London mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone has apologized to the Jewish community, following his comments that Jews were too “rich” to vote for him. The apology came after a private letter penned by several leaders of the British Jewish community, who wrote to Labour party leader David Miliband expressing their concern over Livingstone’s politics. The politician is currently running under the Labour party for another term in the mayoral office. In early March, Livingstone met with a Jewish …More

Yaron Neudorfer, the Jewish Agency for Israel's chief financial officer, Tuesday announced his resignation. The Jewish Agency has recently endured staff cuts and reprioritized toward Diaspora Zionist education, while JFNA plans to discontinue its automatic funding of the organization. "It's been six excellent years but the time has come to move on," Neudorfer said to the Jerusalem Post. "JAFI is undergoing changes and there will always be those who like it and those that dislike it but my decision has nothing to …More

Bar Refaeli has a major defender in her corner: Her dear old dad. The Israeli supermodel is currently in litigation with Suny Electronics, after she cited the company as illegally using her image in an ad campaign. Well, Bar’s father wasn’t going to let his little girl get knocked around. Prior to the trial, Pappa Refaeli, who is the model's business manager, reportedly informed a Suny shareholder, “I told you that I would take you to court.” The shareholder added: “He kept his …More

Israel's Independence Day is around the corner, and little plastic hammers being in short supply around DC (and likely flagged on a Homeland Security watch list), the way we celebrate is through non-binding congressional resolutions. So far as I can tell, the first out of the box this year is Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.), who is circulating a resolution among her fellows in the US House of Representatives. So far, she's got 58 co-sponsors, all but four Republican--which is upsetting her staff. Today is the …More

A Haaretz op-ed looks at why Peter Beinart’s book is driving everyone so nuts. [Huffington Post] A DA is accused of going soft on an alleged sex crime cover up in an Orthodox Brooklyn neighborhood. [The Guardian] A scholar who stirred up controversy after accusing Jews of using the Holocaust as a crutch has died at 77. [The Age] Met Life Stadium to play host to largest Torah gathering in history. [Community] Apparently, Jewish day schools are the key to a strong religious community. [Wall Street Journal] …More

At ISRAMERICA, the geography lines between Israel and America have become non-existent. That fact can be felt in every aspect of the organization’s work, right down to its name, a creation invented when founder and president Sivan Hadari needed a way of identifying herself to others. “People were always asking me if I was Israeli or American,” said Hadari, who was born in the US but made aliyah at age 12. “So I eventually started telling people I was Isramerican.” Today, that …More

Every Friday, Jspace News partners with the America Israel Cultural Foundation to bring you an interview with one of the many Israeli artists they support throughout the world. One thing that the artists of AICF do not lack is creativity such as artists like the talented Maya Barkai. Maya is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts’ Photography Department, and has been based in New York City since then. Her photography has been exhibited worldwide, challenging and inspiring audiences to look at things that …More

Not far from the Holocaust Memorial in Toulouse, Algerian-born Mohammed Merah gunned down Yonathan Sandler and his two children at a Jewish day school on March 19. Weeks before, Israeli soccer player Itay Schechter endured Nazi salutes and shouts of “Join the Six Million” in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Jewish cemeteries across Europe have been defaced with swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti. A recent Swedish art exhibit featured a sketch of Israelis as machine-gun toting rats devouring the Holy Land. A …More

Some Elvis fans will be making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land rather than Graceland. The Elvis Presley Holy Land tour in May 2013 will take 100 Elvis fans on a traditional tour of Israel that will include a stop at the Elvis Inn in Abu Gosh near Jerusalem, a diner cum shrine to "The King." The connection between Elvis and Israel appears to be his love of gospel music. Though gospel music does not come from Israel, “Elvis fans, a good majority of them, are church people, so it’s a good fit,” …More

The US government is showing confusion on whether or not Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Following a snafu last week, in which the state department cited the Holy City and the Jewish state as being two separate places, the department has been drawn into the spotlight once more. An Associated Press news reporter squared off with Victoria Nuland, spokeswoman for the state department, during a press conference in Washington. He asked several times what city the US deems to be Israel’s capital, with Nuland …More

In what can only be described as a giant step backward for all women everywhere, “Vampire Diaries” actress Katerina Graham has released a video for her upcoming single, “Put Your Graffiti on Me.” The video is just as classy as the song title suggests. Not since the days of “Hit Me Baby One More Time” have we seen such blatant sexuality wrapped up in bubble gum packing. As Katerina bumps and grinds against a cement wall with a gaggle of girls, she sings out such charming …More

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was all smiles during a recent meeting with Gilad Shalit, the image a stark reminder of how far the case of the kidnapped IDF soldier has come. Shalit, who was held captive by Hamas for five years, was accompanied by his parents for the meeting in Tel Aviv on Thursday. The 25-year-old used the occasion to thank the Israeli leader for “bringing me back.” “On this occasion I want to thank you,” Shalit said. “I did not have the opportunity …More