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Daily Briefing

Monday, February 27, 2012 Donate Now | Share This Email

FEATURED STORY In Japan, Israelis bring trauma expertise to tsunami victims Israeli volunteers are bringing their hard-earned experience treating victims of trauma to areas devastated by last year's Japanese tsunami.Read more » EDITORS' PICKS Mormon baptisms: Outrage or progress? The Mormon church's policy of posthumous proxy baptisms is back in the news again. But is the practice an outrage -- as some Jewish leaders contend -- or progress? JTA's Ami Eden weighs in. Let my people play A Modern Orthodox school in Houston has reached the semifinals of the state AA boys' basketball tournament, but the games are due to be played this weekend on Shabbat. Now the ADL is getting involved. Germany's neo-Nazi music scene A new film, partially shot undercover at neo-Nazi gatherings, is shining a light on a violent German subculture. JTA's Toby Axelrod reports from Berlin. No Oscar for Israel (L.A. Jewish Journal) Groans swept through a crowd of Israelis at a Los Angeles hotel when the country's Oscar entry lost to Iran in the best foreign language film category -- the disappointment only partially mitigated by the triumph of the French-Jewish director of the film "The Artist." Lying to ourselves about Iran (Wall Street Journal) Whether one supports military action to prevent an Iranian nuke or not, the debate must be based on a clear-eyed assessment of reality, and the reality is this: Iran is striving to reach the point at which the international community will be unable to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. So argue Frederick Kagan and Maseh Zarif. The Assad endgame (New York Post) Amir Taheri lays out Bashar Assad's three-pronged plan to retain power in Syria. The last Jewish gangster (New York Daily News) Julius Bernstein was a relic from another era -- a Brooklyn native and World War II hero who enjoyed a storied career in the mob before turning state's witness shortly before his 2007 death. Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request, the Daily News has acquired his FBI file. Life in the tunnels (Salon) A reporter visits the legendary network of smuggling tunnels that represent a vital link between Gaza and the world -- and a major conduit for weapons intended for Palestinian militants. BREAKING NEWS Jewish director Michel Hazanavicius won top honors at the Oscars for "The Artist," while Israel's entry in the awards, "Footnote" by Joseph Cedar, lost to an Iranian film. American Jewish leaders called on the Knesset to tighten security at the Mount of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem in the aftermath of a rock-throwing attack on one of the leaders and two Jewish congressmen. Birthright Israel has contributed more than $535 million to Israel's economy since the trip's inception in 2000, the organization said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned a speech by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in which Abbas said that Israel was planning to destroy the Al Aksa Mosque. Seven Israeli Arabs were arrested in an attack on two off-duty Israeli soldiers in Haifa. Hadassah marked its centennial with a Shabbat service and rededication ceremony. Czech Jewish groups have issued a joint statement calling on President Vaclav Klaus to disassociate himself from the anti-Semitic comments of Adam Bartos. Thai police are holding another Iranian national in connection with a bombing in Bangkok. A state-run Israeli company has inked a $1.6 billion deal to sell sophisticated military technology to Azerbaijan. Jailed American Jewish contractor Alan Gross "was no spy," Cuban President Raul Castro agreed in a meeting with two visiting U.S. senators, Patrick Leahy and Richard Shelby. A Polish champion horse entered in an Arizona horse show has offended some local Jewish residents because his name, Pogrom, refers to anti-Jewish attacks. A Palestinian woman freed in the Gilad Shalit swap has gone on a hunger strike since being re-arrested for involvement in terrorist activity. A binational "friendship stamp" set to be issued by Israel and Gibraltar was canceled over Israel's choice of landmark to appear on the stamp.