When the Museum of the History of the Polish Jews opened its doors to the public after years of delays and tens of millions of dollars in spending, it was thanks in no small part to the work of Tad Taube. A successful San Francisco businessman and philanthropist, Taube (pronounced Toby) has been directing the considerable resources of the Taube Philanthropies and the Koret Foundation, both of which he helms, to support efforts to revive Jewish life in Poland. Between them, the organizations have devoted some $16 …More

More than 100 US Jewish leaders urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make clear "Israel’s readiness to make painful territorial sacrifices for the sake of peace." "We believe that this is a compelling moment for you and your new government to respond to President Obama’s call for peace by taking concrete confidence-building steps designed to demonstrate Israel’s commitment to a ‘two-states for two peoples’ solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict," said the letter …More

On page 15 of the most recent edition of the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association's newsletter, beneath griping about perceived threats to the industry posed by President Obama’s tax and energy policies, was a nugget of positive news: A new coalition had formed between the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance, a national umbrella group, and the American Jewish community. “We have been able to agree that there is common interest between our two groups regarding efforts to increase domestic oil and …More

President Obama met with Jewish leaders in Washington today, in preparation for his trip to Israel later this month. An administration official told Reuters the meeting was meant to display the US’s “unshakable support” for Israel, as well as preview a number of topics the president plans to discuss in the Jewish state—namely, Palestine, Iran and Syria. "President Obama invited leaders from across the American Jewish community to discuss and get input about his upcoming trip to Israel," …More

We’ve all heard the news that Israel’s ambassador to the US Michael Oren is stepping down from the post, yes? So what’s one of his last acts out the door? Stopping by “The Colbert Report,” of course. Oren was a guest on the Comedy Central show last night, taking on a slew of hard-hitting queries from Stephen Colbert himself. “What about Iran, when do you guys start bombing?” Colbert asked at one point. The pair covered everything from Hagel to nuclear weapons, with the …More

Donald Trump is back in the political endorsement game, but this time he’s dipping into foreign waters. The fiery billionaire, who famously backed Mitt Romney in last year’s US election, has put out a video promoting Benjamin Netanyahu for next week’s Israeli elections. “My name is Donald Trump and I’m a big fan of Israel,” Trump says in the clip. “You truly have a great prime minister in Benjamin Netanyahu--there’s nobody like him. He’s a winner. He’s …More

President Barack Obama has said on repeated occasions, “Israel doesn’t know what its best interests are,” according to columnist Jeffrey Goldberg. Goldberg wrote a piece in Monday’s Bloomberg, asserting Obama has made the comment in private conversations regarding Israel’s E1 settlement expansion plans. "In the weeks after the U.N. vote, Obama said privately and repeatedly, 'Israel doesn’t know what its own best interests are.' With each new settlement announcement, in …More

Much to the dismay of the conservative GOP and pro-Israel supporters everywhere, former Republican Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel was given the nomination for Secretary of Defense by President Barack Obama. While there will be some resistance in the Senate to the nomination, he is expected to be confirmed. When word leaked several weeks ago that Obama was going to nominate Hagel for the post, it was met by a storm of criticism and praise. William Kristol, founder and editor of the neoconservative political magazine …More

Like many Israeli politicians, Ron Dermer is an unapologetic defender of Israel’s actions, even if it might mean being undiplomatic. But like a seasoned diplomat, Dermer -- senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- knows his way through Washington’s backchannels and has cultivated relationships with senior US policymakers. Most important, say those who know him, he has Netanyahu’s ear. “Netanyahu likes him, respects him and listens to him,” said Uzi Arad, …More

Just in time for the close of 2012, the Anti-Defamation League has published its list of the top 10 issues the Jewish community faced this past year. Topics ranged from the 40th anniversary of Munich 11 to Operation Pillar of Defense, with issues taking place in the US, Europe and Israel. "While it isn't always true, this year was a year with particular emphasis on events overseas," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director. "For us at ADL, and indeed for the entire Jewish community in America, which has …More

Looks like funnyman Zach Braff is related to the punch line of presidential jokes, Mitt Romney. Alerted to the news by fans on Twitter, the star admits it took him a while to accept his new relative. During an appearance on U.S. talk show “Rove LA” on Saturday, the “Scrubs” star said, "It's very bizarre because believe it or not, I thought it was another prank on the Internet because I've been killed off on the Internet, I came out of the closet on the Internet, a lot of things have …More

Chicago Mayor and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend, taking to task the Israeli leader’s betrayal of the Obama administration. Not only was Emanuel angry about proposed settlement expansions and the cutoff of tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority, he was also irate that Netanyahu would back challenger Mitt Romney in the recent elections. Israeli paper Ynet Monday reported: “The tension between the prime minister and …More