Hundreds of people are expected to attend Lisbon’s first-ever Jewish film festival this week. The three-day festival, entitled “Judaica: 1st Exhibition of Cinema and Culture,” is scheduled to open on May 22 at Lisbon’s main art cinema, Cinema Sao Jorge, and will include 15 Jewish and Israeli documentary and feature productions, according to a report by the Jornal Digital news site. The Jewish community of Lisbon said on its official Facebook page that the event is the Portuguese …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. Tali Rubinstein is a contemporary recorder player, singer, and composer. She graduated with honors from prestigious music institutions in Israel: Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts, Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. She also studied at the Buchman-Mehta School of Music, Tel-Aviv …More

Internet anti-Semitism in the Czech Republic has tripled in the last year, a new report shows. The report, published by Prague’s Jewish community, has been compiled annually over the last 20 years, monitoring various genres of hate speech and hate crimes against Jews in the area. The report found this week that for 2012, 80 anti-Semitic Internet posts were found on Czech sites, compared to 17 to 30 per year for the previous five years. The report noted that recent political campaigns could be a …More

The Jewish community has praised Angelina Jolie’s decision to undergo a double mastectomy after she tested positive for the Ashkenazi-based BRCA1 gene mutation. [Forward] The Women of The Wall’s chairwoman gives an interview on her tactics for gender equality and the different Jewish values in Israel. [Jerusalem Post] Israel is receiving criticism as they maintain silence following the Arab League’s peace initiative two weeks ago. [ABC] Secretary of State John Kerry is being pressured by …More

Israeli leaders celebrated Shavuot this week, the ritual holiday commemorating the gift of the Torah to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu honored the holiday at a gathering with children from the Valley of Springs Regional Council. Bibi spoke with the children and accepted gifts of locally grown fruit, a traditional food for the holiday, as biblical commandment mandated that farmers bring their “first fruits” to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. "I thank you for …More

Joyce Brothers, a noted pioneer in the genre of TV psychology and a prolific writer and television personality, died Monday of respiratory failure in New York. She was 85. Brothers was born in 1927 in Brooklyn, to two Jewish parents who were both attorneys. Brothers set out to have a professional career of her own as a young woman, earning teaching jobs at Hunter College and Columbia University. After the birth of her daughter, however, Brothers returned home to act as primary care giver. Her husband, Dr. …More

Jewish leaders are taking a vocal role in efforts to pass a historic resolution that would partially lift a ban on gays in the Boy Scouts of America. In a meeting of the National Jewish Committee on Scouting in February, members voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution lifting the BSA’s longstanding ban on gay members. Now the Jewish Scouting group is working to shore up support for a resolution to be voted on at the Boy Scouts of America’s annual convention in Dallas later this month that would …More

A preeminent journalism museum seems to have reversed its controversial decision to honor two Hamas reporters. DC’s Newseum announced last week that it would add Hussam Salama and Mahmoud Al-Kumi to its memorial wall of journalists slain in the line of duty. Salama and Al-Kumi died in Gaza last November during Operation Pillar of Defense. Both men were members of Al-Aqsa, Hamas’s media arm and a US-designated terrorist group unto itself. The decision was criticized almost immediately, particularly …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. Ady Cohen is a film composer who also composes music for the stage, television, and the concert hall. He is the winner of the 1998 Israeli Academy Award for Best Film Score. The film, “Dangerous Acts,” won seven Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Director. Ady has composed over 30 film scores in Israel, the United States, …More

Jewish leaders in the Boy Scouts of America are vocally advocating for the acceptance of gay members into the youth organization. [Forward] The story of the Pennsylvania Avenue Newseum honoring two Hamas journalists continues to grow. [Tablet] A Washington-based think tank has condemned the Newseum’s honoring of Hamas members, and threatens to break affiliations with the journalism museum. [Algemeiner] Noam Chomsky was one of twenty academics supported Stephen Hawking boycott of Israel's Presidential …More

Yossi Banai was a beloved Israeli musician and actor, known for his trademark combination of musical performances and dramatic interpretations. Banai was born in Jerusalem November 5, 1932, in the Mahane Yehuda neighborhood. It is a vibrant market area, known for its colorful “shuks,” or markets. The Banai family was recognized among neighbors for its artistic talent, and young Yossi was no different. From a small age, Banai was performing along side his brothers, Gavri, Ya’akov and Haim, who …More

Israeli and Chinese officials signed a $400 million trade agreement during meetings on Wednesday, expanding trade between the two nations to $2.05 billion. The agreement was signed by Israeli and Chinese finance ministers during a meeting attended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang. “This is a very important agreement for expanding bilateral cooperation. China is a vast market and if we even slightly increase our market share here it will significantly help the …More