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Israeli and Jordanian birds breed after ten years
18 may 2012
These seven barn owl chicks cuddled together in Israel’s Beit Shean valley have no idea how special they are. They are the products of the success of a decade-long project undertaken jointly by Jordanian and Israeli farmers to use the birds as biological pesticides.
Israeli Manager of Barn Owl Project Yossi Leshem:
"This is really a celebration that it works. And some people already ask me: 'Yossi, what will happen? How will be the chicks? They'll be Muslim or Jewish?'. I told them 'They don't give a damn on this. These are birds. They don't care about borders, they just live here, they have now all the facilities."
Jordanian and Israel farmers decided in 2002 to use barn owls to protect their crops against rats and mice because the birds each eat between 2,000 and 6,000 rodents a year. It has taken ten years for an Israeli male and a Jordanian female to couple and breed.
Haifa University Ornithologist Dr. Motti Charter:
"So for them, they don't know that the border is here and they probably met, you know, not like people at a bar or something like that, they met one night and decided to have -- that they fell in love and they started a nest here. The whole concept is that, you know, for them it doesn't matter if it's Jordanian or Israel, they're barn owls.”
Over 2,000 nesting boxes have been placed on the Israeli side of the border and hundreds are in use by Jordanian farmers . Organisers of the project are hopeful that it will spread further afield.
Haifa University Ornithologist Dr. Motti Charter:
"Ultimately, we hope the barn own project will spread, but it may be that the Jordanians will go to other countries like Lebanon or Syria that we can not go, and start it, indirectly from what happens here. So I think for a nature conservation and agriculture this is a great project. But politically, I think I leave the politics out because politics are much more complicated than barn owls and nature."
The organisers wish may be coming true. The Palestinian Authority has recently launched its own barn owl program to encourage farmers to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and whilst this may not solve the region’s political problems, there no question it is having a positive impact on the environment.
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Sci-fi film sees Nazis back for world domination
18 may 2012
Following the success of his sci-fi comedy Star Wreck, Timo Vuorensola has come up with another spoof – this time he’s sending a group of Nazis to the moon.
Director of Iron Sky Timo Vuorensola:
"I think and I hope and I think that I'm right about that is that there is so much pathos, so much pathos made, pathos made out of the Nazis , that it becomes sort of a buzz in your ears like ..bzzzzz…..you don't really, it's, the actual things to worry about, the things that are really scary, they get so flatlined. So coming with a comedy angle to it, I hope it kind of brings people back thinking."
Iron Sky begins in 1945. A group of Nazis have escaped to the moon where they build a fleet of UFOs which they plan to use to take over the world.
The Finnish filmmaker says he hopes the audience will not be fooled by the comedy approach, as the film contains a serious message.
Director of Iron Sky Timo Vuorensola:
"Those same words, those same lines are used in the politics nowadays, almost word from word, and it's, that's the scary thing. It's like why don't we learn anything? Why these same words have been said by the Nazis in the '30s, and now they are being uttered by some morons somewhere in, in high place in politics in either in Europe or in U.S. or somewhere?"
Already shown at a number of festivals , the film has received positive reviews for its mixture of concept art and graphic design. It will be hoping for more praise as it goes on general release later this month in the UK and a handful of other countries in the coming months.
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Donna Summer has lost her battle with cancer
18 may 2012
US queen of Disco Donna Summer has passed away at the age of 63. The singer, famous for 70s and 80s hits such as Hot Stuff and Last Dance, was reportedly suffering from breast cancer .
The American diva began her career in Germany performing in stage musicals such as Hair, before releasing her breakthrough song Love to Love You Baby in 1975.
The singer was also a big supporter of charity work in Darfur and even dedicated a song to the cause:
Recording Artist Donna Summer:
"I've been very influenced by some of the work that George Clooney has done and by some of the people who have gone into Africa themselves, physically gone there and have taken up the part of these people that are there. And I wanted to do something that could assist them in some way, musically .”
Summer, a winner of five Grammy Awards , leaves behind her a unique musical legacy.
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Introducing the Jewish News One App!
18 may 2012
The world’s first Jewish TV news network is now available as an App which combines JN1 ’s unique news content with the convenience of smartphone technology.
The new App allows viewers to enjoy live JN1 broadcasts 24 hours a day on smartphones and tablets . You can also use the App to browse through the channel’s extensive news video archive.
The Jewish News One App is free of charge and available at iPhone and Android online stores. Download the App today and connect to a whole world of Jewish news!
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NYC actress performs role for 25 years with no break
18 may 2012
New York actress Catherine Russell has made it into record books because she has appeared on stage eight times a week for the past 25 years in the Off- Broadway play "Perfect Crime".
So far the actress has performed her role as Margaret Thorne Brent in the production more than 10,000 times without a holiday or a day off sick.
Actress Catherine Russell :
"I have a theory that if you love the work that you do, you tend to stay healthier and I really love what I do. I go on stage in "Perfect Crime", but I also built the theater, I run the theater and I general manage the show, so I run the business and I also teach.”
Russell admitted however that at the very beginning of her record-breaking stint, she missed four performances to attend family weddings . But she says that her own nuptials will have to work around her theatre schedule:
Actress Catherine Russell:
"My idea of a perfect wedding would be to go to City Hall, bing, bang, boom, get married and come back to work. Maybe have a honeymoon lunch. How's that?"
The only person who seems to be bored by Russell’s dedication is her understudy, who has had to take parts in other shows .
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Musicians audition for permits to play on subway
18 may 2012
Buskers or street performers are a staple of the New York subway experience, but for the musicians, getting into the US’ largest underground transportation system is tough business .
Each year, dozens of performers try out at the Music Under New York auditions for a chance to obtain a permit to play on the transit system, and according to one judge, the competition gets tougher every year.
Music Under New York judge Alex Steyermark:
"I think that the subway is a great forum to expose New Yorker's to good ideas and new music. I look for quality so I want them to be good musically but I also want them to be unique. That's what I look for. But I'm a tough judge , because I'm doing this for the eighth time, so I've gotten more stringent."
From aspiring singers to funky bass players, the competition attracts performers from across the musical spectrum.
Jeff Masin, who performs as a one-man band, says that while he has performed for years, he finds that just moving around is his biggest challenge .
MUNY contestant Jeff Masin:
"That's my hardest part is getting somewhere. This was difficult here because I didn't fit through the door ."
Although only about 20 musicians of the 71 who tried out will receive permits, New York’s buskers say they will follow their subway fantasies.
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Cinemas suffering from years of underfunding
18 may 2012
Going to the cinema remains a popular pastime in Afghanistan. Kabul theaters show Indian, Pakistani and Western movies to crowds of largely unemployed men in pursuit of any distraction from their drab surroundings. Afghanistan once had a thriving film industry by regional standards but modern homegrown productions are scarce following years of war and civil strife.
Cinema goer Nangyali:
"The movies we watch here and in the other cinemas are Pakistani and other foreign countries' movies. We would like to watch our own Afghan movies, but we don't produce Afghan movies anymore. It will be joyful to watch our Afghan films".
Seven cinemas operate in the capital, down from the 23 Kabul boasted in the early 1990s. The Taliban banned most forms of cinema , music and television during its five-year rule. Many Afghans now rent or download films to watch at home instead of going to cinemas which many believe will lead to the closure of the country’s few remaining theatres .
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Environmental scientists restore Florida reefs
17 may 2012
Scientists in the state of Florida are transplanting thousands of nursery-grown corals to the diminishing reefs in the surrounding waters in an effort to combat climate change.
Experts say the coral reefs provide an array of environmental benefits and protection from storms .
Nature Conservancy Program Manager James Byrne:
"When waves come in from storms, if there's not a reef there, all that wave energy will come right into the shore line. But by having health reef offshore, it breaks up that energy and you don't get the big waves crashing on the shore, they break on the reef instead."
One coral grower said he started his operation in the hope of developing his private business , but changed his mind when his environmental concerns got the best of him.
Coral Restoration Foundation President Ken Nedimyer:
"I thought we could make a lot of money selling the live ones, so we started with that in mind and after a couple of years, we were building up an inventory and I started looking at them as these are too cool to sell. You know, I couldn't. I wanted to put them on the reef that's where they belong is on the reef, not in somebody's aquarium ."
Scientists hope to have as many as 10,000 baby corals transplanted to reefs by the end of the year.
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75 million year old skeleton for sale in NYC
17 may 2012
75-million years after roaming the earth , a rare dinosaur skeleton is set to be auctioned off to the highest bidder in New York City.
Heritage Auctions director David Herskowitz:
"Not many people realise this, but even in museums most of the dinosaurs that they have in museums are fifty percent complete or less. So what's behind me is like extremely cool."
The Tyrannosaurus bataar, a distant cousin to the famous T-rex, will be sold this weekend and is expected to be sold at a premium as such skeletons are highly rare.
Heritage Auctions director David Herskowitz:
“When it comes to dinosaurs, number one dinosaurs in general are extremely rare. But the rarest of the dinosaurs are the carnivores, the meat eaters. The top of the food chain if you will. And, of all the meat eaters that are out there the most famous are the Tyrannosaurids. They are the most desirable, but they are the most elusive. They are the most difficult to find. Even though they are so big there are not that many of them around."
The skeleton is three quarters intact, eight foot tall and 24 foot long. It was found seven years ago in the Gobi Desert .
Heritage Auctions director David Herskowitz:
"You would really be very surprised who might be bidding. We're hoping that it's going to be a museum to give this specimen a proper home . But even if it goes to a private collector eventually it's going to end up in a museum."
The skeleton is expected to sell for up to two million dollars. The first T-rex to be sold at auction went for more than 8 million dollars in 1997.
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1980s cult figure set for Hollywood return
17 may 2012
Pee-wee Herman is returning for another big-screen adventure .
Actor and Creator of the 1980s cult figure Paul Reubens said in an interview that he is working with a Hollywood comedy powerhouse to produce the new movie.
Actor and creator Paul Reubens:
" Judd Apatow is producing the next Pee-wee movie. It's just about ready to start shooting. It's incredibly exciting. I love the script . It's really funny. I'm just chomping at the bit to tell you every little detail about it right now but I'm not allowed to."
Reubens played the oddball man-child in television series and in two feature films in the 1980s, picking up a string of awards on the way. However, Reubens’ 1991 arrest for indecent exposure forced cancellation of several Pee-wee projects causing Reubens to shift his focus to other projects inclusing appearing in several hit TV shows .
Paul’s father Milton was one of the five founding pilots of the Israeli Air Force.
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65th Film Festival opens with usual seaside glamour
17 may 2012
The second biggest red carpet event of the year, behind the Oscars, the 65 th Cannes Film Festival is under way, bringing with it a full dose of show-business glitz and glamour.
The festival is an important showcase for European films and nurtures their image as “art” cinema .
Actor Bill Murray:
"These are what we call art films . I don't know if you know what those are? They're films we work very, very long hours for no money. And this is all we get is this trip to Cannes . There's no money involved. These are our own clothes. You know there's no rental here. There's nothing.”
As a non-public event , film producers use Cannes to launch new films, selling their works to global distributors. Director Wes Anderson opened the festival with his cinematic ode to young love, " Moonrise Kingdom ", which features a star-studded cast:
Actor Bruce Willis who plays Captain Sharp in "Moonrise Kindgom":
"I found it really refreshing to be directed and to be asked to perform the part in a really specific way, the way that Wes saw the character . And in a world where a lot of films , you don't rehearse and no one really talks to you about it, it was so nice to be asked to work in a certain way."
Among the 22 films competing in the festival this year are a high number of American films, which Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux helped to select:
Thierry Fremaux, Cannes Festival Director:
"Yeah, a lot of films made in America by people who come from America, three but, David Cronenberg is Canadian, Walter Salles is Brazilian, John Hillcoat and Andrew Dominik are Australian, so America is becoming again maybe a land of open dreams for the filmmakers in the world.”
Cannes Film Festival runs until Sunday 27 th May when the winner of the top prize will be announced.
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Exhibition of Elizabeth II pictures hits London
17 may 2012
In London an exhibition of fifty-five images of Queen Elizabeth II has opened at the National Portrait Gallery ahead of Diamond Jubilee celebrations .
Entitled The Queen: Art and Image, the show reveals the monarch in a number poses and scenes spanning the 60 years of her reign .
National Portrait Gallery Curator Paul Moorhouse:
"I think the Diamond Jubilee is a really significant event in the Queen's reign. It's 60 years since 1952 when she first became Queen and we wanted to mark that. But we wanted to do so, not just in a very dutiful, worthy way; we wanted to say something about how the Queen has been represented and how this mysterious figure - the Queen - has taken shape in our imagination and what role images have had in that process."
Highlights of the exhibition include pieces by Lucian Freud , Andy Warhol and Thomas Struth.
National Portrait Gallery Curator Paul Moorhouse:
"During the course of the exhibition , which covers 60 years, you see the way the Queen has been represented really changing in radical ways. At the beginning of the exhibition , you see very, very formal images, very deferential images, but as you move through the exhibition, you see the story changing the Queen being represented in a more informal way and times, in a very, almost disrespectful way and then moving to the present day, a range of contemporary responses such as this one by Thomas Struth, which represent the Queen as she is now, often in quite surprising ways, again."
Having already toured Edinburgh , Belfast and Cardiff, the exhibition will stay in London until October.
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‘Battleship’ adapts strategy game into action flick
17 may 2012
The classic children’s strategy board game Battleship is hitting the silver screen in an action-packed blockbuster .
In a nod to men and women in uniform, the film premiered aboard the USS Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Manhattan to an audience of past and present members of the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organization for injured soldiers.
“Battleship” Director Peter Berg said he made the film with military service members in mind.
‘Battleship’ Director Peter Berg:
"I love the men and women that serve for our country, I always have, my dad was a marine, and 'Battleship' is meant to be a big fun popcorn movie for the whole family, but there are a lot of soldiers, current, serving men and women sailors and army soldiers and marines in battleship, and I hope everybody takes a moment to think a little bit about the service they provide for us."
Fans can expect lots of big guns and muscular bravado when the movie hits theatres this weekend.
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Brooklyn-based Jewish rapper announces he is gay
16 may 2012
In a move that could cost him some of his more religious fans, Brooklyn-based Jewish rapper Y-Love has announced that he is gay .
The 34-year-old told Out magazine that he had hidden his sexual identity for years out of fear that he would alienate many of the people who listen to his music . Now, he says he hopes that coming out will help open their minds.
In a new video for his song “Focus on the Flair,” Y-Love, or Yitz Jordan, can be seen dressed in drag dancing around a room with several Orthodox Jews , a plea to bring the two communities closer together.
Jordan, whose music has often explored the Hasidic morals that he long tried to follow but has since largely abandoned, says he feels relieved to be able to live his life publicly. And several years after a failed marriage to a Jewish woman , Y-Love says he is excited to begin his love life in earnest.
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Historic diamond sells for almost 9.7 million USD
16 may 2012
A historic diamond , desired by Europe’s Kings, queens and princes for centuries has been sold by Sotherby’s auction house for almost 9.7 million USD in Geneva .
The 35 carat Beau Sancy diamond was named after the Lord of Sancy in Constantinople in the 1500s after being mined near Golconda in India.
Sotheby's Philipp Von Wurtemberg:
"Why did they buy it? Because I am sure it's the most beautiful stone for me, I fell in love with that stone when I saw it first, it's the cut, it's the history and it's unique because it's historically the oldest stone we ever sold on auction."
For more than 400 years the jewel was passed among royal dynasties in France, England, Prussia and the Netherlands . However, the fate of the historical diamond is now unknown as the 9 million USD was paid by an anonymous buyer who bid for the gem by telephone .
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Muslim group complaints cancel pop star Jakarta concert
16 may 2012
One of the world’s biggest stars of popular music – Lady Gaga – has been refused a permit to perform in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta – meaning adoring fans can not look forward to scenes like this, of Gaga ’s recent arrival for a concert in Japan .
The 26 year old performer of hits like "Bad Romance", "Alejandro", and the Beyonce co-smash "Telephone", is one of the best-selling music artists of all time with an estimated 64 million singles sold worldwide.
But Indonesian authorities considered her too vulgar to appear in the country which has the world’s largest majority population of Muslims .
The head of an Indonesian hardline Islamic group said Gaga only wore panties and a bra while singing, and the fact that she has said she is the envoy of the devil’s child made her dangerous .
Three Islamic groups complained about her concert , which was due to be performed on June 3, meaning that for the time being, Indonesia’s public will have just have to dream about seeing Lady Gaga ’s "Poker Face" in the flesh.
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Israel gears up for the arrival of Hollywood superstars
16 may 2012
Israeli movie lovers are gearing up for the arrival of some big-name Hollywood stars at Tel Aviv’s Student international film festival .
Harvey Keitel and British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen are amongst those who have been confirmed and the Borat star will open the festival with a special screening of his latest politically-incorrect comedy The Dictator .
Keitel, is expected to serve as Chairman of the festival’s jury when it opens on June 2 nd .
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Turkey launches investigation into suspicious bird corpse
16 may 2012
Is it a bird ? Is it an unmanned spy drone? …or, is it a European Bee-eating spy bird ?
If Turkish media reports are correct, it’s the spy bird .
An investigation has been launched in Ankara after a farmer discovered the corpse of a dead bird with a small tag attached to its leg reading “ Israel ”.
“Bird branding” is a common way for scientists to track the movement of birds, however it seems that this unfortunate espionage suspect raised alarm because it had large nostrils which could contain a spy device.
This isn’t the first time the animal kingdom has come under suspicion of espionage .
In 2007, 14 squirrels were “detained” by Iranian Police on suspicion of spying and a year later they claimed to have found “spy pigeons” near a nuclear facility .
More recently, Saudi Arabia accused a vulture of spying for Israel after it was found carrying a transmitter and leg bracelet.
Such stories sound unlikely, but may not be quite so implausible as we think.
The US Navy recruits sea lions and dolphins to sweep for mines, carry cameras, and even cuff underwater suspects.
Sadly, the feathered suspect perished before he could be cross-examined, but if nothing else, the incident is a reminder of the poor state of Israeli-Turkish relations and the low level of trust that currently exists between the two countries.
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Upfront advertising presentations kick-off in NYC
16 may 2012
The annual upfront advertising presentations have kicked off New York , with NBC and Fox unveiling their star-studded new line-ups hoping to make a splash in the press and catch the attention of advertising executives. Former “Friends” star Matthew Perry is back on NBC in the autumn with new show “Go On”.
Actor Matthew Perry:
“I was looking to do a drama and they sent me this script and I said, “Why did you send me this? This is a comedy written by a guy who wrote “Friends.” And then I read it and I understood. It's a very, this show has some really dramatic, wonderful moments in it that hopefully will continue now that it's a TV show."
And Fox network is attempting to boost its underperforming competition shows by hiring Britney Spears to join the judging panel on the X Factor.
Singer Britney Spears :
"Well first of all I am so excited about this whole experience, it's going to be so much fun and so different from anything I've ever done and I'm ready to find the true star .”
The Upfront presentations is a crucial advertising sales period for the TV networks, previewing their upcoming schedules with teasers and clips, to tempt major advertisers to buy television commercial airtime "up front" several months before the television season begins.
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Safra charity gems go for USD 37.9 million at Christie’s
15 may 2012
Jewels belonging to Lily Safra , billionaire widow of banker Edmond Safra have fetched almost double the pre-sale estimate, going for $ 37.9 million at Christie’s auction house in Switzerland.
Sixty-nine gems in total were sold but the crown jewel was a ruby and diamond-ring by Chaumet, sold at a world-record price of $ 6.7 million - the highest auction price of any ruby.
Widow of Banker Edmond Safra, billionaire, Lily Safra:
"I am floating, I feel it's one of the best things I have done in my life, is to give all this, instead of keeping it in a safe, and to give it now, thank you."
The Safra family are known for their philanthropic work, and are responsible for building Jerusalem's Safra Square and donations to the Louvre in Paris, where a gallery bears their name.
Designated beneficiaries of the jewellery sale's proceeds include Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Royal Opera House in London.
Border disorder: Palestinian terrorists open fire at IDF soldiers operating within Israeli territory near the security fence with north Gaza. No injuries are being reported
Equal rights: Israel’s High Court rules that the onus is on employers to explain why they pay women lower salaries than men
Listening in: Justice Ministry proposes a bill that would expand the state’s power to tap phones and almost double the number of state agencies allowed to access the data while conducting investigations
Earphone law: Lawmakers are mulling new legislation that would forbid bicycle riders to listen to music with earphones while on the road
Anti-US assistance: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh says US military assistance to Israel, including the recent decision to grant Israel an additional USD 70 million for the Iron Dome missile defense system, is encouraging the Jewish state to commit war crimes
Emergency landing: a London-bound El-Al jet makes an emergency landing at Ben-Gurion International Airport shortly after takeoff on Friday after the jet’s flaps malfunctioned and the plane dumped its fuel the sea
Equal rights: Israel’s High Court rules that the onus is on employers to explain why they pay women lower salaries than men
Listening in: Justice Ministry proposes a bill that would expand the state’s power to tap phones and almost double the number of state agencies allowed to access the data while conducting investigations
Earphone law: Lawmakers are mulling new legislation that would forbid bicycle riders to listen to music with earphones while on the road
Anti-US assistance: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh says US military assistance to Israel, including the recent decision to grant Israel an additional USD 70 million for the Iron Dome missile defense system, is encouraging the Jewish state to commit war crimes
Emergency landing: a London-bound El-Al jet makes an emergency landing at Ben-Gurion International Airport shortly after takeoff on Friday after the jet’s flaps malfunctioned and the plane dumped its fuel the sea
Culture
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European Jewish Parliament Convenes for Second Day
In the command center of pan-European politics, the European Jewish Parliament convened for a second day… At the European Parliament, panel discussions were held on the economic crisis in Europe and its impact on extremism, populism and anti-Semitism … Dr. Antonyia Parvanova, a member of the European Parliament from Bulgaria, moderated… Parvanova says she and her colleagues are aware that baseless hatred for Jews is rearing its ugly head again in violent acts, in anti-Israeli sentiment and in politics…
Igor Kolomoiskiy , the President of the European Jewish Union, was the guiding light behind the first-ever Parliament for Jews and forging ties with other European leaders is one of its priorities. The European Jewish Parliament was modeled in some ways after the European Parliament. Its members are elected osein contrast to how other Jewish leaders in Europe are chosen which is usually by those inside existing organizations. The European Jewish Parliament hopes its system can attract young, unaffiliated Jews with fresh ideas.
A Jewish woman from Washington joined the EJP’s meetings…but she’s not an American working for President Obama or Republican candidate Mitt Romney …Her boss is King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain… Hoodah Nunu is the Bahraini Ambassador to the US, a Jewish woman who represents her Muslim country. EJP members also expressed hope that they can help build bridges between Jews and Muslims wherever they clash. Nunu’s colleague – the Bahraini Ambassador to the EU – attended the panel discussions. Tomorrow these new Jewish reps of Europe will head back to their home countries after two days of sharing ideas, solutions and meeting like-minded politicians.
Jordana Miller, JN1 , Brussels
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Sephardic Jewish Cuisine Celebrated in Germany
The gruene sosse or green sauce festival marks the beginning of spring, and celebrates Frankfurt’s most popular dish which in turn is a symbol of Frankfurt ’s Jewish heritage. For more than six centuries Frankfurters have indulged in green vegetables and herbs – a custom that also ties in with the arrival of Sephardic Jews in the Frankfurt region.
About 30,000 Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492 came to Germany. The Sephardic kitchen was characterized by the absence of garlic and a very generous use of herbs. The seven herbs found in the Frankfurt green sauce certainly do justice to the old Sephardic cuisine. Nowadays, there are of course countless varieties of the original Jewish green sauce recipe .
Jews not only provided the original recipe for green sauce, for centuries they also made the herbs available to the public. Many became peddlers, buying the products directly from the farmers and selling them in the streets of Frankfurt . At the beginning of the 20th. century in Frankfurt the Jewish peddler were members of the Jewish community living in the East End of the city, the home of about four thousand Jews who immigrated from Russia and Poland.
The East End had the largest synagogue in Frankfurt, boasting 1600 seats. It was destroyed on November 9, 1938, when the Nazis unleashed a wave of pogroms against Germany's Jews . Today in Frankfurt's East End on the site of the destroyed synagogue, the Place of Remembrance documents a facet of National Socialist viciousness: In 1942 a civil defense bunker was erected by French prisoners of war on the foundation of the destroyed Synagogue. The bunker now contains a permanent exhibition on Jewish life in Frankfurt ’s East End in the pre- Nazi period. It’s a place of learning and reflection about the site and it’s past.
Seventy years after Festival the Holocaust Jewish heritage and culture is once again thriving in Frankfurt … and Frankfurters of all ethnic backgrounds are discovering the centuries old Jewish recipe for green sauce.
Wilson Ruiz, JN1 , Frankfurt
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EJP Holds General Assembly in Brussels
The newly elected European Jewish Parliament held its first general session in Brussels… The 120 members were elected last fall in an online vote that drew over 400,000 Jews across western, central and eastern Europe. Now the representatives of 47 countries are meeting to set their agenda…it’s a diverse group of men and women, religious and secular, old and young…
The alarming political gains of far right-wing nationalist parties is one of the newest and most pressing issues. EJP Co-Presidents Vadim Rabinovich and Joel Rubinfeld say the Parliament will build ties with the European Parliament , the EU and others to defend the needs of the Jewish community.
The European Jewish Parliament , for the first time is bringing Jews from the East and West together under one umbrella organization. The hope is that some of the more established communities – like in France and England – can help some of the smaller struggling communities in the east with the challenges they face… After the opening remarks, the Parliamentarians broke into committee groups on topics ranging from foreign affairs to education to culture.
Jordana Miller, JN1 , Brussels