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Daily Briefing

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 Donate Now | Share This Email

FEATURED STORY At Chanukah, Czech Jews marvel at blessings of Havel's revolution A Chanukah candle-lighting celebration at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Prague reminds JTA columnist Ruth Ellen Gruber of the religious freedoms that transformed Jewish life for Czech Jews, thanks in large part to Vaclav Havel and the Velvet Revolution. Read more » EDITORS' PICKS The making of a Hollywood Maccabee wannabee A JTA columnist, seeking to capitalize on the current Hollywood interest in the Maccabees, concocts a scheme for a low-budget cable film, only to discover that getting movies made is harder than it looks. Seeking Kin: An Israeli finds his American cousins Less than two months after the launch of JTA's Seeking Kin column, the first set of lost relatives has been reconnected. Food for gentiles (New York Times) After decades of producing food for a largely Jewish market, kosher food giant Manischewitz is training its sights on the non-Jewish market. The modesty battle of Beit Shemesh (Channel Two) A demonstration against religious coercion is planned tonight for the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. Watch the report on Israeli television about a young girl afraid to walk to school that sparked the controversy. The interfaith ambassador (Boston Globe) Combined Jewish Philanthropies in Boston has hired a gay rabbi as its first interfaith ambassador, a role in which he runs interfaith parenting workshops and presides at interfaith marriages. Challah-peno latkes and other Mexican Jewish delights (NPR) Want to try Mexican-style fiesta latkes this Chanukah? Or spicy pozole soup with matza balls? A writer goes in search of his grandparents' Mexican-Jewish cuisine. And if you're still hungry ... (Smithsonian) .... Smithsonian explores the reasons behind the great Jewish tradition of Chinese food on Christmas. Anti-Jewish isms (Israel National News) The public relations director of the haredi Orthodox Agudath Israel of America writes that in order for Jews to maintain their spiritual rectitude, and to continue to merit Divine protection, they must resist gay marriage, animal rights, and a host of isms. Attack of the drones (Washington Post) Meet Abraham Karem, the Israeli engineer whose tinkerings in a California garage changed the way the United States fights terrorism. In eastern Jerusalem, teaching self-defense (Haaretz) In an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem, Jewish instructors are teaching Arab women how to defend themselves from would-be assailants. The Eulogizer: Warren Hellman, billionaire bluegrass enthusiast JTA's appreciation blog remembers "Rhinestone Jewboy" Warren Hellman, a San Francisco billionaire responsible for financing a free bluegrass festival each year in Golden Gate Park. The miracle of the struggle With Chanukah coming to a close, the word "miracle" has been thrown around quite a lot. On Kveller, Carla Naumburg reflects on a true miracle: that the Jewish people are still here. BREAKING NEWS Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz if its oil exports are subjected to foreign sanctions, the Islamic Republic's official news agency reported. An Atlanta-area woman who sent a threatening package with an anti-Semitic note to a U.S. congressman was killed after attacking a police officer. Orthodox Israeli soldiers must attend official military ceremonies at which women sing but can be excused from informal social gatherings, the head of the military said. A federal court dismissed a lawsuit filed by two Jewish students against the University of California, Berkeley, alleging that the school did not protect them from anti-Semitic attacks. Cuba said it will release nearly 3,000 prisoners on humanitarian grounds, but did not include Jewish-American Alan Gross on the list. UNESCO cut finding for a Palestinian magazine in which a teenage girl appears to express admiration for Hitler. Israeli President Shimon Peres will move out of his official residence in Jerusalem following flooding and infrastructure failure throughout the complex. Israel's Air Force allegedly attacked weapons convoys traveling from Sudan to the Gaza Strip, the Sudanese media reported. Beit Issie Shapiro, a special needs organization in Raanana, was recognized as Israel's Most Efficient Non-Profit Organization. A tiny clay seal that likely certified the purity of ritual objects used in the Second Temple was discovered in an excavation near the Temple Mount. A radical Islamist party in Egypt said it is against the "normalization" of ties with Israel, amending a statement saying that it would respect the country's peace treaty with its neighbor. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Israel Police to act aggressively against violence against women in the public sphere. A Chanukah menorah made of 25,000 dominoes was constructed at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Germany has agreed to changes in one of its restitution programs that will add payouts of approximately $3,300 to some 10,000 Jews, the Claims Conference announced.