Britannia Radio

Daily Briefing

Monday, May 9, 2011

FEATURED STORY Israel remembers its war dead with siren, ceremonies A two-minute siren sounded across Israel as part of the country's observance of Memorial Day, or Yom Hazikaron. Read more » EDITORS' PICKS The legacy of 'Uncle Mickey' lives on Lilit Marcus, the great-great grandniece of David "Mickey" Marcus, never met her famous relative but writes in JTA about the enormous pride she takes in his heroic deeds and vital contribution to the nascent State of Israel. Mother's Day meditation Menachem Rosensaft, the vice president of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants, in a JTA First Person recalls how his mother helped save so many children at the Bergen-Belsen camp -- and wonders how she found the strength to save others rather than focusing on her own survival. Goldwasser's wife remembers Karnit Goldwasser, whose husband, Udi, was captured and killed by Hezbollah in 2006, in a Ynet Op-Ed reflects on Israel's Memorial Day, saying that "Time taught me how to live with the pain and sorrow." Declaration of a dream Writing in Haaretz, Israeli Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin says that Israel's Declaration of Independence was the formative document of the state, but that doesn't mean it is immune to criticism or doesn't demand additional work. Atoning for the sins of 1691 The New York Times reports on a memorial in Majorca, the first by a local regional government in Spain, to confront a dark legacy of buried memories from the Inquisition. Playing Shylock Stage actors who have played the part of Shylock tell Britain's The Guardian what it is like to play one of Shakespeare's most famous and complicated, and Jewish, characters. Supporting Rabbi Richard Jacobs Reform leaders past and present offer their staunch backing for the movement's designated leader in a letter to JTA. Read it and other letters on the Quibbles & Kibbitz blog. The Eulogizer: Louis Ossinsky Jr., Natalie Brown and Helen Loeb JTA's Appreciation column remembers ex-B'nai B'rith official Louis Ossinsky Jr., New Orleans-area deli owner Natalie Brown and Holocaust survivor Helen Loeb. Israeli breakfast recipes Israeli breakfasts are adventures in flavor, texture and spice. Rivka Friedman of Myjewishlearning.com offers recipes for making your own hummus, labane or even muhammara. JEWISH IDEAS DAILY Sponsored Content Crimes of Communion Thousands of Jews were brought to the stake on the charge of stealing and defiling the Christian communion wafer. When did such infamous accusations end? Read more » BREAKING NEWS Half the Democratic caucus in the U.S. Senate urged President Obama to suspend assistance to the Palestinian Authority unless Hamas recognizes Israel and renounces terrorism. Yeshivat Rambam, a Jewish day school in Baltimore, said it will be shutting down in June. A Chasidic paper in Brooklyn removed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton from the White House photo of U.S. officials watching the deadly raid on Osama bin Laden's hideout. Actor and producer Tom Cruise was recognized with the The Simon Wiesenthal Center's Humanitarian Award. A German railway firm has stopped advising Israel on a rapid rail project that includes nearly four miles that would run under the West Bank. An Israel Airports Authority investigation has found bacteria and mold in contaminated jet fuel, which had grounded dozens of planes in Israel. Bereaved families and their supporters in Israel have signed a petition calling for a break between Memorial Day and Independence Day. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Israel "a beacon of hope" in an Independence Day message on behalf of President Obama and the U.S. people. The local priest in a small town in northwest Italy has been named Righteous among Nations for saving a Jewish family during World War II. Following opposition from Jewish groups, Ottawa's mayor has withdrawn a proposal to name a new building for a former mayor described as an unrepentant anti-Semite. Israel's Cabinet has allocated more than $2.5 million to promote the candidacy of the Dead Sea as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. A delegation of Democratic House members led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) met in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team lost the Euroleague finals in a game that was moved up several hours so that it would not be played on Israel's Memorial Day. A professional Argentinian soccer club founded more than a century ago in a Jewish neighborhood won its league championship. Israel's population has grown 2 percent over last year, to 7,746,000. Mordechai Vanunu, who served 18 years in prison for leaking Israel's nuclear secrets, has asked that his Israeli citizenship be revoked. The Orthodox Union urged Florida voters to pass a 2012 ballot that would repeal a measure banning funding of religious institutions. Lawmakers in both houses of the U.S. Congress introduced a bill that would budget $10 million for Holocaust education over five years. Rabbi Melissa Weintraub has been awarded $100,000 for her work training Jewish leaders to be effective agents in Israeli-Palestinian relations.