As Israel’s economy grows, more Israelis are giving to charity

Published on December 6, 2012

At Hadassah's centennial celebration in October, 2,000 guests heard about two major philanthropic projects being undertaken by the women's Zionist group: a new tower and a new cardiovascular wellness center at its Jerusalem hospitals.

Hadassah awards grants to help women

Published on March 29, 2011

The Hadassah Foundation has awarded $182,000 in grants for 2011 to help women from diverse cultural groups in Israel and the American Jewish community. This year, due to the global economic downturn, in addition to funding programs in the fields of economic security for low-income Israeli women and leadership and self-esteem programs for adolescent Jewish girls and young women in the United States, the foundation also funded economic empowerment and financial training programs in the United States.

Agudath Israel emphasizes outreach to non-Orthodox

By Ben Harris
Published on December 6, 2007

Is it permissible for an Orthodox family to play host to a Jewish couple if they don't observe laws mandating sexual abstinence in the period surrounding menstruation?

That was among the questions posed to two leading rabbinic authorities in late November at the 85th national convention of Agudath Israel of America, the main umbrella body for ultra-Orthodox, or haredi, Jewry.

The answer: It is, if the room has two beds.

Books: Shoah satire crosses line into nasty territory

By Michael J. Feuer
Published on September 8, 2007

Condescension and shame make a toxic combination. As I read "My Holocaust, "howling -- but aching -- through page after page of relentlessly acerbic comedy, I was reminded of Masada and the Grand Canyon and found myself wondering: what makes good satire?

Delegation: Improve Israeli Arabs’ Status

By Gil Sedan
Published on October 20, 2005

A small group of American Jewish leaders that came to Israel recently is determined to put the issue of Israel's Arab minority higher on the American Jewish agenda.

Card-Table Tales

By Sharon Rosen
Published on April 14, 2005

I confess that most of my childhood Passover memories have nothing to do with the Passover story itself. How could they when seders were family dramas enacted against a backdrop of matzah and gefilte fish? Like most American Jewish kids, I started out observing the proceedings from a card table, fidgeting while the grown-ups read from the haggadah.

Investigation of AIPAC Crosses Line

By Malcolm Hoenlein
Published on January 13, 2005

There have been hundreds, even thousands, of articles in the American press regarding an FBI investigation involving the American Israel Public Affairs Committee

Timeline of Reagan, Key Jewish Events

By Journal Staff
Published on June 10, 2004

The following are key events in the Ronald Reagan presidency focusing on his Middle East policy and relations with the American Jewish community

An Artistic Homage to Big Brother

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on January 29, 2004

Not many artists begin an ambitious new series at 76, but Arnold Mesches did just that after receiving a large box stuffed with FBI documents in 1999. It had taken the Jewish American painter three years and dozens of letters to obtain the 760-page dossier, his FBI file from 1945 to 1972. The papers -- obtained under the Freedom of Information Act -- chronicle his left-wing activities from the Communist red scare of the 1950s to the Vietnam War era.

Pressure on Aiding Ethiopians Grows

By Uriel Heilman
Published on November 6, 2003

Increased pressure from officials of American Jewish organizations is driving preliminary talks on a new deal to bring thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel before famine takes a heavy toll on the community remaining in Ethiopia.

Coming on the eve of a federation-sponsored trip to Ethiopia, federation leaders, advocates for Ethiopian Jews, representatives of Jewish humanitarian groups and Israeli government officials met recently in Jerusalem to discuss new ways of expediting the emigration process for thousands of Falash Mura left in Ethiopia. The Falash Mura are Ethiopians whose Jewish ancestors converted to Christianity, often under social pressure, but who have resumed practicing Judaism and whose Jewishness is accepted by all three major Jewish religious denominations, including Israel's chief rabbinate.

7 Days In Arts

Published on March 20, 2003

7 Days In The Arts

Changing the Climate of Hatred

Published on November 25, 1999

Over the weekend Prime Minister Ehud Barak came to New York seeking stronger American Jewish support for the accelerating Mideast peace process, and by and large he will get it.
But two recent incidents point to the obstacles he faces in settling the lingering qualms of a significant proportion of the Jews who care about Israel's future in a changing region -- qualms that could eventually undercut the support he desires.

His Summer Vacation

Published on September 4, 1997

Brad Sherman easily remembers what was the most enjoyable time hespent during his week-long visit to Israel. "It was," he says, "thehour I slept."