Jews, Judaism, and Antisemitism
News and Recent Posts
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Wondering about what has been going on in the world when it comes to Jews, Judaism, and Antisemitism? There is regular news about the conflict between Jews and Palestinians in Israel, about Antisemitism in the world (including in the context of Mel Gibson's film The Passion), and the state of Jews in American and European soceities.
Only the initial part of a story is listed - to read the rest, you will have to click on the links. Stories are listed in reverse order, with the most recent news appearing first.
News on Jews, Judaism, and Antisemitism
-->Mel Gibson Closing Jewish Hearts to Jesus?
Apparently, even conservative and Orthodox Jews are becoming concerned over the sort of film Mel Gibson has made in his work "The Passion." Despite having...
Read more...Presbyterian Peacemakers Promoting Antisemitism?
Sometimes a person's passion for a cause can lead them to completely ignore or even abandon values they once had - values that they may...
Read more...British Muslims Targeting Jews
Anti-Semitism, which has been growing in Europe, has begun to make larger inroads in Britain as well - and Muslims seem to be playing a...
Read more...Mel Gibson's Father: Holocaust Exaggerated
Most people are probably aware by now that Mel Gibson's father, Hutton Gibson, is an Antisemite and a Holocaust Denier. But, just in case there...
Read more...Complaining - That's Just What Jews Do
Over the past months there have been a number of criticisms raised against Mel Gibson's film "The Passion" - but most of those complaints have...
Read more...Rabbis: Gaza Pullout is Forbidden
As I reported here earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is seriously considering a forced evacuation of all Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip. He...
Read more...Sharon Plans Jewish Evacuation from Gaza
Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have long been one of the biggest barriers to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Many...
Read more...Art vs. Reality: Gibson to Delete Scene in Passion
Bowing to pressure from Jewish critics, Christian groups, and apparently some early focus groups, Mel Gibson has decided to remove one of the more controversial...
Read more...Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel
Religion plays an important role in the problems that afflict the Middle East. It isn't simply a matter of religion being used as a...
Read more...Jewish Leaders Sneak into Gibson Film Screening
For whatever reason (and there are multiple theories), Mel Gibson has gone to great lengths in order to ensure that only people likely to support...
Read more...Destruction of Fruit Trees: Against Jewish Law?
One of the points of conflict between Palestinians and Jews is the fact that Israelis have gone to a lot of trouble to destroy...
Read more...Christian Arabs Leaving Jerusalem?
Conflict in the Middle East, and in Israel in particular, is often portrayed as being between Jews and Muslims. Too often forgotten are the Christians...
Read more...Porn Prayers for Jews
If you are Jewish and you think you spend just a little bit too much time enjoying pornography on the internet, then you are in...
Read more...Harassment of Jewish Dissenters of Israel
Not all Jews agree with all of the actions undertaken by Israel; in fact, some Jews disagree vehemently with how Israel has acted on the...
Read more...Rabbi to Publish Book on Jewish Supremacy
Anti-semitism is a serious problem, but what many people may not realize is that there is an parallel aspect in Jewish tradition which teaches that...
Read more...American Jewish Congress on Pledge Issue
Unlike other (generally liberal) Jewish groups, the American Jewish Congress has decided to oppose Michael Newdow's lawsuit to remove the phase "under God" from the...
Read more...Jews for Jesus Criticizes Evangelicals
The evangelical Christian organization "Jews for Jesus" is dedicated to converting Jews to evangelical Christianity by not being entirely forthright about what the organization stands...
Read more...Orthodox Rabbis Discuss Homosexuality
Communities of Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox Jews, whether in Israel or in America, have generally been in denial about the presence of gays in their midst....
Read more...Gay Palestinians Seeking Refuge in Israel
Although there are innumerable examples of Israel violating the civil rights of Palestinians, it shouldn't be assumed that everything Israel does is for the worse....
Read more...Dean's Jewish Wife: A Sign of Weak Faith
As I reported here earlier, despite the claims of an ignorant few about Howard Dean being "godless," he is indeed a Christian who believes in...
Read more...Jewish Settlers Seek Support from Christians
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has decided to start removing some of the illegal Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory. the Jewish settlers believe that...
Read more...Jewish Turn to the GOP?
Traditionally in America, Jewish voters have overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates for public office. The last time a Republican presidential candidate received even a plurality...
Read more...Mormons Still Baptizing Dead Jews
Mormons don't just baptize new converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they also baptize dead people - by thousands and the...
Read more...Microsoft Removes Swastikas from Software
The swastika was an important symbol of Nazi Germany, so it's only natural the Jews today would be sensitive to its presence and use. At...
Read more...Woman Sues "Jews for Jesus" for Fraud
An evangelical Christian group that pretends to be Jewish in order to attract Jewish converts (because converting Jews to Christianity is a part of evangelical...
Read more...Jews Trying to Censor Christmas?
The Alliance Defense Fund, an legal group founded by, among others, Focus on the Family, has accused the Anti-Defamation League of trying to "censor" Christmas...
Read more...Will Sharon Uproot Jewish Settlements?
One of the major sticking points in the quest for peace in the Middle East is the creation and maintenance of numerous Jewish settlements located...
Read more...Protocols of the Elders of Zion: Jewish Holy Book?
Using international financial aid, the Egyptian government has renovated the library at Alexandria and opened within it a manuscript museum to house old, original documents....
Read more...European Antisemitism
It is argued that antisemitism is on the rise in Europe, but such claims are made difficult by the fact that much of what we...
Read more...French Rabbi: Wear Baseball Caps in Public
Fear of antisemitism in France has reached the point where the Chief Rabbi of France, Rabbi Joseph Sitruk, has told Jews there that they should...
Read more...Jews Split on Pledge Case
American Jews have traditionally been very strong proponents of the separation of church and state, joining with other groups whenever the government was found to...
Read more...Rabbis Defend Palestinians Against Settlers
Many Jewish settlers treat Palestinians as if they weren't human - there is simply no getting around that fact. For these settlers, they have a...
Read more...Jews Bigger Target of Bias Crimes Than Muslims
People have been justifiably concerned about the increase in bias crimes against Muslims in America after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In reality, however,...
Read more...Reform Jews Debate Separation of Church and State
At the 67th biennial national convention of Reform Jews, two people were invited to discuss and debate the separation of church and state: Barry Lynn,...
Read more...Israel's Jewish Marriage Laws Critiqued
Marriage and divorce laws in Israel are governed by Orthodox interpretations of Jewish marriage and divorce laws. This, unfortunately, has many negative consequences for people...
Read more...Cardinal: Islamic Anti-Semitism Like That of Nazis
People around the world have recently had to confront the fact that Antisemitism is a common bigotry throughout the Muslim world. Everyone you turn in...
Read more...Israel's Jewish Marriage Laws Critiqued
Marriage and divorce laws in Israel are governed by Orthodox interpretations of Jewish marriage and divorce laws. This, unfortunately, has many negative consequences for people...
Read more...Replica Temple Built
It's no secret that there are a number of Jews in Israel and around the world who would like to see the Jewish Temple...
Read more...Jews Protest "Jews for Jesus"
An evangelical Christian organization that pretends to be something quite different, "Jews for Jesus" regularly tries to convert Jews to Christianity by acting as though...
Read more...The Holocaust: What Was Not Said
In what way is the Roman Catholic Church culpable for the murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust in Europe? Defenders argue that the...
Read more...What became of the Israeli left?
The Jews who originally founded Israel were primarily leftists and socialists, people who had utopian dreams that were focused upon what sort of society they...
Read more...Muslim Bigotry
Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad recently claimed that "Jews rule the world" by proxy and get others to fight, kill, and die for them. He...
Read more...Collective Responsibility of Jews
Do Jews as a whole bear a collective responsibility to act in a certain way because of their history? That's what Gregg Easterbrook seems to...
Read more...Jews of Babylon
Jews have lived in Baghdad for thousands of years. Less than a century ago, fully one quarter of the city's entire population was Jewish and...
Read more...University Favors Christians, Disfavors Jews
For some strange reason, Central Michigan University thinks that it is inappropriate to remind faculty about the Jewish High Holiday Yom Kippur, but appropriate to...
Read more...Christian Zionists and Israel
There has always been strong support for Israel from American fundamentalists - even before Israel existed. They see Israel as a key factor in Armageddon...
Read more...John Paul II and Catholic Antisemitism
Pope John Paul II is theologically conservative - extremely conservative, in fact. He is so conservative that even many moderate Catholics become incensed at some...
Read more...Albert Mohler, Mel Gibson, and Antisemitism
Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, doesn't like all of the talk about how Mel Gibson's upcoming film The Passion may have...
Read more...Jews Evangelizing Among Jews
Jews don't evangelize among members of other religions, but some Jewish groups do evangelize among other Jews. The biggest such group are the Lubavitchers who...
Read more...Messiah from Queens
One of the principle differences between Jews and Christians is that while the latter believe that the Messiah has already come and are waiting for...
Read more...Muslims Stone Jewish Worshippers
Muslim fears about a Jewish takeover of the Temple Mount resurfaced in Jerusalem again as hundreds of Muslims pelted Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall....
Read more...Hasidic Holy War
Hasidic Jews take their religion seriously - so seriously, in fact, that they are willing to come to blows with other Hasidic Jews over interpretations...
Read more...Dr. Laura, Humilty, and Hypocrisy
As reported here earlier, Dr. Laura Schlessinger has been moving away from her Jewish faith. She isn't an atheist, but she doesn't follow Jewish rituals ...
Read more...Anti-Semitism vs. Anti-Israel
Criticisms of Israel, and even being opposed to many facets of Israeli policy, isn't the same as being Antisemitic, is it? Some people think that...
Read more...Koran Supports Israel
Usually we think of Muslims, especially those in the Middle East, as being opposed to the existence of Israel. Not all take this position, but...
Read more...Jewish-Christian Ties Strained by "Passion"
The difficulties between evangelical Christians and Jews arising over Mel Gibson's film The Passion is receiving more media attention. Evangelical Christians, but especially Christian Zionists,...
Read more...Campaign of Hypocrisy in Alabama
With all of the efforts being put into defending the government endorsement of the Ten Commandments in Alabama, one might reasonably assume that these ten...
Read more...Antisemitism in Christian Passion Plays
Book of the Day: Oberammergau: The Troubling Story of the World's Most Famous Passion Play, by James Shapiro. In the German village of Oberammergau,...
Read more...Temple Mount Reopened to Non-Muslim Visitors
The on-again, off-again status of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is on again... sort of. Israeli police and the Waqf reached an informal agreement...
Read more...Mel Gibson's Film Already Sparking Antisemitism
A number of individuals and organizations have expressed concern that Mel Gibson's upcoming film Passion, which relates the last hours of Jesus Christ, will ignite...
Read more...Jews Should Be Portrayed as Christ-Killers
There has been a lot of criticism of Mel Gibson's upcoming film Passion because many people believe that its portrayal of Jews will promote and...
Read more...Religious War Over Bail Bracelet
Are electronic monitoring bracelets a violation of some people's religious liberty? That's what an Orthodox Jewish man is arguing. According to him, such devices connect...
Read more...Profiling Suicide Bombers
If Islam is a religion of peace and suicide is forbidden, then why are there so many suicide bombers in Islam but not in Judaism...
Read more...Raising Mel: More on Antisemitism & Passion
Criticism of Mel Gibson's upcoming film The Passion just keeps rolling in - more and more people are recognizing that the charges of antisemitism are...
Read more...Christianity: Despised Faith
The first rumblings of a Christian backlash over Jewish concerns about antisemitism in Mel Gibson's forthcoming film about the death of Jesus Christ were reported...
Read more...Dr. Laura: Less than Jewish?
Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a popular radio talk-show host, although her popularity seems to be based more on her ability to insult and harangue callers...
Read more...Anti-Defamation League: Mel Gibson's Film to Fuel Antisemitism
As reported here earlier, Mel Gibson has long resisted showing his controversial film "The Passion" to anyone who might be too critical of it. Well,...
Read more...Jews for Judaism vs. Jews for Jesus
The organization "Jews for Jesus," which ties to convince Jews to accept Jesus as their Messiah while retaining their Jewish identity, is very controversial in...
Read more...Laying the Cornerstone for the Temple Mount
Led by Gershom Salomon, a group known as the Temple Mount Faithful are hoping to place a symbolic cornerstone on the Temple Mount as...
Read more...Jews for Jesus Ad Blasted
Jews and the group "Jews for Jesus," sometimes also called Messianic Jews, have a rocky relationship. To be quite honest, the former don't generally like...
Read more...Gibson Film Splitting Jews and Evangelical Christians?
There has been a fair amount of press recently about the concerns many people have that Mel Gibson's upcoming movie "Passion," about the death of...
Read more...Jewish Visits to Temple Mount Suspended
As reported here earlier in the month, tourists were recently allowed to begin returning to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Unfortunately Palestinian paranoia about...
Read more...Arafat and the Temple Mount
Once again, it seems, Palestinian leaders are inflaming public opinion over the status and fate of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The Temple Mount...
Read more...Founder of Humanistic Judaism to Leave Pulpit
Rabbi Sherwin Wine created the philosophy of Humanistic Judaism 40 years ago and, on June 27, 2003, he will retire from the Birmingham Temple outside...
Read more...Gay, HIV+, and Orthodox Jew
It's not easy being gay and HIV positive - but it's even more difficult if you are also an Orthodox Jew. Neither the medical condition...
Read more...Muslims and Jews Threatened in France
The situation for Muslims and Jews has been getting steadily worse in France - unfortunately, instead of banding together and presenting a united front against...
Read more...Hasidic Rebel
Hasidic Jews live in very tightly-knit communities and in narrowly circumscribed cultural worlds. For them, anyone rebelling against the community's norms is big news -...
Read more...Orthodox Jews Free to Ignore Zoning Laws?
Should religious groups be free from following certain laws that cause them inconvenience? The Los Angeles seems to think so - it went around its...
Read more...Neo-Nazis Allied with Jews
Religious hatred makes for even stranger bedfellows than politics, it seems. French neo-Nazis have joined up with Jewish extremists in an effort to spread hateful...
Read more...Killing Jews: Religious Obligation for Muslims?
Is it true that some Muslims believe that killing Jews is a holy religious obligation? There is a Hadith tradition which reads: "Muhammad said in...
Read more...Bible: Great Fiction & Racy Read?
Does the Bible really need a new translation? That's what Sidney Brichto, an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, believes. According to Brichto, "The Bible has been tainted...
Read more...Who Is A Jew?
The question about who is and is not a Jew is not just a religious matter; because being a Jew is the basis for Israeli...
Read more...Orthodox Jews Seeking Divorce Solutions
For Orthodox Jews, divorce is a difficult issue. Under Jewish law the husband has unilateral power to end a marriage; if he doesn't want a...
Read more...Messianic Jews Defending Israel
Like evangelical Christians, Messianic Jews in America are staunch supporters of Israel - but not just Israel generally. No, they insist that all of the...
Read more...Religious Violence Between Palestinians and Jews
Book of the Day: Why the Nations Rage: Killing in the Name of God Religious leaders normally argue that religion is a force for...
Read more...Rights vs. Funds, Faith vs. Liberty
Jewish organizations in America have been put in an quandary. Traditionally, they have been staunch supporters of civil rights and religious liberty, especially when...
Read more...Jewish Nazis Raising Heil
Jewish Nazis? Such a person can't exist, right? Well, evidently they do exist - and in Israel, no less. According to the New York Daily...
Read more...Tourists Return to the Temple Mount
The land where the Temple Mount is located in Jerusalem is holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. As a consequence, it is one of...
Read more...Tenafly Eruv to Remain
Should Jewish groups be allowed to use public property and spaces, such as telephone poles, to construct an eruv? A little noticed Supreme Court decision...
Read more...Religious Violence Between Palestinians and Jews
Book of the Day: The Wrath of Jonah: The Crisis of Religious Nationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict What role is played by religion and...
Read more...Jewish Landowners to be Killed
Ayatollah Kazem al-Husseini al-Haieri, a senior Iraqi cleric who is currently based in Iran, has issued a fatwa declaring that any Jews who buy or...
Read more...Antisemitic Passion?
A recent report by a team of scholars suggests that Mel Gibson's upcoming movie "The Passion," about the last days of Jesus Christ and filmed...
Read more...Rabbis Call for Defense of Biblical Lands
The Rabbis' Union, a creation of Orthodox Jewish leaders in Israel, has called for widespread opposition to the U.S.-backed "road map to peace" and has...
Read more...Warnings On European Antisemitism
At a conference in Vienna, Austria, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani urged European officials to do more to combat the growth of Antisemitism...
Read more...
