The Jews of Corpus Christi knew a decade ago they had to act fast to save their two synagogues. With at most 1,000 Jews left in the Texas town and only 60 families making up its membership, the 60-year-old Conservative synagogue was in shaky financial shape. So in 2005, B’nai Israel Synagogue merged with Temple Beth El, a Reform shul, to form Congregation Beth Israel, combining customs and sharing sacred spaces to preserve Jewish life in an area that saw its heyday around World War II. The combined …More

Jewish leaders are alarmed by the far-right anti-Semitism in Hungary. [Reuters] A testament to Jewish life in Morocco. [Haaretz] Holland Jews welcome their new king with prayer. [Ynet] A Jewish school in Houston canceled classes Thursday following a bomb threat. [Houston Chronicle] Napa County is getting its first Jewish cemetery. [Napa Valley Register] Should a pro-BDS activist Jew address a Jewish group? [Arutz Sheva] What if Justin Bieber had to do battle with Hitler? [New Yorker] A Jewish dinner …More

An inmate at a Texas correctional facility has won the right to be served kosher food. Max Moussazadeh, who was convicted in 1993 for his part in a murder plot, filed a suit in federal court against the Texas Department of Corrections in order to be “allowed to receive kosher meals because it is part of religious duty.” In his original suit filed in 2005, Moussazedah claimed he had been “forced to eat non-kosher foods” after being transferred to the higher security Stiles facility that …More

Israel renews its push for the European Union to outlaw Hezbollah. [Algemeiner] Israeli President Shimon Peres says there is nothing wrong with talking to Hamas, as long as "we can find an answer." [Algemeiner] Egypt detains an Israeli who wants to fight for Palestine. [Times of Israel] A new law in Maryland, a state that produces no kosher wine, will allow consumers to purchase the product online. [Forward] Shas tables plans for anti-African campaign videos, fearing a racial backlash. [Times of Israel] A …More

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Texas Senator-elect Ted Cruz Monday, to discuss the threat of Syrian chemical weapons. Cruz is in Israel for the week as part of a diplomatic tour. It is his first trip to the Jewish state. “I look forward to working to strengthen the already incredibly strong alliance between the United States and Israel,” Cruz said during the meeting. “In my view the United States should stand unshakably alongside the nation of Israel.” “I thank …More

The U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal of four Holy Land Foundation organizers who were convicted on charges of conspiring to send money to Hamas. The appeal was declined Monday without explanation. The Texas-based Holy Land Foundation had its assets frozen by the Bush administration in December 2001. The Islamic charity and five defendants were found guilty in 2008 on charges of funneling money to Hamas. The four appellants, of the five convicted in 2008, were Shukri Abu Baker, sentenced to 65 years in …More

A federal appeals court heard oral arguments in the case of a Texas prison inmate who is demanding kosher food. Attorneys for Max Moussazadeh, who is serving a 75-year sentence for a 1993 murder, made their case October 1 before a three-judge panel of the US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. After Moussazadeh filed a 2005 federal lawsuit complaining that the prison system did not provide kosher food, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice started a kosher food program at one of its prisons and …More

A Jewish adjunct professor at Texas A&M University-San Antonio said she has not been asked back to teach because she complained about crosses placed near the entrance of the public university. Sissy Bradford, who taught criminology at the university, said she received hate mail both in hard copy and electronically, including death threats, the San Antonio Express reported. Bradford last October protested against crosses affixed on the Tower of Hope, a tower demarcating the entrance to the university. The …More

An Israeli-American running for Congress drew outrage from a Texas community, following his promise to stop the “Islamization of America.” Itamar Gelbman was born in New York but raised in Israel. The 30-year-old looks to unseat incumbent Joe Barton in a Republican primary race for the Texas Sixth District. A flyer campaign this week drew ire from some, however, as 40,000 homes received mailers promising several campaign platforms, including a vow to stop the spread of Islam in the US. “Where …More

The head of a private school board in Texas is making waves once more, saying his group would have been better off if it had never included a Jewish day school among its members. The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) made headlines last month after scheduling a basketball playoff game on the Sabbath, ensuring a team from the Robert M. Beren Academy of Houston would be unable to play. It took petitions from parents and a lawsuit threat for TAPPS president Edd Burleson to concede, …More

Texas is looking a lot like Tel Aviv during this week’s South by Southwest Festival (SXSW), in Austin, according to an Israeli start-up entrepreneur who attended. The Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest sponsored its third annual I: Made in Israel campaign at SXSW promoting Israeli innovation and music. More than 30 startups and seven bands including Hadag Nachash, Acollective and Balkan Beatbox took over the Austin Convention Center. The week’s events will culminate in an all-day Tel Aviv …More

A Jewish high school in Texas was the prime example of Judaism and Jewish identity taking precedent over other desires and passions in the world. The Robert M. Beren Academy of Houston’s basketball team thought that they would have to forfeit, as the semifinals games were scheduled on Shabbat. Although the tournament did accommodate the needs of the players following a potential lawsuit by angered parents, the school’s determination to keep Shabbat as the top priority is admirable and shows the value …More