Daily Briefing

Monday, January 30, 2012 il

FEATURED STORY Alexander Levin’s got a name (and cash), but does he have a plan? The newest international Jewish organization has a name, the World Forum for Russian Jewry, but not much else -- yet. Read more » EDITORS' PICKS A universal message for Holocaust Remembrance Day On the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Dieter Graumann, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, writes that the world's tolerance of Iran is a sign that the lessons of the Holocaust have not been fully internalized. More scrutiny of Adelson (New York Times) About the only thing comparable to Sheldon Adelson's vast wealth is his reticence in talking to the news media. But with his millions injecting new life into the campaign of Newt Gingrich, Adelson is coming under increasing scrutiny. In The New York Ties, the latest attempt to understand what drives the billionaire casino magnate. Freedom of religion, global warming and Ben Stein (N.Y. Jewish Week) An electronics firm reportedly dropped Ben Stein as a pitchman because the actor is a global warming skeptic. Stein is suing, saying he believes only God makes the weather and that his freedom of religion is being infringed upon. For the Pats, an enduring presence (Boston Globe) With the New England Patriots preparing to compete for another Super Bowl championship this weekend, owner and Jewish philanthropist Robert Kraft is heading for the big game without a trusted adviser: his wife Myra, who died last summer of cancer. Courting L.A.'s Jews (Forward) Three of the four Democratic candidates for mayor of Los Angeles are Jewish. The fourth, Wendy Greuel, is married to a Jew, visited no less than four synagogues on the High Holy Days, and has a son about to enter Hebrew school. Occupy AIPAC (Tablet) Get ready -- the 99 percent are preparing to crash the country's biggest pro-Israel gathering. Still fractured after all these years (The Telegraph) More than a century has passed since French Army Capt. Alfred Dreyfus was wrongly accused of passing secrets to the Germans. But as the author of a forthcoming book about the affair writes, the controversy still resonates in France. Seeking Kin: Tracing refugees from Europe to Palestine JTA's Seeking Kin column writes about an Australian retiree researching an unusual story about Jewish refugees deported by the British to Palestine. BREAKING NEWS The possibility of continuing peace talks with the Palestinians is "not particularly good," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. The 19-year-old man charged in attacks on two northern New Jersey synagogues allegedly planned an attack on another nearby synagogue. U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said it would take Iran approximately one year to build a nuclear bomb. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich put the blame for the impasse in Middle East peace talks squarely on the Palestinians. Leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations met with convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. More than four of every five Israeli Jews believe in God and three-quarters of Israeli Jews keep kosher, according to a survey. An Israeli film on the military's legal system in the West Bank was named the best foreign documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. President Barack Obama pledged to combat Holocaust denial in a message marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. A $2.5 million gift from the David Berg Foundation will be used to establish a rare books room at the Center for Jewish History in New York. B’nai B’rith International called on organizers of a German media prize to reconsider its awarding to a Palestinian pastor. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak called for intensified sanctions on Iran. Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul reportedly signed off on racially charged newsletters in the 1990s, despite denying his involvement. An ex-aide to an influential rabbi who is now a top fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm may have steered illegal campaign donations to the freshman New York lawmaker. The Republican caucus in a Nevada county will hold a special vote hours after the totals are set to be reported to accommodate Sabbath-observant Jewish voters. A Ukraine native will be the first Conservative rabbi to serve in the former Soviet republic.