Britannia Radio

Daily Briefing

Thursday, June 2, 2011

FEATURED STORY Landmark study provides snapshot of new Jewish identity in Central Europe Most Jews surveyed in five key Central European countries are optimistic about their Jewish future, according to a new study.Read more » EDITORS' PICKS In Israel, looking to September Israeli officials are focusing on trying to limit the diplomatic damage that a General Assembly resolution endorsing Palestinian statehood could cause and worrying about a possible outbreak of violence after September, Linda Gradstein reports for JTA. Praise Canada At the G-8 Summit, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper stood firm against shoving Israel down the gangplank of indefensible borders and another deadly war, write Simon Wiesenthal Center officials Rabbi Marvin Hier and Rabbi Abraham Cooper in an Op-Ed for JTA. Netanyahu follows in his father's footsteps With Benjamin Netanyahu's success in attracting bipartisan support in Washington, the prime minister is following in the footsteps of his father, who accomplished a similar feat 67 years ago, writes historian Rafael Medoff in an Op-Ed for JTA. The Religious Action Center at 50 The Washington Jewish Week looks back at the history of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, whose activist bent proved controversial within the Reform movement at its inception. For new Conservative female rabbis, elusive pulpit jobs Newly ordained female rabbis graduating from the Jewish Theological Seminary are having difficulty finding jobs, The New York Jewish Week reports. Israel: Too dangerous for study abroad? The Los Angeles Jewish Journal asks: Why won't California's largest state university system send its students to Israel for study abroad? Are young rabbis turning on Israel? Some rabbinical students believe they should engage in dialogue about the Palestinians rather than instinctively protecting their own people first, Rabbi Daniel Gordis writes in the June issue of Commentary Magazine. Weiner's Twitter-gate The Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz thinks that Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) has fumbled his response to a strange incident involving his Twitter account and a picture of someone's underwear. Commerce in Kabul shul Kabul's last Jew is allowing merchants to set up shop in the Afghan capital's last synagogue, The Jerusalem Post reports. BREAKING NEWS The United States will not participate in the United Nations-sponsored Durban III conference this September, the State Department said. Rabbi Saul Kassin, a spiritual leader of the Syrian Jewish community in America, was sentenced to two years of probation for illegally sending money to Israel through a charity he operated. The U.S. House Appropriations defense subcommittee awarded the highest-ever level of funding to the joint U.S.-Israel missile defense program. Sarah Palin visited New York tourist spots sporting a large Star of David around her neck. The British rock band Coldplay in a message posted on its Facebook page urged fans to check out the "Freedom for Palestine" music video. Holocaust survivors continue to face roadblocks, including the U.S. government, in collecting on insurance policies taken out before the war, according to a New York Times report. An Israeli police officer's car was firebombed during the dismantling of illegal structures at a West Bank outpost. American Jews strongly believe in Israel's commitment to peace, and largely think the Palestinian leadership and people are opposed to it, according to a new poll. France's foreign minister, Alain Juppe, offered to host a meeting next month to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Construction has been completed on the first permanent section of a border fence between Israel and Egypt. Scattered clashes broke out in neighborhoods surrounding Jerusalem’s Old City during the annual Jerusalem Day march, though the event was mostly peaceful. Some 15 gravestones were toppled in a Jewish cemetery in Atlantic City, N.J. Senior European rabbis urged the European Union to ensure that the burgeoning democratic movements sweeping across the Arab world also guarantee religious freedom in the region. The Los Angeles Dodgers again will underwrite the baseball tournament at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, the Maccabiah Organizing Committee announced.