One op-ed writer says Israel's border fence should stay closed against 21 stranded Eritrean refugees. [Israel Hayom] Jews protes the destruction of an ancient cemetery in Beersheba. [God Discussion] German Jews and Muslims see the circumcision issue as an attack on faith. [Kansas City Star] Meanwhile, Jews condemn the restrictions on brit milah included in the recent Berlin ruling. [Jerusalem Post] Frankfurt is criticized for honoring a Jewish-American scholar who supports boycotts of Israel. [Haaretz] …More

Israel has set up a new $3.7 million initiative to enhance science education in peripheral towns. [Israel Hayom] One op-ed writer thinks Obama's Jewish support has diminished. [NewsMax] Jewish writers share ideas in Australia. [Jewish News] Jewish leaders wonder if Jews are welcome in Berlin. [Haaretz] Advocates for Jewish sex abuse victims cancel a meeting with the Brooklyn DA. [New York Daily News] The Portland community dedicates its first synagogue in 40 years. [Biz Journal] A Palm Beach Democrat …More

Get set for a political double feature with much of the same plot, but with different outcomes for the issues that tend to preoccupy Jewish voters. The same key words and themes will bounce around Jewish events at next week’s Republican convention in Tampa, FL, and at the Democratic convention in Charlotte, NC, the week after that: “pro-Israel,” “marriage,” “Jewish vote” and “abortion.” With the exception of “pro-Israel,” however, the content of …More

When does a bimah turn into a political soapbox? The controversy last month over a Miami temple’s invitation and then disinvitation to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) -- which prompted the resignation of an influential congregant who also is a Republican activist -- has revived with a new vehemence a question common in every election cycle: What are the appropriate parameters for political visits to houses of worship? “It’s true, Debbie Wasserman Schultz is not only active in supporting …More

A Miami synagogue canceled a planned address by the chair of the Democratic National Committee. The synagogue's president attributed the cancellation of the event with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) to security concerns. But Wasserman-Schultz attributed the cancellation to internal synagogue politics. A prominent member, Stanley Tate, had resigned from the synagogue after he learned Wasserman Schultz would be talking about Israel following Friday evening services. Tate, a philanthropist and prominent …More

When billionaire Israeli American Haim Saban, one of the DNC’s top contributors, was recently reported to have vowed not to give money to Obama’s reelection campaign over his Israel stance, conservatives pounced. Here was a sign that Obama’s Mideast speeches had badly damaged his relationship with American Jewish voters and big donors! But in an interview with me this morning, Saban sought to clear up what he said was a misrepresentation by the right of his position. Saban told me that he did …More

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said Thursday that it is a “gross overstatement” to suggest that President Obama did serious damage to his support from Jewish voters when he proposed last week that Israel’s 1967 borders should be the starting point for peace talks with Palestinians. She also lashed out at a Republican Jewish organization that has been critical of her, denouncing what she said was the group’s decision to put partisanship ahead of its …More