Simmering Jerusalem tensions boil over



TEL AVIV – Tensions in Jerusalem have run high since last summer, but have recently crossed over into lethal violence. In the past two weeks, there have been three attacks in which motorists have plowed into crowds of people – killing, among others, a 3-month-old baby and injuring dozens; two of the attacks took place Wednesday, Nov. 5, one at […]

St. Pete rabbi goes to SW Florida to support tomato farmworkers



Rabbi Michael Torop of Temple Beth-El in St. Petersburg became the Bay area’s first “tomato rabbi” last week, traveling to Immokalee to help shine a light on farmworker conditions. The organization, T’ruah: The rabbinic call for human rights, sent Rabbi Torop as part of a delegation of eight rabbis from throughout the nation to southwest Florida, the heart of Florida’s […]

International windsurfing competition moved from Israel to Clearwater Beach



When the RS:X Youth World Windsurfing Championship was switched from Israel to Clearwater Beach, local Jews turned out for the event to make sure the 12-member Israeli team was treated well and knew they had supporters here. The competition took place off Clearwater Beach Oct. 19-24 with more than 100 windsurfers representing nations from four continents. It was a pinnacle […]

Just a nosh…



Knesset says no to prisoner swaps; Cabinet toughens stone-throwing penalties JERUSALEM– Israel’s Knesset passed a law Nov. 3 that would prevent prisoners from being released in swaps or for other diplomatic reasons. Under the measure, murderers could be sentenced to at least 40 years without parole, The Jerusalem Post reported. The president could not pardon criminals in cases such as […]

Women of Distinction event set for March 29



The Jewish Federation’s Women of Distinction event, honoring women representing nearly every Jewish organization in Pinellas and Pasco counties, has been scheduled for Sunday, March 29. One of the Federation’s most popular and wellattended events of the year, Women of Distinction celebrates the many contributions made by the female leaders of the Jewish community. This year’s planning committee includes Barbara […]

Sukkot festival fun



A Sukkot festival at Chabad Jewish Center of St. Petersburg included bungee jumping, rock climbing, falafel, cotton candy and, of course, a sukkah to enjoy the food.

Arab-Israeli going to prison for training with ISIS



JERUSALEM (JTA) – An Arab- Israeli who trained in Syria with ISIS was sentenced to prison for nearly two years. Ahmed Shurbaji, 23, from the northern village of Umm al-Fahm, was sentenced by the Haifa District Court on Monday, Nov. 3, to a term of 22 months. He is the first Israeli convicted for having ties to the Islamic State […]

At American Jewish day schools, unions are rare – and becoming rarer



(JTA) – Just before classes started in September, the teachers union at Barrack Hebrew Academy in Bryn Mawr, PA, successfully negotiated a new contract with the administration. Five years earlier the pluralistic middle and high school’s teachers had gone on strike, forming a picket line outside the school after contract negotiations broke down. But since then, the school board and […]

In Jerusalem passport case, justices consider foreign policy roles of president vs. Congress



WASHINGTON — A lawyer for a boy born in Jerusalem whose parents want Israel listed as the birthplace on his U.S. passport tried mightily this week to make a Supreme Court hearing mainly about their wish, but the justices kept upping the ante. That might mean bad news not just for 12-year-old Menachem Zivotofsky and his folks. It could also […]

Kerry calls Netanyahu, apologizes for anonymous slur



JERUSALEM (JTA) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in a phone call to Benjamin Netanyahu apologized for a U.S. official’s anonymous attack describing the Israeli prime minister as “chickenshit.” The conversation took place on Friday, Oct. 31, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. The day before, Kerry had called the slur “disgraceful, unacceptable, damaging,” saying, “That does not […]