Britannia Radio

Daily Briefing

Monday, June 13, 2011

FEATURED STORY With new investments, Israel again is looking to Africa With new investments and aid, Israel is beginning to look at Africa as a place of opportunity where it can help the continent develop and boost Israel's own reputation in the process -- as it did in the state's early years.Read more » EDITORS' PICKS Why did Yale shutter anti-Semitism initiative? Yale says it is shutting down its initiative on anti-Semitism due to a lack of academic vigor, but some critics suggest it was sacrificed to political correctness, JTA's Ron Kampeas reports. Anthony Weiner and us In the Jewish community, Rep. Anthony Weiner's spectacularly public downfall was a reminder of the perils of associating a particular person's successes or failures with his Jewishness, JTA's Alex Weisler notes. Top Jewish Dems rallying around Obama With fundraisers, a White House statement and Op-Eds, top Democrats are making the argument that President Obama is pro-Israel and his policies on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict differ little from his predecessors, JTA's Ron Kampeas reports. Stanley Fischer's long resume and longshot IMF bid In launching his candidacy to lead the International Monetary Fund, Stanley Fischer, governor of the Bank of Israel, has "probably the most impressive resume and the least chance of succeeding," The New York Times says. Conquest and consistency in Jerusalem and Istanbul Turkish leaders can't celebrate the conquest of Istanbul while decrying Israel's 1967 capture of eastern Jerusalem, writes Burak Bekdil in Hurriyet Daily News. Weiner's comeuppance? Salon speaks with former Brooklyn politician Adele Cohen, who recalls how Anthony Weiner used an attack flier to defeat her in a City Council race 20 years ago. The Eulogizer: Harry Bernstein and more on Sammy Ofer JTA's Appreciation column remembers memoirist Harry Bernstein and has more on the recently deceased Israeli shipping mogul Sammy Ofer. Quiz: War and peace How much do you know about the Jewish take on war and peace? MyJewishLearning.com has a quiz. JEWISH IDEAS DAILY t Anti-Semitism and Man at Yale As the fact of anti-Semitism grows, including on some North American campuses, one large, serious academic effort to study anti-Semitism has been shut down. Read more » BREAKING NEWS An alleged Israeli spy arrested in Egypt has been identified by Israeli media as an American citizen who made aliyah in 2005. Influential Reps. Howard Berman and Brad Sherman may face off in the 2012 elections based on an initial draft of California's new political map. A German court denied a request to extradite John Demjanjuk to Spain to stand trial on charges of being an accessory to genocide and crimes against humanity. U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner has requested a leave of absence from Congress in order to receive psychological treatment amid further calls for his resignation. Rabbi Richard Jacobs was unanimously elected to serve as president of the Union for Reform Judaism. The Hamas-Fatah reconciliation appeared to be in jeopardy after Hamas rejected Fatah's nominee for prime minister, Salam Fayyad. The family and supporters of convicted spy for Israel Jonathan Pollard have called on President Obama to allow him to visit his father, who is dying in an Indiana hospital. Newt Gingrich said he would move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem on his first day in office as president. A delegation of Americans visiting Cuba met with jailed American contractor Alan Gross. The Chabad Jewish Center of Idaho in Boise was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti. Israel is the only obstacle to a nuclear-free Middle East, Iran charged during a conference in Tehran on nuclear disarmament. Stanley Fischer, the governor of the Bank of Israel, has thrown his hat into the ring to lead the International Monetary Fund. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) introduced a resolution calling an Israeli return to 1967 lines "contrary to United States policy and national security." Israel will raze three permanent buildings in an illegal Jewish outpost that is situated on private Palestinian land. The mother and grandfather of a 4-year-old girl murdered in Israel were sentenced to life in prison for killing her. Photos of Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head in January, were released on her Facebook page. Some 26 mayors from more than a dozen countries are visiting Israel for a conference on municipal cooperation. Jewish leaders met with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano about the community's partnership in a new public awareness campaign. Al Schwimmer, a New York native whose actions were described by David Ben-Gurion as the Diaspora's most important contribution to the survival of Israel, has died. Lauren Spierer, a sophomore at Indiana University, remains missing a week after disappearing on her way home from a sports bar. A Jewish indigenous woman was awarded a top honor in Australia. The European Jewish Congress has contacted leaders on the continent in a bid to prevent recognition of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state in the United Nations.