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Daily Briefing
Wednesday, March 16, 2011 Donate Now | Share This Email
< Featured Story Japan disaster and Itamar killings put Jewish giving on the spot Almost as soon as the catastrophe in Japan began unfolding, Jewish groups scrambled to figure out how to get help to the area. Then came the news of the brutal murder of five family members in the Jewish West Bank settlement of Itamar, and the focus of the Jewish community for a while seemed to shift. Read more » Editors' Picks Reveling in social action American synagogues increasingly are looking for ways to focus on Purim's socially conscious elements, not just its drunken revelry, JTA's Sue Fishkoff reports. Knesset talking J Street An Israeli parliament committee's vote to convene hearings on J Street ups the ante in the debate about the "pro-Israel, pro-peace" lobby, JTA's Ron Kampeas writes. Spilled blood binds settlers The New York Times visits the West Bank community of Itamar, and discovers that in the thick of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where the contest over the land is a daily reality, tragedy spurs greater commitment to the cause. Purim spoof Mideast negotiator George Mitchell heads to Broadway, Natalie Portman's engagement ends Jewish singles crisis, Yuri Foreman to fight Helen Thomas, Bernie Madoff's prison Ponzi scheme and more in The New York Jewish Week's annual Purim spoof. Kosher baby formula shortage A dairy-based formula that uses a more stringent kosher standard is in short supply in the United States after its import from Israel was blocked, raising alarm in the Chasidic community, The Wall Street Journal reports. Fashionistas Trinny and Susannah trash Israelis British fashionistas Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, the original hosts of the BBC's "What Not to Wear," visit Israel and discover that the food is great, the people are amazing but the clothes -- not so much. The Eulogizer: Gabriel Laderman, Leo Steinberg and Roy Gussow JTA's Appreciation column remembers painter Gabriel Laderman, art critic Leo Steinberg and sculptor Roy Gussow. JEWISH IDEAS DAILY Sponsored Content Manger's M'gilah, and Ours In the Purim story as riotously told by the great Yiddish poet Itzik Manger, God is so absent that His providence appears only by way of the Devil. Read more » classified Web Editor - JTA JTA is seeking a web editor to plan, coordinate and manage JTA's daily products, web presence and breaking news coverage. Required: 5+ years journalistic experience, familiarity with Jewish communal issues, web editing experience, social media savvy. Read More » Place your classified here PR NEWS TICKER Straight from St. Petersburg, Russia, it's Purim! 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. BREAKING NEWS A memorial for the parents and three children murdered in a West Bank Jewish settlement will be held in New York. New data show that Tribefest met its goal of drawing many federation first-timers to the recent Young Leadership conference in Las Vegas, federation officials said. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights launched an investigation into a complaint of a hostile environment for Jewish students at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Top Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are circulating a bill that would strip the president of his power to waive a law requiring him to move the embassy to Jerusalem. Iran denied Israeli assertions that it sent weapons to Gaza aboard a ship intercepted by Israel's Navy. Egypt resumed supplying Israel with natural gas after a six-week interruption. A Jewish state senator in Minnesota wants to require clergy invited to open sessions to keep invocations nondenominational. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand urged the Army to modify a regulation banning facial hair in order to allow rabbis to serve as chaplains. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will answer questions from people around the world when he appears on YouTube's World View. Two cars owned by Arab students at the Safed Academic College were set alight following a campus event to promote dialogue between Jews and Arabs. The city of Marseille, France, has given a bronze fountain to the city of Jerusalem as a show of friendship. A right-wing Israeli group known for its attacks on human rights groups hostile to Israeli policies toured Washington to establish contacts and raise funds. Canada's federal government will contribute up to $15 million toward the building of a massive Jewish community campus north of Toronto. Israel's Knesset unanimously passed legislation that authorizes the removal of landmine fields throughout the country. An Israeli security firm owned by a Danish company said it will stop supplying equipment to the West Bank. Rick Sanchez can put to rest the controversy over his remarks that implied the Jews control the media, the Anti-Defamation League's Abraham Foxman said. An organization working to bridge the gap between the religious and secular in Israel will hold Megillah readings in 100 locations throughout the country.