Jewish News Roundup

Are you in the know? Introducing the MJL Jewish news roundup, featuring important, interesting, and informative stories from around the Jewish world.

  • Yehoshua Engleman says, “Hearing even a single note of Godly music can make people stop appreciating human voices, for they know that nothing can ever compare. One is left with the shame of being merely mortal.â€? (The Jerusalem Post)
  • A glimpse at “the only place in the Middle East beyond Israel’s borders where Arab students and scholars and Israeli scholars meet on a regular basis and discuss Israeli history, literature and culture — in Hebrewâ€? But: “There are no signs …There is no Web site. There are no announcements in newspapersâ€?. (Forward)
    JERRY FALWELL:

    • Although Falwell often boasted that “the Jewish people in America and Israel and all over the world have no dearer friend than Jerry Falwellâ€?, Evan R. Goldstein argues that this was not at all true. (Haaretz)
    • And Former TIer Andrew Silow-Carroll says Falwell “left a grim legacy… he reduced the religious debate in this country to a dogfight over a few narrow and unnecessarily distracting issues.â€? (NJ Jewish News)
    • But Jonathan Tobin calls Falwell “among our most zealous allies on the question of Israel, its security and its place in the worldâ€?, and regrets that he was “not merely unappreciated, but often met with outright rejection.â€? (Jewish Exponent)

    MONEY:

    • With the rise of Israeli philanthropy come some hard questions. Should Americans continue to send money to Israeli hospitals that now have their won foundations? What degree of transparency is needed? (Haaretz)
    • A new report analyzes the numerous flows of tax money the State of Israel derives from human trafficking, especially trafficking in women, including taxes on the earnings of brothels, taxi drivers, real estate (“The moment a municipality discovers that an apartment is being used as a brothel and not for residential services, it starts charging a higher rate for commercial enterprisesâ€?) but also fines, confiscated bail etc. (Haaretz)
    • A “massive shift in Jewish activismâ€?, with “community relations councils across the country…becoming lobbyists for government fundingâ€? is resulting in a lot of government money flowing to Jewish institutions including shuls and JCCs. (The Jewish Week)
    • A lack of money continues to threaten the existence of the Masorti movement in Israel. Its annual budget is only $2.5-3 million. (The Jerusalem Post)

    GAZA AND SDEROT:

    PARENTING:

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