A gridlock bypass in Congress?

By Raphael J. Sonenshein
Published on February 27, 2013

A remarkable thing happened in Washington, D.C., last week. National leaders of business and labor hammered out an outline on immigration reform. This might not only give a major boost to a new immigration policy; it might also show a path around the gridlock that has driven the nation into budgetary face-offs month after month.

The problem with Israel’s electoral system

By Gidi Grinstein
Published on January 16, 2013

Israel’s electoral system is the root cause of the disheartening polarization and superficiality on display in Israel’s current election season. Many wrongly point to the egos of our politicians as the underlying reason. In reality, powerful constitutional disincentives for collaboration shape our politics.

Election Countdown- Why is Shira Teller voting for Ha’Avoda?

By Noga Gur-Arieh
Published on January 16, 2013

Kadima crumbles, Labor emphasizes social issues and Likud still dominates

Published on December 6, 2012

Two months ago, the strategy for victory was clear: To unseat Benjamin Netanyahu in elections on Jan. 22, Israel’s handful of center-left parties had to unite under one banner and choose a leader who could challenge the Israeli prime minister on issues of diplomacy and security.

NEW: Tracking the trends in Israeli elections season

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on May 3, 2012

Israeli workers launch massive strike

Published on February 8, 2012

Israeli workers launched an open-ended general strike. The strike launched Wednesday by the Histadrut, Israel's main labor union, closed down the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, stopped trains across the country and caused major delays at Ben Gurion Airport. The crippling strike also affected hospitals, government offices and banks.

Netanyahu wins new party mandate

Published on January 31, 2012

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won a new mandate to head his right-wing Likud party, defeating an ultranationalist challenger opposed to any land-for-peace deal with Palestinians.

NBA Cavalier Omri Casspi a slam dunk for Israel

By Lauren Bottner
Published on November 15, 2011

Can Labor’s new leader Shelly Yachimovich revive the party?

Published on October 3, 2011

The Israeli Labor Party’s new leader, Shelly Yachimovich, makes a grand entrance at the annual Rosh Hashanah toast for party activists.

BMW family admits using slave labor for Nazis

Published on September 28, 2011

The family that owns BMW has admitted to using slave labor during World War II.

Hugo Boss apologizes for its forced labor under Nazis

Published on September 22, 2011

The German fashion house Hugo Boss has apologized for mistreating forced labor at a uniform factory during World War II.

Words of Wisdom or something like it.

By Julia Bendis
Published on March 21, 2011

Ehud Barak quits Labor: what’s next?

Published on January 19, 2011

Was it an act of political self-preservation, a feat of political destruction or a bid to stabilize Israel’s government ahead of some dramatic move? And for Israel’s Labor Party, was it another sign of the once-leading party’s demise or a precursor to a revival and the ideals for which it stands? What’s certain is that Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s decision this week to quit Labor, which he had headed until Jan. 17, has sent shock waves throughout the Israeli political establishment.

Car Wash Brothers Face Labor Abuse Charges

By Karmel Melamed
Published on April 23, 2009

Since two local Iranian Jewish brothers were charged with a 176-count criminal complaint by the L.A. City Attorney’s Office in February for alleged labor law violations at their car washes, many area Iranian Jewish business owners are quietly expressing support for the pair. And some believe they are being singled out for political reasons.

Netanyahu Made an Offer Barak Couldn’t Refuse

Published on March 24, 2009

There is no debate over two of the achievements of the Labor-Likud coalition agreement that was initialed on Tuesday morning: It was reached after negotiations unprecedented in their brevity - taking less than 24 hours - and it grants Labor a scandalous package of positions for its mere 13 Knesset seats, almost out of generosity.

LABOR JOINING BIBI: Kosher Stamp or Fig Leaf?

Published on March 24, 2009

Depending on one’s interpretation, Labor’s decision to join Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led coalition grants Israel’s incoming government either a kosher seal of approval or a fig leaf to disguise a right-wing agenda.

Israel’s Labor Party Votes to Join Government Coalition

Published on March 24, 2009

The Labor Party voted to join the Likud-led coalition government, virtually guaranteeing that Benjamin Netanyahu will be Israel's next prime minister.

Labor chief Ehud Barak's bid to join Netanyahu's coalition came down to a contentious vote Tuesday night by the party's central committee, with 680 in favor of joining and 570 against.

Yes, we cantankerous

By Steve Greenberg
Published on November 13, 2008

Rubashkin son arrested, Agriprocessors fined $10 million in kosher slaughterhouse probe

Published on October 30, 2008

Sholom Rubashkin. son of Agriprocessors founder Aaron Rubashkin, was arrested by immigration officials and was due to appear in federal court today.

ANALYSIS: Livni’s failure to build coalition could help or hurt in new elections

By Leslie Susser
Published on October 27, 2008

With Israel headed for new general elections, supporters and opponents of Tzipi Livni are putting a very different gloss on her failure to form a governing coalition

Briefs: Kadima sends coalition plan to Labor, budget woes close colleges

Published on October 16, 2008

Labor would be the senior partner in a new government, according to a draft coalition agreement reportedly sent on by Kadima. Associates of Prime Minister-designate Tzipi Livni reportedly passed the draft agreement Sunday to the Labor Party.

Iowa files 9000 charges against Agriprocessors, OU threatens to remove Kosher cert

Published on September 9, 2008

Following the filing of criminal charges against owners of the kosher meat producer Agriprocessors, the Orthodox Union says it will withdraw its kosher certification of the company within two weeks unless new management is hired.

Eating Bambi (recipe included)

By Rob Eshman
Published on August 6, 2008

Most of the anti-Semitic mail I get these days doesn't concern Israel, Hollywood or even the threat of a nuclear war in the Middle East -- it's about meat.

Iowa Labor Commissioner prosecutes Agriprocessors on 57 counts

Published on August 5, 2008

The Iowa Labor Commissioner's Office has sent dozens of alleged violations against Agriprocessors to the state attorney general for prosecution

Orthodox rabbis: Agriprocessors Iowa kosher plant passes muster

By Ben Harris
Published on August 5, 2008

A group of Orthodox rabbis gave Agriprocessors a clean bill of health after a visit sponsored by the owners of the embattled kosher meat-packing plant

Israeli policy headed for radical changes in post-Olmert era

By Leslie Susser
Published on August 5, 2008

Ehud Olmert's departure opens up the possibility of radical new directions in Israeli policy vis-a-vis the Palestinians, Syria and Iran

Conservatives release guidelines for ethical kashrut certification

By Ben Harris
Published on August 4, 2008

The Conservative movement released a policy statement and guidelines for its much-anticipated ethical kashrut certification, outlining the social justice standards companies are expected to meet if their foodstuffs are to qualify for the designation

Who will succeed Olmert?

Published on July 31, 2008

No matter who emerges as the successor to Ehud Olmert, new general elections for prime minister -- and, by extension, the entire Knesset -- may not be far away

This Week - The Silent Minority

By Rob Eshman
Published on April 20, 2006

According to the Pew study, illegal immigrants add 700,000 new consumers to the economy every year, while legal immigrants account for 600,000. As these illegal immigrants move up economically -- 84 percent of them are ages 18 to 44, as compared to 60 percent of legal residents -- their spending on credit cards, loans and mortgages will help boost the economy.

Political Centrism Stirring Up Interest

By Raphael J. Sonenshein
Published on December 15, 2005

Centrism seems to have its moment in the sun when there is a problem to be solved that the main parties cannot address and when one or more of the leading parties is rife with extremism.

Activists Strategize on Hotel Contracts

By Bobbi Murray
Published on November 24, 2005

Set in front of the hotel on the Avenue of the Stars, which was blocked off, this banquet-in-the-street supported some 4,000 striking workers at seven Los Angeles hotels.

The Mohel’s Wife

By Felisa Billet
Published on July 7, 2005

When I congratulated "Julie" at her son's bris, I couldn't believe that she looked better than I did at my wedding. Like most of the other women attending the ritual circumcision, we were amazed that anyone could be so put together eight days after giving birth. Trim and graceful with manicured nails and perfect make-up, Julie went out of her way to insist that I sample the blintz soufflé on the elaborate buffet table, making me highly doubtful that this could be the same woman who had just shared her horror story describing 30 hours of excruciating labor -- and four of them were spent pushing!

Women like Julie shouldn't shock me anymore but somehow they still do. As the wife of a mohel, I have seen them all. From moms who fit into their pre-pregnancy Size-6 suits to others who still generously fill their maternity clothes that make me wonder if they already had the baby, meeting new mothers is routine as grocery shopping.

Hidden Impact of Sweatshop Laws

By Ruth Andrew Ellenson
Published on August 28, 2003

Is your image of a sweatshop a black-and- white photograph of Jewish garment workers marching for labor rights 100 years ago, or the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire in 1911, in which hundreds of Jewish workers were trapped inside a burning building in New York (see sidebar)?

Labor Sinks to New Low as Mitzna Quits

By Leslie Susser
Published on May 8, 2003

Amram Mitzna's decision to abdicate the leadership of the Labor Party after just months on the job seems to signal the lowest ebb for a party that dominated Israeli life for decades.

The Party Line

By Gil Sedan
Published on January 23, 2003

Nearly 30 political parties are vying in Israel's Jan. 28 general elections. According to the latest polls, about 15 parties stand a chance of getting at least 1.5 percent of the vote, the threshold for getting at least one of the Knesset's 120 seats.

The Shinui Stance

By Eric Silver
Published on January 23, 2003

Tommy Lapid, who has made a second career hammering the ultra-Orthodox, says he didn't go into Israeli politics in order to become a government minister. But the outspoken, 71-year-old veteran journalist is suddenly warming to the prospect.

Mitzna Wins Labor

By Naomi Segal
Published on November 21, 2002

If Haifa Mayor Amram Mitzna hopes to becomes Israel's next prime minister, he faces a daunting challenge: resuscitating a moribund Labor Party in a little more than two months.

Shrinking Confidence

By David Landau
Published on March 1, 2001

The public bloodletting that the Labor Party presented to the Israeli public this week has exposed the depth of disarray and confusion on the Israeli left following Prime Minister Ehud Barak's massive defeat at the polls.

Balancing Acts

By David Landau
Published on October 26, 2000

Prime Minister Ehud Barak and opposition leader Ariel Sharon are trying to get their respective parties to join a national unity government before the Knesset begins its winter session Monday.

Survivors of Forced Labor Deserve Tax-Free Reparations

By Antonio R
Published on September 21, 2000

The horrific racial persecution of the Holocaust is all too familiar to us. That dark period in history was marked by the brutal deaths of millions of innocent people and also involved the virtual enslavement of more than 10 million foreign laborers in Germany.

The Honeymoon is Over

By Eric Silver
Published on February 24, 2000

Nine months after Ehud Barak took office as "everybody's prime minister," the honeymoon is over -- with his voters, coalition allies and Arab partners in the quest for peace. It is too early to write him off, but the Labor leader can no longer rely on loyalty or goodwill to see him through.

Labor Pains

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on February 19, 1998

Last week, three Jewish leaders stood in front ofthe upscale Summit Hotel Rodeo Drive, surrounded by televisioncameras and some 75 hotel workers.

Wiesenthal Report:

By Tom Tugend
Published on January 15, 1998

Jewish refugees fortunate enough to make it into Switzerland during World War II, were, in most cases, interned in forced-labor camps, required to perform hard physical labor under primitive living conditions, and separated from their families.