May 16, 2013 | 3:46 am

This week in power: WoW scuffling, IRS scandal, Newseum, Shavuot message

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Kotel fight
Last Friday, the Kotel was a spot for outrage and bickering as the Women of the Wall again arrived to pray on the date of the new month. Only this time they encountered much more resistance than ever before, as "religious teenage girls turned up in large numbers to protest the group’s insistence on praying at the wall in religious garb traditionally worn by men," reported The New York Times. Three people were arrested, though none of them WoW members since the court ruled in their favor some weeks ago and upheld their right to be at the holy site. "A democracy cannot tolerate the stifling of religious freedom, particularly when this freedom is expressed so innocuously with the wearing of tallitot and tefillin," said a Jerusalem Post editorial. "I have to ask. With all the good intention of Israel’s rabbinic leaders, how could they not see that this was going to happen? It isn’t as though protests in the past never had things like this happen. The fact is that this almost always happens," said Harry Maryles at The Jewish Press.

IRS snooping
A bombshell dropped late last week when it was revealed that the Internal Revenue Service had classified some conservative groups differently when it came to seeking tax-exempt status. The IRS quickly apologized. "Taking away a non-profit’s ability to receive tax-exempt charitable contributions is equivalent to a death sentence," said Commentary's John Podhoretz. The scandal hit the Jewish world when The Jewish Press wondered whether it had hit Jewish organizations. But not everyone bought it. "There are some red flags in The Jewish Press story, said geoconger at Patheos. "Though it is characterized as a news story, the article is a one-sided advocacy piece written by an individual closely associated with one of the organizations under IRS scrutiny. No names, dates or details are given though a powerful quote is supplied. Absent a name, it is difficult to judge its veracity."

Venezuelan reveal
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro flipped his story after long claiming that he wasn't maintaining ties with Iran, but now he's said publicly that he's not anti-Semitic because he descended from Sephardic Jewish ancestors. Maduro took over for Hugo Chávez, who had been critical of Israel during his reign and didn't exactly warm up to the Jwish Community there. “Chavez also opened the doors of Latin America to some of the world’s worst human rights offenders. In addition to the Iranians and their terrorist proxies, these included Sudan’s Omar Al-Bashir, Qaddafi, Mugabe, Saddam Hussein, and the Assad family," Sammy Eppel, a leader of the Venezuelan Jews, told IsraelNationalNews. Improved relations may come with time.

Newseum under fire
Washington, D.C.'s, museum dedicated to media and reporting is reportedly "reconsidering" its decision to honor a slain cameramen employed by a Hamas affiliate. The Newseum wanted to highlght Mahmoud al-Kumi and Hussam Salama, cameramen killed in November by an Israeli strike. They worked for Al Aqsa TV, an arm of Hamas “Serious questions have been raised as to whether two of the individuals included on our initial list of journalists who died covering the news this past year were truly journalists or whether they were engaged in terrorist activities,” the Newseum said. As of early this week, it had merely postponed the honor, not nixed it completely.

Shavuot takeaways
The annual spring festival celebrating the giving of the Torah came around this week, and some people got thoughtful in the leadup. "Shavuot is about participation, not commemoration. About joining a community of listeners. About experiencing the resonance of His expression," wrote Mendel Horowitz in The Jewish Daily Forward. And in each generation, we must recommit ourselves to the text, and to the creator, wrote Steven R. Edelman in the Fay Observer. "God has made a succession of covenants with various people in the history of Jewish faith. He made a covenant with Abram, then he made covenants with Isaac, and again with Jacob. None of the covenants replaced an earlier one. The covenant made at Mount Sinai continues."

May 9, 2013 | 3:51 am

This week in power: Syria airstrikes, Scottish church, Beck comparison, Hawking retreat

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Serious about Syria
"Israeli airstrikes in Syria on Iranian weapons destined for Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia could be seen as heralding wider international involvement in Syria’s intractable civil war," reported the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday. Israel hasn't formally admitted to bombing the weapons caches. "Nothing would unite Syria like a common enemy, and yet even when the common enemy invades their country, it makes more international headlines than in Syria itself," said Marc Ambinder at The Week. "At the end of the day, it's an issue of survival (for Assad) and retaliation will further endanger that survival," Bilal Saab, director of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, North America, told the Associated Press. "The most existential threat (to the regime) is the rebels, not Israel."

Great Scot!
Scottish Jews called out the Church of Scotland for a paper that denies the Jews' claim to the land of Israel, according to reports. In“The Inheritance of Abraham,” it stated that “reconciliation can only be possible if the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the blockade of Gaza are ended." The Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland put it out last week. "The church owes the Jewish people an apology for this incendiary text that is more fitting to the 13th century than to this one. Jewish groups, Church of Scotland members and others must join together to oppose and repudiate this vicious and defamatory text," wrote Seth J. Frantzman at The Jerusalem Post.

Beck's comments
Glenn Beck has a long history of making controversial comments, especially when it comes to comparing people to Nazis. At the National Rifle Association's annual convention last weekend, Beck compared New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Hitler and reportedly gave a Nazi salute. Beck played down the comments, but you can decide. Here they are: "When somebody argues for gun control, they are either living in self-imposed ignorance or they are just living an argument of control," Beck stressed to the crowd of more than 10,000. He urged the group "to make sure that we give no more power to those in government at any level," and held New York City up as an example of where things are headed. "I am amazed at how many of my New York friends have become absolute dopes and just will accept the soda ban, the popcorn ban, the salt ban," he spat. "I've come up with a new advertisement for New York, a new slogan: 'You will love New York!'"

Hawking rouses anger
People were aghast on Wednesday when news came out that Stephen Hawking opted to join a boycott at an Israeli conference against the state's occupation of Palestine. Many were quick to point out that Hawking depends on Israeli technology in the computer equipment that helps him function. "Calls for academic boycotts of Israel are longstanding in the United Kingdom, and have been proposed numerous times at meetings of academic trade unions, with varying success. Although some researchers have backed boycotts, others call them counterproductive," wrote Daniel Cressey at Nature.

Lipman smear
American Dov Lipman, who is a freshman Knesset member of the Yesh Atid party, had his name besmirched this week by the head of his former yeshiva. At issue for Rabbi Aharon Feldman was speculation that Lipman would try to shut down some ultra-Orthodox schools that don't teach secular studies. In fact, Lipman has no such plans. He dealt with it with a classy op-ed at Baltimore Jewish Life. Lipman wrote: "I certainly hope the misquote will be acknowledged and that the comparison to Amalek and Haman will be taken back.  Misunderstandings happen and can always be corrected. Let us all learn the lesson of the dangers of the rumor mill and misquotes and let's work together to strengthen Torah study, the spreading of Torah values, and unity amongst the Jewish people."

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May 2, 2013 | 3:57 am

This week in power: Drone, Sarin, WoW decision, BBC documentary

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Finger-pointing
Israel is facing a tough decision over a recent drone spotting. Prime MinisterNetanyahu's helicopter was forced to land after word got out and he remained grounded until the Israeli Air Force had secured Israeli air space, according to reports. First reports said that Hezbollah launched the drone, but that was unsubstantiated. However, Catholic Online reported that "It is widely speculated that Hezbollah sent the drone as a publicity stunt in an effort to demonstrate to their own people that they still have an emphasis on destroying Israel. Recently, Hezbollah has been sending fighters and resources to support the regime of Bashir al Assad in Syria. Many Lebanese are upset at this involvement." Stay tuned.

Attention on Syria
Syria denied this week that it has ever had chemical weapons, after allegations flared from the United States, Israel, France, and Britain. "Mr. Obama must soon provide a clearer picture of how he plans to use American influence in dealing with the jihadi threat and the endgame in Syria," said a New York Times editorial. "If it is proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Syrian government is using chemical weapons on its people, the world -- and that includes the United States -- cannot and must not sit on its hands," wrote Dorian de Wind at The Huffington Post.

Abbas honored
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was give honorary citizenship in Naples, Italy, last weekend, which upset many Italian Jews. Shalom Bahbout, the rabbi of Naples and South Italy, said that Abbas “had skeletons in the closet” and that the local Jews "are not against conferring honorary citizenship on a Palestinian," just for the sake of it. The controversy centers again around the postgraduate thesis Abbas penned titled “The Connection between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement 1933 – 1945."

Women's right
An April 24 District court decision ruled that Women of the Wall have a right to pray at the Western Wall as they wish, and the organization will be back on May 10 for the new new month. "Judge Sobel’s decision reflects the history and traditions of that holy place, knowledge of or regard for which has clearly escaped contemporary zealots who seek to bar women from praying there collectively—or to dictate how they might pray there or what they might wear while doing so," wrote Tablet's Elliott Horowitz. Of course, not everyone agrees. "G-d is not a mushy, honey-coated sugar-daddy. He states exactly what He wants and anything outside that is not acceptable," said Boris Karshinov at Israel National News.

Nixed film
A BBC documentary about ancient Jewish history was shelved last week, which has upset filmmaker Ilan Ziv who is the man behind "Jerusalem: an Archaeological Mystery Story." "This is ultimately a sad saga of what I believe is a mixture of incompetence, political naiveté, conscious or subconscious political pressure and ultimately, I believe, a lack of courage of broadcasters when they are faced with the complexity of the Middle East issue and the intense emotions, fears and aggression it generates," Ziv wrote on his blog. "As is so often the case, the decision to censor the film appears to have been counter-productive, ultimately bringing it more publicity than it would have otherwise had, wrote Samira Shackle at Middle East Monitor. Coming as it does at a time when a man with known pro-Israel sentiments has been appointed to a top BBC post, this is one accusation of bias that will be far from easy to shrug off."

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April 25, 2013 | 3:43 am

This week in power: UN agreement, Marathon security, Florida law, Bible winner

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

New deal
An "unusual partnership" was struck this week, reported The New York Times, that brings together the "United States and Russia, with the help of Jordan, Brazil... As part of the arrangement, the Palestinians agreed to postpone five resolutions critical of Israel that were pending before the agency." Many were enthusiastic about the new deal struck by Unesco, the U.N.’s cultural arm. “It’s a door that was opened,” Israeli Ambassador to UNESCO Nimrod Barkan said. “It’s a move toward confidence building and an attempt to see whether there is forward movement.”

Boston lockdown
"I am not judging the people of Boston and their leaders and yes, there is something to be said about being safe rather than sorry. But, I wonder about the long-term strategic ramifications and if this won’t be viewed as a near-surrender to terrorism," wrote Yaakov Katz in The Jerusalem Post. Some last weekend pointed to how well Israel handles tough security situations like these. Yet, some took exception to these comparisons. "We can choose whether and how, with what nuance or with what lack thereof, we draw comparisons between terror in Boston and terror in Israel. And we can remember that comparisons, like all speech acts, are not morally neutral: somebody always benefits, and somebody always loses," said Sigal Samuel in The Daily Beast.

Controversial law
A bill passed the Florida House recently that bans "foreign legal principles from being used in state courts" which has united Muslim and Jewish advocates in opposition to it, according to Jacksonville.com. It's being called "anti-Sharia law," and Gov. Rick Scott supports the bill. "But hey, you want to make a culturally homogenous omelette, you gotta crack some multi-ethnic huevos," snarked Gawker's Adam Weinstein. At issue is whether such a law is even necessary, as people wonder what type of incident would provoke a foreign law to become entangled with a state one.

Ruskay steps down
John Ruskay, the head of the UJA-Federation of New York for the past 14 years, announced on Tuesday that he will step down as executive vice president and CEO of the world’s largest local charity on June 30, 2014. Under Ruskay's direction, the UJA-Federation has led the charge for Jewish organizations in the region in communal planning and philanthropy. The organization works with nearly 100 network beneficiary agencies, synagogues, and other Jewish organizations -- and 60 other countries around the world. “This has been a fabulous, wonderful professional journey,” Ruskay said. “It’s also time to move on a little bit, to create some room for others."

Bible quiz draw
This year's annual Bible Contest led to a tie between Elior Babian of Beit Shemesh and Yishai Eisenberg of New Jersey, a student at Yeshiva University High School. The two contestants both achieved perfect scores in the final, challenging rounds, and the judges ultimately decided that they couldn't take away the win from either boy. It's the first time in contest history that there was a tie. “It makes me very happy to see young people from Israel and from the world that are so interested in our Book of Books,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the contest's conclusion.

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April 18, 2013 | 3:15 am

This week in power: Marathom bombing, French rabbi, Class assignment, Independence Day

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Boston bombings
After Monday's bombings in Boston, everyone is looking for hope and answers. For some, that's come in the heroism that followed. "This is what first responders do. Without calling attention to themselves or congratulating themselves, they run towards human suffering instead of running away from it. To walk in God’s ways is to walk in their ways, too—towards people in pain and not away from them," wrote Shai Held at Tablet. The attack has lefy Jewish communities, among others, on edge. Some overseas in Israel have sent their thoughts and prayers via social media to show solidarity from afar.

Rabbi resigns
France’s chief rabbi Gilles Bernheim stepped down last week after it was revealed that he inadvertently committed plagiarism in two of his books and in an essay against gay marriage. Originally, Rabbi Bernheim defended himself, claiming that he wasn't the author of all the chapters in his book, but an assistant had made the error. Still, he eventually came forward, amid pressure, and accepted responsibility for it. His original intention to keep his position angered some: "It’s overwhelming, all this humility. And it’s reassuring to know that an Orthodox rabbi is as well versed with Orwellian Newspeak as any other politician," said Yori Yanover in The Jewish Press.

Another rabbi brouhaha
The Rabbinical Council of America dismissed Rabbi Dr. Michael Broyde, who's also a professor of law at Emory University, for unethical behavior involving creating an online persona intent on spying on other factions, reports say. "Now we need to wait and see how Emory responds. What’s the proper punishment for a professor sock-puppeting his own scholarship? Something tells me that it should be something more than 'embarrassment,' but this shouldn’t be a career ending transgression," said Elie Mystal at Above The Law. "Broyde is not a minor figure in the wider Jewish world. He sits as a judge on the most important Jewish law court in America and this year was reportedly a serious contender to succeed Jonathan Sacks as chief rabbi of England. Sure, he’s embarrassed himself, but in his world has he committed a crime?" asked Mark Silk at Religion News Service.

Controversial assignment
A teacher at a New York high school has been placed on leave after she assigned her students the task of “explaining why Jews are evil” in a writing class. The students at Albany High School were asked to watch and read Nazi propaganda, but some of the 75 students refused to do the assignment and alerted their parents. "It is clear to me that this teacher was trying to create an assignment that was incendiary and interesting, if only for its unexpectedness, and required students to incorporate history and persuasive propaganda as evidence for their persuasive claim. If this was the goal, the assignment met and exceeded expectations. However, the teacher clearly did not stop to think of how offensive and, frankly, downright painful this might be for some students to complete," said Ashley Lauren Samsa at Care2. Still, there were some defenders, like Stephen Prothero at CNN: "The teacher is a victim, too. And so are public school teachers across the country who are being told via this fiasco not to be creative as teachers, not to challenge their students to think in new ways."

Yom Haatzmaut celebrated
Israel turned 65 this week, which had some people growing nostalgic and others marking its significance. "In their wildest dreams, the founders of our state fighting a war of survival could never have envisioned the dynamic and thriving nation of eight million citizens that would emerge from that maelstrom," wrote Isi Leibler in The Jerusalem Post. "When Palestine really exists, on maps and in all offices of the U.N., when Israel has made a just peace with its neighbors and attempted to address the tremendous, nearly incalculable damage it has caused the Palestinian people over the years—then I will be able to genuinely celebrate," said Emily L. Hauser at The Daily Beast. 

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April 11, 2013 | 3:35 am

This week in power: Carter, Sharansky proposal, Yom Hashoah, Antisemitism study

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Carter protest
Ahead of Wednesday's Cardozo School of Law's Journal of Conflict Resolution event honoring President Jimmy Carter, some students and alumni at Yeshiva University protested Carter's selection as International Advocate for Peace award, arguing that he wasn't a supporter of Israel's. Not everyone agreed. "It is also worth noting that no president has done as much for Israel as Carter who saved countless Israeli lives by personally negotiating the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty," wrote MJ Rosenberg at Alternet. Still, some felt that the school could have made a better selection. "Yeshiva University is supposed to set the standard. The shuld be the architects of Jewish pride. You want to honor someone at Yeshiva University, how about a real Zionist like John Bolton or Jose Aznar? Or even Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld," wrote Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs.

Sharansky's Kotel plan
Natan Sharansky thinks he has the answer for people upset about the Western Wall plaza's splitting of men and women and enforcement of strict laws for both sides: Make an egalitarian prayer service available. The implementation of non-Orthodox practice would be the first of its kind at the holy site. This goes a long to make it "become a symbol of compromise and coexistence, instead of a source of hostility," said a New Jersey Jewish News editorial. "Wouldn’t that be an appropriate way to mark the 65th anniversary of Israeli independence?" Whether it can turn into a reality is left to be seen, but "Our hope is that leaders in both the diaspora and Israel can hold fast to the notion of One People in finding the path toward equal prayer for all at Judaism’s holiest site," said a Jewish Week editorial.

Yom Hashoah celebrated
The annual day of remembrance of the lives lost generations ago during the Holocaust came on Sunday, and it left some people reflective. "With countries like Lithuania and Latvia, who are among the main culprits in this regard, poised to take over the presidency of the European Union in the coming year, it is high time that Israel minimize the gap between Holocaust rhetoric and practical action on Shoah-related issues, and begin to take the threat of Holocaust distortion seriously," wrote Efraim Zuroff in The Jerusalem Post. Steohen Landman at The People's Voice reminds that people still suffer today, even if it's not at the same level as during WWII: "Life in occupied Palestine includes economic strangulation, poverty, unemployment, collective punishment, loss of fundamental freedoms, targeted assassinations, punitive taxes, stolen land and resources, Gazans suffocating under siege, separation walls, electric fences and border closings, curfews, roadblocks and checkpoints, bulldozed homes and crops, as well as arbitrary arrests, imprisonment, torture, and other ill-treatment."

Internet attack
On Yom Hashoah this year, a group of hackers at Anonymous attacked some Israeli government websites, but officials said the damage caused was minimal. "Anonymous could just as easily have attacked the day before Holocaust Memorial Day or the day after. The insults and the cyberbravado would have been the same. It just would have been a little bit more human," said Michael Peck at Forbes. "No matter how much they deny it, an attack on the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, timed to occur at the same time as the day of remembrance of the Holocaust, is not a pro-Palestinian or even anti-Israel action. It is the action of bona fide anti-Semites," added Gary Willig at Times of Israel.

Antisemitism rising
There was a “considerable escalation in anti-Semitic manifestations, particularly violent acts against Jews,” according to a new report, which showed a 30-percent increase over 2011. The report highlighted the rise of extremist groups in Europe, like the Jobbik in Hungary and Golden Dawn in Greece. “We are reaching out to the leaders in Hungary and the EU and calling for the initiation of hearings in relevant committees, because this situation cannot continue,” said the President of European Jewish Congress.

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April 4, 2013 | 4:05 am

This week in power: Kerry trip, Gas pumping, Damascus attack, Counting Omar

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Kerry stop
Secretary of State John Kerry, it was announced on Wednesday, will make a third stop in two weeks in the Middle East this weekend to try to jumpstart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. "His diplomacy will be based on what he hears from the parties," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. Too little, too late, said James Jay Carafano at National Interest. "A Kerry stop in advance could have paved the way for a more substantive presidential visit. The secretary’s deliberate dodge of the Israelis was a strong signal that President Obama would be pursuing nothing serious in his subsequent visit with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And that certainly proved to be the case."

Gas promise
Israel announced that it's closer to energy independence as natural gas from a large offshore field began flowing into the country over the weekend, according to reports. “We are taking an important step toward energy independence,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said about the Tamar reservoir in the Mediterranean Sea. "Tamar, Leviathan and other possible gas reserves, including one off the shore of the Gaza Strip’s shore, have the potential to be a blessing not just to Israel but to its neighbors as well," said a Jerusalem Post editorial. Yet some warn not to get ahead of themselves. "Despite the celebrations marking Tamar's hook-up to the coast, it brings no good news to ordinary people. Electricity rates will not fall, and the cost of living remains unchanged," Gideon Tadmor told Globes.

Synagogue burned
A Damascus shul that went back many generations was damaged and looted during the Syrian uprising this week, leading officials from the Jobar Synagogue to mourn the loss of its cultural heritage. Fortunately, thousands of priceless manuscripts and Torahs had been had reportedly been moved elsewhere ahead of time to protect them. For Syria’s Jewish community, this is just a reminder of the anti-semitism is has faced in the past. Scary times abound.

"Jew in The Box"
A new exhibit has people wondering about the significance and message -- "a Jewish man or woman sits inside a glass box in the Jewish Museum in Berlin for a few hours a day and answers questions from visitors about Jews and Jewish life," reports say. “Jew in the Box” is part of “The Whole Truth, everything you wanted to know about Jews” and will run through August at the museum. Officials defend the value of having such an opportunity for Germans to educate themselves. "The problem is that they haven’t created the right conditions. A visitor won’t get the message of diversity unless she visits the exhibition many times, meeting different volunteers and talking to all of them," said Jillian Steinhauer at Hyperallergic. "As a Jewish person, I feel pretty confident in saying that it's almost inevitable that putting a Jewish person in a small space, ever, anywhere, will make some people angry, even if it's with the best intentions," added Jezebel's Anna Breslaw.

A new count
Every year some kooky way to keep track of the Omer shows up to the amazement of Internet lovers. This year's version? "Counting the Omar, which posts a different picture of Omar Little from the TV show The Wire every day. I mean, who doesn’t appreciate a little extra Michael K. Williams in life?" asked Lilit Marcus at Patheos. Others are rejoicing as well. "It’s pretty much the best thing that’s ever happened," wrote Stephanie Butnick at Jewcy. Do you agree?

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March 28, 2013 | 3:25 am

This week in power: Obama recap, Flotilla apology, Twitter suit, Passover message

Posted by Danny Groner

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Presidential trip
President Obama spent two days in Israel last week. So how'd it go? "Of course there is only so much Obama can do. He can’t make Netanyahu negotiate peace, nor can he make Palestinians accept one. But as much as he could do with a speech, Obama did today. He probably wishes he gave it a long time ago," said Jonathan Chait at New York Magazine. "Will Mr. Obama also take the risks that will be needed to be a credible mediator and nudge the parties forward?" asked a New York Times editorial. "If Obama uses this trip as a first step of many in a concerted effort to persuade, to push, yes, to risk political capital in the name of a peace process, then this will have been, for all its limits, a signal moment," wrote David Remnick in The New Yorker. Stay tuned.

Flotilla ending
Remember that 2010 raid of a Turkish ship?  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized this week to Turkish leader Recep Erdogan for the "operational mistakes of the Israeli military," what's seen as the first steps toward mending fences between the two nations. "Whether or not there was direct involvement by President Obama to broker the apology is not clear, but there was certainly involvement by American officials, probably the State Department. Normalization of relations is in everyone's interest, including the US as relevant decisions regarding Syria are made. None of them will be easy, but both Turkey and Israel will play a major role," said Karl Gotthardt at Digital Journal. Not so fast, said Barry Rubin on his blog: "Perhaps these seeming word games and niceties are beyond the interest or comprehension of many people, but everyone involved directly on this issue knows exactly what is happening. Erdogan knows very well that this was not a Turkish victory—except in public relations-- though Israel won’t object to letting it be claimed as such."

Levy banned
Philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy was barred from visiting Libya last week because he is Jewish, according to reports. He was supposed to join French leader Nicolas Sarkozy on a visit in Tripoli, but was denied. "This is a depressingly familiar narrative that liberal Jews never seem to learn from no matter how often it repeats itself," wrote Daniel Greenfield at Front Page Mag. Levy is known to be in favor of the rebel forces whose revolution led to the rise to power of Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan. His banishment came as a surprise to many.

Lawsuit filed
The Union of French Jewish Students (UEJF) announced that it is suing Twitter over its failure to live up to its end of the bargain after the #unbonjuif case. At the time, a French court ordered Twitter to monitor racist and anti-Semitic remarks and to coordinate with police when those remarks arise, but the suit claims that the social networking site hasn't done its part thus far. UEJF president, Jonathan Hayoun told AFP: "Twitter is playing the indifference card." Twitter stands by its first amendment rights in the U.S. "While Twitter does reserve the right to disclose user information when requested by law, the social media site has always been an advocate for the privacy of its users," said one report.

Passover takeaways
America's most endeared holiday is among us, so what's the message this go-around? “It is not about sacrifice. It is really is about the separation and being aware of what you are eating and thanking God for that animal,” said one woman quoted in The Washington Post. “For me , Passover is a time of freedom. You think about the journey — the Exodus was a huge journey. I think about the personal journey in my life. It is definitely a time you want to be with family.” Rabbi Lawrence Troster also focused on the intrernal journey in his Huffington Post article. "Preparing for Passover then is not only about removing the physical leaven from our homes but also about the spiritual of the law: The cleaning out of our homes should also be a cleansing of our spirits, a renewal to the meaning of our Exodus experience and the new Creation that is spring."

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