Reuben Jacob (Richard) Jacobs, known to all as Rick, will only take up the position of president of the Reform Movement in the summer of 2012. But the report of his appointment as head of the largest denomination in American Jewry - estimated to be some 1.5-million strong sparked a wave of praise and compliments. "New York Rabbi Known as Innovator Is Picked to Lead Reform Jews," ran the headline in The New York Times, which gave a favorable report of his election. "The Scarsdale Dynamo" was the admiring response …More

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad used his weekly address to tell listeners the PA would be making unilateral moves to establish Jerusalem as the capital for a PA state. This despite claims by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday that he is ready to sit down and talk peace with Israelis. Telling listeners the last two years [during which the PA adamantly refused to sit down and discuss peace with Israel -Ed.] had focused on resistance to Israeli "occupation" of eastern Jerusalem, Fayyad said that …More

The battle between a New York Orthodox Jewish community and its neighbors over the local public school system took a drastic turn in late April as the school boards Orthodox president resigned amid corruption allegations, and a federal official confirmed a civil rights investigation into the district. While the corruption allegations against the board president relate to his alleged conduct in another elected office, the rapid-fire developments come after months of growing tensions between the Orthodox-dominated …More

The Carter Center issued a statement on Friday, hailing the reconciliation of once rivals Hamas and Fatah Wednesday evening in Cairo. The center, founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, commended members of Hamas and Fatah for " having the vision to begin the process of reunifying the Palestinian people", saying that the Egyptian brokered deal provides a framework to resolve many of the longstanding issues faced by the Palestinian people in both Gaza and the West Bank. Carter …More

Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh urged the PLO Friday to rescind its recognition of Israel in response to the Jewish state's objection to the Palestinian unity agreement. Haniyeh said that there was no justification for recognizing the "Israeli entity" in wake of Israel's objection to Palestinian rights and unity. "Their presence on our land is illegal and cannot be recognized," the Hamas leader said. Earlier, Haniyeh stressed that the temporary Palestinian government to be …More

The Jewish Federations of North America announced on Thursday it had raised approximately $925 million dollars in 2010, a decrease of $13 million from its intake in 2009.While 2010 was the second year in a row that overall donations were down, the umbrella group which represents a network of autonomous Jewish fundraisers throughout the US and Canada said it considered the annual campaign a success given “the continued economic challenges” brought about by the …More

An Israeli woman and her Jewish husband were among the 15 people killed in a terror attack in Morocco on Thursday, in the busiest tourist destination in Marrakesh, Army Radio reported on Friday. According to Army Radio, the Israeli woman, who was pregnant with her second child, and her husband, had been living in China. The couple were apparently in the city to spend Passover with the man's father. The blast ripped through a cafe overlooking Marrakesh's Jamaa el-Fnaa square, a spot often packed with foreign …More

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called Friday on world countries not to recognize the Palestinian government to be set up after the Islamist Hamas and the mainstream Fatah movements announced a reconciliation deal. "The international community must not legitimize the government whose face is the face of (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) and whose arms are the arms of Hamas, who launches missiles at citizens and stains innocents with blood," he told Cypriot President Emetris Christofias during a meeting in …More

Israel has relied on Egypt's help to police the border with Gaza, above in 2006, but Egypt says it is planning to end its blockade. Egyptian officials, emboldened by the revolution and with an eye on coming elections, say that they are moving toward policies that more accurately reflect public opinion. In the process they are seeking to reclaim the influence over the region that waned as their country became a predictable ally of Washington and the Israelis in the years since the 1979 peace treaty with Israel. The …More

Cairo sent invitations Thursday to Fatah and Hamas for the signing of the reconciliation agreement announced Wednesday, the Maan news agency reports. The deal comes after 18 months offailed unity talks between the bitter rivals. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas Prime Minister Khaled Mashal are expected to be on hand at Teusday's signing ceremony to formalize the agreement. Walid Al-Awad, politburo member of the leftist Palestines Peoples Party, said the quick ratifications was needed to stave off attempts at …More

Thousands of Syrians called on Friday for the toppling of President Bashar Assad and pledged support for the city of Deraa where tanks and troops have tried to crush resistance to his authoritarian rule, activists said."The people want the overthrow of the regime!" demonstrators chanted in the Damascussuburb of Saqba, a witness said, defying violent repression in which 500 people have been killed since the nationwide protests broke out in Deraa last month. Demonstrations erupted on Friday in the …More

As a token of gratitude to the McGill University-affiliated Jewish General Hospital that first detected the cancerous tumor others had missed, Michael Douglas will headline for McGill University's annual Head and Neck Cancer Fundraiser on May 3. Physicians at Jewish General found a walnut-sized malignant tumor in Douglas’ throat, mere weeks after American physicians had proclaimed him healthy. After undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments in the United States, the 66-year-old actor says he is …More