Britannia Radio

Daily Briefing

Thursday, April 26, 2012

FEATURED STORY At Yom Ha’atzmaut, school shows it’s OK for Jewish, Arab students to have differences A handful of bilingual schools in Israel are seeking to foster coexistence through cross-cultural learning. Read more » EDITORS' PICKS Sticking with Mel Gibson Some Hollywood Jews are standing by Mel Gibson in the wake of his feud with Joe Eszterhas, Dana Kennedy reports for JTA. Iron Dome is an investment in Mideast stability Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system enhances stability in the Middle East, and that's why the United States should support Israeli efforts to build more batteries, writes Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the top-ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in a JTA Op-Ed. Israel's educational system needs a fresh start Israel has an urgent need to "restart" the concept of education, to re-examine the connection between scholastic scores and the school culture, writes Chaim Peri, the former director of the Yemin Orde Youth Village, in a JTA Op-Ed. The 'Mad Men' Holocaust backstory This week we learned that Michael Ginsberg, the new hyper-Jewy copywriter character on "Mad Men," was born in a concentration camp. JTA's Ami Eden wrestles with what to make of this new twist. An Israeli seminary opens its doors to gays (N.Y. Jewish Week) The decision by the Schechter Rabbinical School in Jerusalem to admit gay students leaves open questions about how the institution will balance its traditionalist tendencies with the more liberal attitudes that prevail at its Conservative sister institutions in the U.S. A pastor visits a Moishe House (Jersey Journal) The Rev. Alexander M. Santora visits the Moishe House in Hoboken N.J., a communal living space that hosts events for young Jews. Why the Jewish future grew brighter (Jerusalem Post) Rabbi Daniel Gordis writes that whereas in 1946 one might have been pessimistic about the Jewish future, today there are many reasons to celebrate -- thanks to the existence of Israel. Re-recording 'Hatikvah' with new lyrics (Forward) The Forward gets singer Neshama Carlebach to record a new version of "Hatikvah," with lyrics suggested by the paper's language columnist Philologos that aim to make the anthem more palatable to Israel's Arab citizens. Liberal Zionism powwow (Huffington Post) A distinguished group of self-identified liberal Zionists has gathered online to offer essays on Israel and its future. What do you know about Israeli history? For Israel's Independence Day, MyJewishLearning has a quiz about Israeli history. A Baltimore judge denied an alleged assault victim's request to drop criminal charges against two Baltimore Jewish brothers accused of beating the black teen. The Obama campaign is returning the donation of a hedge fund manager who is accused of defrauding members of his Persian-Jewish community in Los Angeles. Longtime Syracuse University assistant coach Bernie Fine, who was fired in November amid allegations of sexual molestation, was hired as a consultant for an Israeli pro basketball team. Hezbollah poses no specific threat to Jewish communities in metropolitan Detroit, the FBI's head of counterterrorism in Michigan reportedly said at a suburban Detroit JCC. A black Jewish woman is suing the Phoenix school where she formerly served as principal for failing to respond to complaints about a fake gas chamber set up outside her office and then firing her. Preventing Iran from becoming preeminent in its region should guide all U.S. foreign policy, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said. Israeli President Shimon Peres offered a warning to Israel's enemies on the occasion of Israeli Independence Day. Israeli Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar called Israel's legalization of three West Bank settlement outposts a "holiday gift" for the nation's Independence Day from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Catholic Charities honored the UJA-Federation of New York for its longtime service to the Catholic group's agencies. An Israeli teenager won the International Bible Contest in Jerusalem, with a New York teen finishing second. The American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, N.C., was recognized as a Green Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Two synagogues in a suburb of Buffalo, N.Y., have voted to merge.