list of top philanthropic givers from 2009. Breaking News The New York Times' public editor recommended that the newspaper's Jerusalem bureau chief be reassigned because his son joined the IDF. Israel's Gaza operation last winter spurred a record number of anti-Semitic attacks in Britain during the past year. More than 300 people in two New York State Orthodox enclaves have contracted the mumps. A descendant of forcibly converted Spanish Jews who immigrated to Israel and became a rabbi is returning to Spain. David de Rothschild is getting ready to sail the Pacific in a homemade boat to encourage people to recycle. Germany's top Jewish leader plans to step down to make way for a new generation of leaders. Israel's Supreme Court ordered the release on bail of two pro-Palestinian activists who were arrested in Ramallah. The residents of a Jewish building in eastern Jerusalem were given a reprieve when the municipality canceled distribution of evacuation orders. Harry Schwarz, a South African Jewish leader and lawmaker who as an attorney defended Nelson Mandela, has died. Five members of an Israeli family were injured when a mine exploded in a northern Israel minefield. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel wants peace with Syria following several days of mutual recriminations. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered his country's nuclear agency to begin enriching uranium at a higher level in order to fuel a medical research reactor. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's report to the General Assembly "reflected accurately" Israel's response to the Goldstone report, the Foreign Ministry said. York University in Toronto is investigating allegations of assault against two Jewish students during a pro-Israel program. An 85-year-old Holocaust survivor accepted the high school diploma he was denied 71 years ago. Australian Jewish groups welcomed a government regulatory agency's decision to investigate claims that a Hezbollah-backed TV station is in breach of anti-terror and racial hatred legislation. Two African migrants were killed by Egyptian border police as they tried to infiltrate Israel. A Nazi-looted painting by Gustav Klimt was auctioned in London for $45.5 million. The organizers of the Vancouver Winter Olympics have withdrawn an official video of archival footage from Leni Riefenstahl's film of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.