Judaism

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Prophecy Drives Firm to Dig for Diamonds in Israel

And it thinks it has found evidence that it's on the right track

(Newser) - All it took was a prophecy. That was enough to launch Shefa Yamim, an Israeli mining firm that has spent more than a decade combing the hills and valleys around Haifa for diamonds, something no one ever expected to find in Israel. "It's a mission," CEO Avi...

8 Celebs Who Switched Religions ... for Love

Drew Barrymore, converting to Judaism, is the latest

(Newser) - Drew Barrymore is getting married , but first she's—reportedly—converting to Judaism, the religion fiance Will Kopelman practices. She follows the tradition of these seven other celebrity spouses (or not-quite-spouses) who did the same thing, notes The Frisky :
  • Isla Fisher: Converted to Judaism for Sacha Baron Cohen.
  • Jesus Luz:
...

Rabbis' Wives Advise: 'Don't Date Non-Jews'

Diatribe against Arab men raises charges of racism

(Newser) - A letter in Israel signed by 30 rabbis' wives offers clear-cut dating advice to young Jewish women: Stay away from "non-Jews," and especially Arab men. "There are no few Arab workers who use a Hebrew name," warns the letter, as recounted by AOL News . "Yusuf...

Israeli Rabbi Blesses Spies' 'Honeytrap' Sex

Sleeping with the enemy has Biblical precedent

(Newser) - It's kosher for women working for Israel's spy agency to trade sex for national security, according to an Israeli rabbi. Rabbi Ari Shvat's study concluded that so-called "honeytrap" sting missions, which have repeatedly been used by Mossad, don't violate Jewish law, ABC reports. The rabbi noted that similar missions...

Why I Allowed My Sons' 'Brutal' Circumcisions

It hurts, but it's a necessary comfort in an uncertain world

(Newser) - Taffy Brodesser-Akner believes that circumcision is “brutal” mutilation. So why did she subject her sons, and herself, to the traditional Jewish bris—even as she suffered “self-loathing” for what she was putting them through? She traces her Jewish upbringing, denouncement of religion, and eventual return to the faith...

Bishop: Vatican Abuse Uproar a 'Zionist Attack'

Italian priest allegedly blames Jews for sex abuse scandal

(Newser) - Jews are fanning the flames of the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal, an elderly Italian bishop has allegedly claimed—and American Jewish groups aren't too happy about it. A Catholic website quotes Giacomo Babini, 81, as saying the "powerful and refined" nature of criticism of the church suggests a...

White House Renews Seder Tradition

(Newser) - Among the families around the world gathering tomorrow to celebrate the beginning of Passover with a dinner, or seder, will be a high-profile group: the Obamas. The White House seder tradition started on the campaign trail in 2008, when then-senator Barack Obama surprised three staffers by showing up for their...

Israeli Nationalists Beg Refaeli to Dump DiCaprio

Model urged to shun non-Jew for sake of 'future generations'

(Newser) - Rumors that wedding bells may soon be ringing for Leonardo DiCaprio and Israeli model Bar Refaeli have rung alarm bells for ultra-nationalists in her homeland. The head of a group that aims to "rescue" women from marriages to non-Jews has written to Rafaeli, pleading with her to ditch the...

Jewish 'Lost Tribe' Found in Africa

Ark of the Covenant may have been in Zimbabwe all along

(Newser) - An African tribe's claim to be descended from Jews who fled the Holy Land 2,500 years ago has been backed up by DNA testing. The Lemba, who live in South Africa and Zimbabwe, are largely Christian or Muslim, but they practice many Jewish traditions, including wearing skullcaps, eschewing pork,...

43% of Americans Report Bias Against Muslims

Muslims face worst prejudice, most unfavorable view

(Newser) - A whopping 43% of Americans report at least “a little” bias against Muslims, and a majority, 53%, have an unfavorable view of the religion, according to a Gallup poll released today. That makes Islam far and away the most reviled religion in the country; Only 18% reported some prejudice...

Decline and Fall of the Jewish Deli

No home country and an Americanized palate spell doom for brisket

(Newser) - The Jewish deli is dying, author David Sax tells New America Media , and there’s not much anyone, Jew or gentile, can do about it. In New York, for instance, there are about two dozen kosher and non-kosher establishments today, down from 1,500 in the 1930s. One of the...

Stop Citing Jewish Ethics Against Health Reform!
Stop Citing Jewish Ethics Against Health Reform!
rabbis to lieberman:
Dec 15, 2009 10:48 AM CST

Stop Citing Jewish Ethics Against Health Reform!

Senator backed Medicare buy-in 3 months ago, and still should

(Newser) - “A hallmark of Judaism is disputation,” writes David Gibson, and it shows—Joe Lieberman is in a pitched battle with his home state coreligionists over health care reform. Rabbis from across Connecticut, in tones both dulcet and shrill, are lobbying the senator to drop his opposition to anything...

How to Be Oh-So-Sensitive to Jews at Christmas
How to Be Oh-So-Sensitive
to Jews at Christmas
HO HO HA!
Dec 14, 2009 4:37 PM CST

How to Be Oh-So-Sensitive to Jews at Christmas

If you watch White Christmas , be considerate: also watch Munich

(Newser) - "Just because anyone with half a brain celebrates Christmas," Paul Rudnick writes in that bastion of traditional Christianity, the New Yorker , that's no reason to alienate your yarmulke-wearing friends. Some tips:
  • Calling Jesus "Our Savior" might seem gauche. Just call him "the Jew that got away.
...

Crocs Too Comfy for Yom Kippur: Rabbi

Sandals don't inflict sufficient suffering for holiday, religious leader rules

(Newser) - A Lithuanian rabbi has ruled that Crocs should not be worn during Yom Kippur because the sandals are too comfortable, Ynet news reports. Rabbi Elyashiv based his judgment on a prohibition against leather sandals, saying they were banned because they fail to provide an appropriate level of suffering for the...

Houses of Worship Adapt to Swine Flu

Synagogues, churches, mosques get ready for H1N1

(Newser) - Places of worship across the country are adjusting holy rituals to head off swine flu, CBS News reports. On the Jewish New Year, one Massachusetts synagogue is skipping handshakes and promoting the use of hand sanitizer—and, in a substantial break from tradition, allowing worshipers to not kiss the Torah....

Hey, Jews Should Be Conservatives, Not Liberals: Podhoretz

Following 'false messiah' Obama is bad politics, bad religion: Podhoretz

(Newser) - Jewish voters backed Barack Obama over John McCain last year by a staggering 57 points—the most resounding mandate from any group other than African Americans. That bewilders neocon Norman Podhoretz, who argues in the Wall Street Journal that both Judaism and the Jewish experience endorse "the infinitely precious...

'Hasidic Reggae Guy' Matisyahu Stretches Sound
'Hasidic Reggae Guy' Matisyahu Stretches Sound
interview
Aug 25, 2009 6:50 PM CDT

'Hasidic Reggae Guy' Matisyahu Stretches Sound

Hasidic reggae singer expands his sound on new CD

(Newser) - Matisyahu Miller is tired of just being the “Hasidic reggae guy,” the singer tells AP. His newest CD, Light, shows a wider range of influences, including guitar rock, electronic pop, and folk. As a Hasidic Jew who sang reggae—complete with Jamaican accent—Matisyahu was a curiosity act...

Jews Tweet Prayers to Wailing Wall
Jews Tweet Prayers
to Wailing Wall
Jul 24, 2009 3:41 AM CDT

Jews Tweet Prayers to Wailing Wall

(Newser) - Jews seeking to send a message to God can now do so via Twitter, the Daily Telegraph reports. The "Tweet Your Prayers" service prints out tweeted prayers and deposits them between the stones in Jerusalem's 2,000-year-old Western Wall. Its founders accept no responsibility for unanswered prayers. "Take...

This Week, Britney May Be Jewish

Singer flip-flops between Christianity, Kabbalah, Hinduism...

(Newser) - Britney Spears was raised a Baptist, but her latest accessory—a Star of David necklace—led the New York Daily News to take a look back at the religions she’s tried out:
  • In 2003, it looked as though she would be one of Madonna’s Kabbalah converts, and she
...

Turkish Game Show Tries to Convert Atheists

Imams, priests, rabbis, and monks given chance to convert unbelievers live on TV

(Newser) - This was probably only a matter of time: A Turkish game show starting this fall will bring on 10 atheists per show and give holy men from four faiths the chance to convert them, the Guardian reports. A Muslim imam, a Greek Orthodox priest, a rabbi, and a Buddhist monk...

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