Britannia Radio

Daily Briefing

Thursday, June 16, 2011

FEATURED STORY 'Never Better' in Krakow? Jews in Krakow have a provocative new slogan -- "Never Better" -- aimed at rebranding Jewish Poland, or at least Jewish Krakow, shaking up conventional perceptions and radically shifting the focus of how the Jewish experience there is viewed. Read more » EDITORS' PICKS Weiner follies Anthony Weiner is stepping down, but JTA's Ami Eden says there are plenty of Democrats and Republicans who have been living up to his last name as well. Lipstadt on advocacy and scholarship at Yale With the battle lines drawn over Yale's decision to close its initiative on anti-Semitism, Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt enters the debate and scrambles it up, JTA's Daniel Treiman writes on The Telegraph blog. BREAKING NEWS Rep. Anthony Weiner reportedly is set to resign in the wake of a scandal in which he lied about sexually explicit exchanges on social media outlets. A dual U.S.-Israel citizen who is being held in Egypt on charges of being a spy for Israel could face trial in the coming weeks. Top U.S. negotiators are meeting with Israeli and Palestinian officials in a bid to restart talks. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head in January, was released from the hospital. Naama Shafir accompanied the Israeli national women's basketball squad to Poland with a special jersey that the team hopes will allow her to play in the Eurobasket tournament. An official of the Schechter Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem told JTA that the institute is "extremely close" to an agreement with striking employees. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in testimony at his corruption trial denied accepting envelopes full of cash from American businessman Morris Talansky. Two men who allegedly wanted to attack New York synagogues and other targets have pleaded not guilty to weapons and conspiracy charges. A joint Australian rules football team brought together pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian legislators in Australia for the first time. Two Jewish businessmen -- a son and his father -- have filed a lawsuit against GE Financial Services, accusing the company of racial and religious discrimination. A Scottish municipality voted down a motion comparing Israel's treatment of the Palestinians to apartheid. A Palestinian family may not be evicted from its home in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, a Jerusalem court ruled. Ron Prosor has assumed his duties as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations. The National Jewish Democratic Council blasted what it said was a Republican "obsession" with Muslims. U.S. House members formally launched the Latino-Jewish Congressional Caucus. Members of the Orthodox Union met with a dozen senators on Capitol Hill during the OU's annual leadership mission to Washington. No Ford in Israel's Future? The Ford Foundation has initiated a phased withdrawal from its long, largely behind-the-scenes campaign to influence Israeli politics. But is the damage already done? Read more »