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Iraqi athletes receive accreditation for Olympics
17 may 2012
The British Embassy in Baghdad has eagerly supplied accreditation to Iraqi athletes who will be representing their country at the London Olympic Games in July.
British ambassador to Iraq Michael Aron:
"I'm delighted to welcome the members of the Iraqi Olympic Committee and Iraqi athletes who are going to London to take part in the Olympic Games . Today they've come here to get their accreditation for the Olympic Games."
Iraq hopes to send up to 30 athletes to the Games to compete in events such as weightlifting, wrestling , rowing and swimming. The last time the country won a medal in the Olympics was a bronze for weightlifting in 1960.
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Second spell of ‘King Kenny’ comes to an end at Anfield
17 may 2012
Kenny Dalglish’s second spell as manager of English Premier League football club Liverpool has been ended by the club’s American owners.
The New York-based Fenway Sports Group issued a joint statement with the club saying that after a ‘careful and deliberate’ review of the season , it was decided that Dalglish’s contract – signed in May 2011 for three years – should be cancelled.
Dalglish is something of a hero at Liverpool. As a player for the club he won numerous honours and trophies including the 1978 European Cup, scoring the winning goal in the final against Belgian side Club Brugge.
Eight years later, he was on the scoresheet again as he helped Liverpool win the FA cup and the Premier League title in the same season.
Dalglish’s first period as manager of Liverpool came between 1985 and 1991, during which time he led the team to three league cup titles and two FA cups.
His return to the club came halfway through the 2011 season, in which Liverpool finished in sixth place in the Premier League . This year, although the club won the league cup, their overall 8 th place finish was deemed not good enough by the club and its New York backers, and Anfield waved goodbye to King Kenny.
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Former Chelsea boss steps down after 5 months
17 may 2012
Avram Grant has stepped down as manager of Serbian football club Partizan Belgrade after just five months in the job.
Despite leading Partizan to the Serbian league title this season, the Israeli’s decision to leave is reported to have been prompted by that fact that he has had offers from other clubs.
The former manager of British clubs Chelsea , Portsmouth and West Ham, Grant has repeatedly said that he wants to return to the English Premier League.
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Israel wants London memorial for Munich 1972 massacre
15 may 2012
The Anti-Defamation League is supporting Israel’s request to the International Olympic Committee for a minutes silence to be held at the summer games in London, in honour of the Israeli team members who were killed by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Games .
Israel is looking to draw attention to the attack as it marks the 40th anniversary of the tragedy this year.
In the decades since the attack, the families of the murdered Olympians have unsuccessfully issued repeated appeals for a moment of silence to be instigated in memory of the tragedy.
Jewish News One asked European Parliament member Cindy Cohen whether she thinks the London games will provide a memorial event for the 40 th anniversary of the Olympic tragedy.
Jewish Member of Parliament Cindy Cohen :
“I think that the British government are probably avoiding doing anything that helps anything to do with Judaism . I think it’s a very delicate situation and I think that people are not keen to recognise anything to do with Israel at the moment and I think the IOC don’t want to help Israel at the moment.”
The International Olympic Committee says it has paid tribute to the memory of the athletes on several occasions and would do so again, but gave no indication whether this would include a minute's silence at the London games.
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Venezuelan Maldonado wins Spanish Grand Prix
14 may 2012
Pastor Maldonado has become the first Venezuelan to stand on a Formula One podium after taking a surprise first place in the Spanish Grand Prix .
Venezuelan Formula One driver Pastor Maldonado:
"I need to say that I'm pretty happy because the car was so competitive since the first lap. Fernando did a better start than me, but I was just following the pace and it was OK. I think it was my first podium and my first victory , so you can imagine what I feel."
Before the weekend, Maldonado’s odds were at 300-1, but he managed to beat Spanish driver Fernando Alonso by 3.1 seconds. His teammate Bruno Senna was less fortunate. He was forced to retire the track after the 13 th lap when Michael Schumacher crashed into him from behind.
But Maldondo’s victory scored the Williams team its first triumph in 132 races. He also became this season’s fifth different winner in five races won by five different teams – something that hasn’t happened since 1983.
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Kiev protestors show support for jailed Tymoshenko
14 may 2012
Protesters in Kiev have been gathering to show support for jailed ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko , with some EU leaders calling for an international boycott of Ukraine’s EURO 2012 football matches.
However, opinion is divided, especially in co-host country Poland , perhaps concerned that the championships it has invested so much in is becoming dominated by a political scandal.
Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said Ukraine is putting its ties with the European Union in jeopardy by keeping Ms. Tymoshenko in prison, but the Polish government has also criticized calls from politicians for a boycott of the Ukrainian part of the soccer championship.
Jewish News One spoke to European Jewish Parliament member Monika Krawczyk about the boycott.
Polish EJP member Monika Krawczyk:
“Well first of all it’s always wrong to mix sport with politics. These are two completely separate domains and it’s probably not good to have a political boycott announced on something that was connected with an important sporting event in Europe.”
“On a general level I think it is better to persuade people and explain what’s going on rather than announce boycott, and honestly, if the politicians don’t want to go to those games, let them donate the tickets to people who are less fortunate and could not afford to pay for that, and honestly in the stadiums, I don’t think that anybody needs them.”
European capitals say the seven-year prison sentence handed to Tymoshenko is politically-motivated, but Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich is refusing to bow to pressure.
Tymoshenko claims she was imprisoned because Yanukovich, who narrowly defeated her in the 2010 presidential election, wants to bar her from participating in October’s parliamentary elections .
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Administrators accept bid from consortium led by Green
14 may 2012
Administrators for cash-strapped Scottish football club Rangers have accepted a takeover bid from a group of investors led by Charles Green, an English venture capitalist.
The Glasgow football team went into administration last February because of an unpaid tax bill of nearly USD 15 million. But Green seems unfazed.
Leader of investor group set to by Rangers Charles Green:
"Clearly we're, we're delighted that the administrators accepted our offer. Rangers, as we know, has a fantastic history . We want to retain and preserve that history.”
But Green will also need to win over Ranger’s passionate supporters . US businessman Bill Miller, who was on the verge of buying the club earlier this month, withdrew his offer after protests by fans.
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Polo season inaugurated with Princes Will and Harry
13 may 2012
The polo season has kicked off in Great Britain with a royal win for Princes William and Harry , performing in front of some of Hollywood's A-list celebrities .
More than 200 special guests received invitations to the event in Ascot , including a number of British actors .
Harry Potter actor Jamie Campbell-Bower:
"Wow is all I can say. I'm most excited about this. I've ridden a horse before but, oh they're starting, but I've never swung a mallet. So I'm looking forward to seeing how well they swing their mallets."
Former Bond girl Gemma Arterton:
"I've met the princes before. When I had the Bond premiere, it was a royal premiere and they came. Actually it was quite funny, I was wearing quite a risqué number that night, Balmain, very risqué. I remember Harry looking at me and saying 'Woah, you look great.' (laughs). He was fun. But yeah, they're lovely, really lovely. I'm looking forward to seeing them again."
Dark Knight Rises actor Tom Hardy:
"I'm a member of the Prince's Trust actually, an ambassador for them, so always like to get involved when they're around. Can't play polo , don't understand it, but it's always nice to come along and have a cup of tea."
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Audi Polo Challenge, which has raised more than 1.4 million pounds in the last decade, with money raised going to charities supported by both Prince William and Prince Harry.
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Israel appeals Olympic decision to drop windsurfing
12 may 2012
The International Sailing Federation has decided to drop windsurfing from the Olympics in favour of kiteboarding.
Israel ’s sailing chief Yehuda Maayan claims the move came because delegates didn't realize what they were voting for, with the Spanish Sailing Federation admitting it had voted in error.
Windsurfing is one of Israel's most successful Olympic sports, having yielded three out of its seven medals, including its only gold, and a number of Israelis have featured highly at world and European championships over the years including women's triple world champion Lee Korzits .
Maayan likened the move to judo competitors being told to abandon their skills and compete as wrestlers.
But kiteboarders hailed the decision, which means their discipline will be showcased for the first time at the Rio Games in 2016.
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Button fastest in Spanish Grand Prix practice
12 may 2012
McLaren driver Jenson Button set the pace in practice for the Spanish Grand Prix with a best time of one minute 23.399 seconds, with half the field separated by little more than a second.
Red Bull 's double world champion and overall leader Sebastian Vettel was second fastest in the warm up for Sunday’s 66 lap race.
Following the Bahrain GP, Vettel has 53 points, leading Britain ’s Lewis Hamilton by four and Australian Mark Webber by five. Button and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso both have 43 points.
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Nik Wallenda announces famous crossing for June 15
11 may 2012
A high-wire performer from Florida has declared his intention to be the first man to walk across Niagara Falls in over a century.
Nik Wallenda, who recently walked across Baltimore 's Inner Harbour, announced he will cross the famous a gorge spanning between the United States and Canada on the 15 th of June.
He is set to walk a 5 cm cable strung 550 metres across the gorge, and will train for 10 days prior to the walk with special equipment to simulate the high-wind conditions and moisture he expects to encounter at the falls.
Gaining permission for the walk required almost two years of lobbying by Wallenda and politicians, who hope the spectacle will translate into tourism dollars.
Wallenda holds several Guinness World Records , including one for the highest tightrope crossing by bicycle and another for the longest.
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ASP World Championship Tour arrives in Brazil
11 may 2012
Some of the world's best surfers have hit the waves in Rio de Janeiro as the ASP World Championship Tour arrived in Brazil.
Also known as the Billabong Rio Pro , the event is the tour's third leg of ten cities.
American surfer and current world number one Kelly Slater decided to withdraw from competition in Rio after injuring his knee surfing in Java .
Brazilian surfer Adriano de Souza:
"(Kelly) Slater's absence affected the championship a little bit. The entire media and the event's infrastructure revolves around him. But for me he is an opponent, an adversary, so this means one less opponent on my way. I am actually happy and sad at the same time."
The men's Billabong Rio Pro runs from May 09 until May 20.
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Olympic relay begins with torch ceremony in Olympia
11 may 2012
The flame that will burn throughout the London Olympics has been ignited at the birthplace of the ancient games in Olympia in Greece, triggering the start of the Olympic relay that will culminate with the opening ceremony on 27 th July.
The torch will be flown to the UK, where it will be relayed 12,800 kilometres around England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Finally it will arrive in the capital ahead of the opening ceremony, making London the only city ever to have received the flame twice.
The first time was in 1948, and although London hosted the games in 1908, the relay was only introduced during the 1936 games.
Prior to the controversial Berlin Olympics that year, the Nazi regime devised the idea of the torch relay under the guidance of the Nazi ’s famous propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.
Hitler used the symbolism of the torch as a way to link the Germany with the ancient Games to illustrate his belief that classical Greece was an Aryan forerunner of the modern German Reich .
However, despite its Nazi origins, the relay remains one of the most symbolic events in the modern Games ceremonies and the 70 day relay that takes place between now and the games will be watched and enjoyed by millions.
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Caribbean sea stage of dramatic yacht competition
9 may 2012
The Volvo Ocean Race followed a route through the Caribbean this week with team Puma at the head of the pack on its way towards Miami .
This is the third and final week of leg six in the race. The boats have been sailing from Itajai in Brazil to Miami in Florida , and the Puma yacht is just over 740km away from the finish line.
The Caribbean stretch of the race allows navigators to be creative, staying close to the islands for the shortest possible route or heading out to sea in an attempt to catch the wind for maximum pace.
The Volvo Ocean Race will conclude across the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Ireland in July.
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Unusual summer sport gets off to muddy start
8 may 2012
Britain ’s Lawn Mower racing season has gotten off to a muddy start. For obvious safety reasons all the blades are removed from racing mowers to enable one of the country’s more unusual summer sports. Each Championship race lasts between 10 and 15 laps with 25 points going for top spot which the season’s first winner was happy to collect despite the swamp-like conditions.
Race winner Dean Fuller:
“That wasn't fun, that's not racing , but its 25 points in the championship so I'm leading the championship and at the end of the year it all counts."
The sport was invented in a pub in 1973 by racing enthusiasts who decided that other forms of motorsport were prohibitively expensive to participate in.
The season lasts until September and considering Britain’s highly unpredictable summer weather there is every possibility that these muddy scenes will be repeated.
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31st league title after home draw against Bruges
8 may 2012
Anderlecht is celebrating its 31st Belgian league title after drawing at home against nearest challengers Club Bruges.
Anderlecht fell behind in the 71st-minute after Bruges’ Maxime Lestienne found space between two defenders to score from close range.
Anderlecht won a penalty in injury time when Dieumerci Mbokani was bundled over in the penalty area.
Guillaume Gillet calmly slotted home the ensuing penalty which was to be the last kick of the game and gave Anderlecht an unassailable seven-point lead at the top of the league table.
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British military deploy missiles in southeast London
5 may 2012
The British Military has stationed ground-to-air missiles in a park in southeast London as part their security program ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games . Officials say it is unlikely the missiles will be called into action, but are not taking any chances.
Colonel John Campbell:
“We have to put ourselves in circumstances where someone has deliberately taken on themselves to do something horrible at the Olympic Games in the summer, and we here have an option to be able to deal with it."
Defences may also be deployed in other areas of London, including near residential buildings in eastern neighbourhoods of the city just a few hundred metres from the Olympic Park . One Londoner, taking matters into his own hands, took amateur video of what he said was unguarded military equipment on his housing estate.
East London resident Brian Whelan:
"The soldiers who were supposed to be guarding it were the other side of the pond, out of the line of sight. I walked over to the equipment, I spent at least 30 seconds standing filming the equipment, having a look at it, before they realised and came over. That's not top security. That's not acceptable."
Britain 's defence ministry says it has identified six sites where ground-to-air missiles may be based during the Games, but a final decision will not be made until closer to the opening day.
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Lee Korzits hopes to produce podium finish in London
4 may 2012
Women's RS:X windsurfing double world champion Lee Korzits hopes her affinity with the waves will produce an Olympic podium finish as Israel's leading medal contender at the 2012 Games.
The 28-year-old Korzits said she was ready to carry Israeli medal aspirations at the sailing regatta in Weymouth on England 's south coast in July and August, although she hoped her fans would understand if she doesn't reach the podium.
Double world windsurfing champion Lee Korzits:
"I go to London like a favourite and I train really hard to be good and to keep the top but, you know, I cannot sign that I am going to be in the medals. But I can sign that I will work hard and I will try all my best. And all the, you know, the energy from the people that want that I would win I will take for me. And I hope that they will be happy with me if I win and will understand if I will not win."
If Korzits fulfils her fans' expectations, she would be the third Israeli to win a windsurfing medal. Perhaps no less important, she would become the first Israeli woman to ascend the Olympic podium since the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
Korzits grew up and lives in Michmoret, a quiet Mediterranean village north of Tel Aviv and a place that has produced a number of top Israeli sailors over the years.
She won her first world championship in the Mistral class in Cadiz, Spain in 2003 and went to the Athens Games the next year expecting to fulfil her nation's hopes, but she finished halfway down the field in 13th position. Although Korzits didn't qualify for Beijing in 2008, her back-to-back world titles in the past two years has given her enough confidence to deliver a rare glittering prize for Israeli sport.
But Korzits said that security concerns at the Games were probably her biggest worry, although she tried not to let it bother her.
Double world windsurfing champion Lee Korzits:
"We cannot avoid that we are Jewish, we are Israelian ( Israelis ), we are not friends with all of the countries. I try to take it out because we are doing a sport and sports is something really clean and I hope that all the other countries that they are not in peace with us will understand that this place (the Olympics) this is the place to show all the other people how strong is the sport and how peaceful it is".
Israel first participated in the Olympics in Helsinki in 1952, but had to wait 40 years for that first medal .
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Dutch club takes 31st football league championship
4 may 2012
Ajax Amsterdam clinched their 31st Dutch championship as they beat lowly VVV Venlo 2-0 in the Dutch league on Wednesday.
Ajax totally dominated the first half, with Siem de Jong scoring at the far post following a cross from Gregory van der Wiel.
They sealed the deal at 57 minutes when Jan Vertonghen struck a low shot into the corner to put Frank de Boer's team beyond reach in the Dutch football top flight.
The club has been under scrutiny this season, with Ajax and the mayor of Amsterdam being sued for racism because the team's fans had been singing pro-Jewish chants.
BAN, the Dutch campaign against anti-Semitism in football, charged that Ajax had no Jewish roots and few Jewish fans, and chants such as "We are the super-Jews" encouraged race-hate .
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Baseball team owners include Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson
4 may 2012
The Los Angeles Dodgers have unveiled their new owners. Among them is former NBA hero and entrepreneur Earvin "Magic" Johnson .
Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson:
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Jackie Robinson and other great players, it’s very emotional, I can’t even put into words how it is”.
The US baseball team has been bought by an investment group for a record USD 2.5 billion. Group members include Stan Kasten, who ran both the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals franchises, and Hollywood producer Peter Guber.
The team went bankrupt in 2011 but the investment consortium says it wants to create value through stadium improvements and aggressive talent grabbing.
Last year, the Dodgers finished third in the Western Division of Major League Baseball ’s National League, but currently lead the Western Division with 17 wins and 8 losses.
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
Sport
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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