Britannia Radio

BREAKING NEWS A 14-year-old resident of the Druze village of Ussfiya was arrested after admitting to starting the fire that destroyed much of the Carmel Forest. Turkey still expects an apology from Israel for its interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla that led to the deaths of nine Turkish nationals, despite its assistance during Israel's recent massive fire. Hundreds of children evacuated from communities in Israel's North because of the raging forest fire will participate in Chanukah activities run by the Jewish Agency. Alan Gross, a contractor that the U.S. State Department says was assisting Cuban Jews, marked a year in a Cuban jail. A menorah stolen from the University of Florida's Hillel House was vandalized. Brazil has recognized a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced in a public letter. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States will issue a declaration this week on Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Helen Thomas made more anti-Zionist comments in a public forum, causing her alma mater to drop an award named for the longtime journalist. Leonardo DiCaprio is rumored to be considering converting to Judaism for his longtime girlfriend, Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli. Teen pop star Justin Bieber will perform a concert in Tel Aviv. The former principal of a Brooklyn yeshiva, along with three of his sons, are wanted for molesting four of his children over 15 years. Cuban President Raul Castro lit Chanukah candles at Havana's main synagogue. An opponent of Joe Straus, the Jewish speaker of the Texas state Legislature, defended an e-mail in which he said he wanted "a true Christian, conservative running it." Three Greek human rights activists on trial for speaking out against judges who had acquitted a Holocaust-denying ultranationalist politician were acquitted. A Nazi memorabilia collector was found guilty of desecrating Jewish graves with swastikas in a Chicago cemetery. An Israeli war movie about the First Lebanon War won two awards at the European Film Awards.

Today's Daily Briefing Sponsored by: You! For only $180, you can use this prominent spot to announce an honor or celebrate a milestone. To make your announcement, click here. FEATURED STORY After Israel's deadly fire, mourning, vows to rebuild and finger pointing In the aftermath of the deadliest fire in Israel's history, Israelis this week set to the task of burying the dead, cleaning up and figuring out what exactly went wrong -- and who is to blame. Read more » EDITORS' PICKS The Eulogizer: Congressman, director, actress and teenage firefighter JTA's newest columnist, Alan "The Eulogizer" Abbey, debuts with reflections on four lives well lived. Emergency campaigns for Israel fire Here are some links, via JTA's Fundermentalist blog, to emergency campaigns in the wake of Israel's devastating forest fire. Kindling a renewed spirit After tragedy struck in Africa, Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz understood the Chanukah lights in a new way, the Chabad Lubavitch of Idaho director writes in JTA. America's most Jewish cities The Daily Beast ranks the 30 largest centers of Judaism in the United States using Jewish population, synagogues and kosher restaurants as its per-capita criteria. Ho ho no Chanukah is coming dangerously close to turning into Christmas with a different color scheme. Bah, humbug, writes Alison Lobron in the Boston Globe. Saving for a synagogue Twice a month, 45 Jewish families turn a part of the Riviera United Church of Christ in Palm Bay, Fla., into their own synagogue as they work to save money to secure a permanent home, Florida Today reports. Reunited, finally Cousins Saul Dreier and Lucy Weinberg were reunited in Florida last week more than 60 years after they were separated by World War II and the Holocaust with the help of the Red Cross, the Sun-Sentinel reports. PR NEWS TICKER Paid Notices Special Alert: Worst Fire in Israel's History Share your news with JTA's readers and media partners. Click for details. ©2010 JTA, Inc. Reproduction of material without written permission is strictly prohibited. To unsubscribe, click here.