Britannia Radio

Daily Briefing

Monday, February 14, 2011

. FEATURED STORY Amid heavy snowfall, Jewish cemeteries struggle to bury dead Record snow accumulations this winter are causing serious challenges for American Jewish funeral directors accustomed to the speedy burials required by traditional Jewish practice. Read more » EDITORS' PICKS New Mideast power: the Arab street The success of the Arab street in Egypt and Tunisia raises the prospect that Arabs elsewhere in the autocratic Middle East will feel emboldened to rise up and seek to overthrow their unelected leaders, JTA's Uriel Heilman writes in a news analysis. Upsides of Egypt's revolution If Egypt makes the transition to a genuine democracy, its foreign policy might not get much better, but it's unlikely to get worse, Jackson Diehl writes in The Washington Post. We are all Moses "The children of Egypt were having their liberation moment and the children of Israel decided to side with Pharaoh -- right to the very end," Op-Ed columnist Tom Friedman writes in The New York Times. Patrilineal descent not catching on The debate about "Who is a Jew" is not just between the Orthodox-dominated Israeli Rabbinate and American Jewish liberal movements, but also between American Reform Judaism and most of the rest of the Reform world, JTA's Sue Fishkoff writes.

BREAKING NEWS

An Egyptian opposition leader has declared his country's three-decades-old peace treaty with Israel is over.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed statements by Egypt's military that it would honor the country's peace treaty with Israel.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad dissolved his Cabinet and will form a new government.

Twelve American university students who were forced to discontinue their studies in Egypt have enrolled at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi called on Palestinians to mass on Israel's borders until their demands are met.

Iran continues to produce a steady supply of enriched uranium, despite a cyber attack believed to have originated in Israel, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog group said.

A United Nations agency has disavowed its involvement with a television campaign to address women's issues that glorifies a female Palestinian terrorist.

A former Hungarian military officer was charged with war crimes during World War II by prosecutors in Budapest.

The historic exchange of visits by the premiers of Israel and Greece is a sign of rapprochement between the two countries, Israeli ambassador to Greece Arye Mekel said.

Athens police arrested an alleged Palestinian terrorist accused of being in Greece to plan a major attack in Europe.

Israel has tapped British Ambassador Ron Prosor to be its envoy to the United Nations.

Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz became Israel's military chief of general staff following unanimous approval by the Cabinet.

Israeli film pioneer Lia van Leer received a Camera Award at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.