Jon Stewart is taking his comedic commentary on current events to the big screen, having officially announced his role as director and producer of “Rosewater.” The film, taken from his own script, is based on Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari’s memoir, “Then They Came for Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity and Survival.” Bahari was falsely accused of espionage by the Iranian government and subsequently imprisoned for 118 days. Released after a forced confession, $300,000 …More

A US Jewish leader says Hungary should be more outspoken against anti-Semitism. [Washington Post] The brutal murder of a Jewish nurse in Cleveland is puzzling police. [Forward] Turkey and Israel close in on a reconciliation deal. [Times of Israel] Two women in Iowa have been denied unemployment benefits, after being fired for burning "gingerbread Jews." [Times of Israel] An alleged Auschwitz guard is arrested in Germany. [Ynet] The Israeli Pet Travel Agency helps you make aliyah with your dog. [Jewcy] …More

Jessica Bettelheim, a business ethics lecturer at Portland State University and a young Jewish mother, has little time to spare on weekends. Like other professionals her age, she's busy bonding with her husband and 4-year-old daughter, meeting friends at one of Portland's many fine restaurants or gardening, a favorite pastime in the verdant metropolis known as the City of Roses. So when Bettelheim received an email from the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland last month advertising Food for Thought, a festival …More

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But that won't stop the interviewees of "Herblock: The Black and The White," playing at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York this weekend, from waxing rapturous on political comic Herbert Block. The Washington Post cartoonist, who signed all his work with the moniker Herblock on the suggestion of his father, enjoyed a career spanning 13 presidents and earning three Pulitzer Prizes and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His cartoons skewered Joe McCarthy long before …More

Chuck Hagel was surprised to hear about the discovery of Syria’s use of chemical weapons, says it didn't come up during his time in Israel. [Times of Israel] The United States has intervened, asking the Palestinian Authority to postpone planned condemnations of Israel at UNESCO. [JPost] Israel has defended its decision allowing border officials to occasionally inspect the emails of people entering the country. [Forward] Israel’s Finance Committee has raised taxes on beer in the hopes of …More

Israeli political newcomer Yair Lapid knocked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu off the Time 100 list of most influential people. The magazine's list was released Thursday and will appear in its print issue dated April 22. The articles about the individuals listed were written by colleagues or admirers. Lapid "was carried into public office on the frustrations quietly accumulating in the living rooms where he was a fixture for two decades" as a news anchor, Time's Jerusalem Bureau chief, Karl Vick, wrote of …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

"Bombing" is the thing most dreaded by comedians. To bomb is to totally and completely blow a performance, and every comedian has a bombing story, as evidenced by Jimmy Fallon's web series, "Worst I Ever Bombed," in which comedians tell their horror stories. "This is 40" director Judd Apatow's most horrible bomb happened when he was just starting out and involved another notable hilarious Jew, Jon Stewart. Watch below. J-Connection: Judd Apatow and Jon Stewart are both Jewish. …More

Prepare yourselves, “Daily Show” fans. Jon Stewart is reportedly taking a hiatus from his much beloved satirical news show. Stewart is taking the break to direct a film he wrote, titled “Rosewater,” and here’s the most shocking part: it isn’t a comedy. The movie is based on the book “Then They Came for Me,” written by Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari. The book chronicles Bahari’s experience of imprisonment by the Islamic republic. Bahari was accused of …More

Jon Stewart joins radical left-wing activist group CodePink to help fight their anti-drone, Pro-Palestine agenda! Umm yeah, nobody believes that. Including Comedy Central, who confirmed “The Daily Show” host had nothing to do with a recent email suggesting otherwise. Unfortunately, CodePink members seem to hope the US Senate would believe and be swayed by an email sent by Stewart, demanding the release of confidential memos regarding the use of drones to kill terrorists. Well first of all, does …More

Some say Jewish Home might be awarded a 12th seat in the Knesset today, which would break the 60/60 even split in Bibi's favor. [Arutz Sheva] Teen anti-Semitic "joke" spurs a Holocaust education program in the UK. [JC] Mysterious details continue to emerge over the murder of a Jewish couple in Florida two weeks ago. [Forward] Jewish kishka is a hot commodity in Toronto. [The Star] Mahmoud Abbas wants to reach out to new Israeli party leaders. [Times of Israel] Chandra Levy's 1994 murder case is being …More

A look at Egypt's answer to Jon Stewart. [Tablet] How to bring Hebrew school into the 21st century. [Jewish Week] Fifa punishes Hungary's soccer team over anti-Semitic chants. [JC] Mila Kunis can cook, too, and Esquire is pretty happy about it. [Esquire] The Vatican rejects recent "Jewish enemies" comments from a Catholic bishop. [Ynet] Jewish leaders in Australia say the media is not "so fair and balanced" on Israel. [Haaretz] Canadian police are on the hunt for a man scamming Jewish women in Toronto …More