Egyptian police have blocked the border between Egypt and the Gaza strip, after Islamists kidnapped seven members of the force. [Forward] Morocco’s King Mohammed VI is funding the restoration of his country’s Jewish burial sites. [IJN] The London Jewish Cultural Center in Golders Green will host the country’s largest Jewish food festival, Gefiltefest. [Times] South Africa’s chief rabbi, Warren Goldstein, defends Israel amongst his country’s widespread support for the anti-Israel …More

In a change from most of the meat-filled Jewish holidays, Shavuot is typically celebrated with an array of dairy delights. Though no one is complaining about a full day of blintzes, cheesecake, and creamy ice cream, the hard and fast biblical explanation as to why this day strays from the traditional brisket and beef menu remains to be seen. Though many Jewish laws have different interpretations or translations in modern society, the rule prescribing the consumption of dairy on Shavuot is particularly interesting …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

Maimonides, one of the most renowned scholars in Jewish history, moved across continents; his knowledge of Jewish law and tradition to the sciences was just as boundless. Maimonides was born in the 1130s in Cordoba, Spain. While still in his teens, he mastered math, geometry and logic. He also studied medicine and turned to metaphysics, ethics and theology. He was particularly interested in Aristotle, whose teachings he weaved through his later writings. But Maimonides’ life was by no means tranquil. …More

Turkey declined to agree to a meeting of NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue group including Israel and six Arab countries. Egypt also declined to convene the group for the first time in five years, the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News reported. The Mediterranean Dialogue, founded in 2004, is intended to contribute to regional security. Along with Israel and Egypt, the other participating countries are Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, Algeria and Jordan. Turkey declined the meeting despite Israel's recent apology for the …More

The husband of Jewish politician Gabrielle Giffords has threatened to back Senator Jeff Flake’s opponent if Flake does not vote for stricter gun legislation. [The Hill] Security was increased at Boston’s Israeli Independence Day celebrations following the marathon bombing. [Boston] Letters from American citizens debate FDR’s ambivalence to assisting European Jews during the Holocaust. [LA Times] Twenty rabbis traveled from New York to Alabama in 1963 to support Martin Luther King Jr.’s …More

Two rockets were fired at Eilat this morning, causing sirens to ring out in the resort city and the local airport to shut down. The missiles reportedly came from Sinai, a stark change from recent attacks from Gaza, and landed in open fields. There are no reported injuries. “A short while ago two rockets were launched from Sinai and hit open areas in the city of Eilat,” the IDF said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in England for Margaret Thatcher’s funeral, held late night security …More

Carmen Weinstein, who famously led the Jews of Egypt and worked to preserve synagogues and Jewish cemeteries, died Saturday at 82. Weinstein was born in Cairo in 1931. She studied English Literature at Cairo University and earend a master’s degree from the American University in Egypt. She was fluent in French, English and Arabic. She worked at her family’s print shop as a young adult, which had become a stalwart business in the community. Her father was a popular leader within the Jewish community …More

Knesset member Nitzan Horowitz insists that Israel must work with its regional neighbors to improve the environment. "I want people to understand that when locusts come from Egypt, this is a regional problem. To understand that borders are not hermetic seals—water, air, diseases and climate have no borders,” Horowitz said in a recent interview with Al-Monitor. Horowitz is planning a lobby group to promote cooperation between Israel and its regional neighbors—the first of its kind in the …More

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood tweeted a message -- believed to be directed at "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart -- linking to a video alleging that Jews control the U.S. media. Max Fisher of the Washington Post wrote on his blog that the link was aimed at Stewart after he devoted a segment of his popular Comedy Central program to criticizing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi for jailing popular Egyptian TV host and political satirist Bassem Youssef, nicknamed "the Jon Stewart of Egypt." Youssef was released on bail and …More

The head of the National Commission for the Protection of the Environment in North Sinai has accused Israel of dumping sewage and toxic waste in the Mediterranean. Abdallah al-Hijawy, commission chair, plans on recruiting environmental NGOs to help file claims in an international court to stop the pollution. “In front of the international community, Israel is responsible for the service sector in the occupied lands,” he said. According to al-Hijawy, Israel currently discharges over 180,000 cubic …More

Israel experienced its worst sandstorm in four years Monday, an occurrence environmentalists are chalking up to pollution. Airports and roads closed as visibility was limited by a more than half a mile. Air pollution was reported to be 40 times higher than on an average day. Israel’s Meteo-Tech Meteorlogic Services said the storm was a result of heavy desert dust from Egypt and Libya. The government advised residents to stay indoors during the storm, particularly near Haifa where conditions were …More