Death of Treblinka revolt survivor signals post-witness era

MOSHAV UDIM, Israel (AP) — The death of 93-year-old Samuel Willenberg marks the passing of the last known survivor of the daring revolt at Treblinka, the notorious death camp in occupied Poland that is perhaps the most vivid example of Nazi Germany’s attempt to destroy European Jewry. But the death of Willenberg, who was buried Monday, also symbolizes a looming … Read More

Israel’s first NBA player Omri Casspi having breakout season

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — When Omri Casspi was 13, his family took him on a Bar Mitzvah trip to the United States, the highlight of which was a visit to New York City where the Israeli youngster stood in front of Madison Square Garden and boldly vowed he would one day play there. “It was more of an illusion. … Read More

New Jerusalem prayer site highlights divide between Israel, US Jews

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli government’s decision to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem’s Western Wall is a major breakthrough for the country’s long-marginalized liberal streams and their powerful supporters in the United States. But the compromise agreement also highlights the deep rift between the world’s two largest Jewish communities over how religion should be practiced in the Jewish state, … Read More

Survivor sheds light on divisive WWII-era Jewish Councils

JERUSALEM (AP) — Throughout the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, and while incarcerated in two prison camps, Mirjam Bolle wrote letters to her fiance that she never sent but hoped to share with him after the war. Yet when the two ultimately reunited she decided to leave the past behind and stashed them away. Now, decades later, she has published them … Read More

Israeli NBA fans turn on Cavs after favorite son Blatt fired

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers suddenly have far fewer fans in Israel after the firing of David Blatt. The shock announcement on Friday, despite the second-year coach leading the Cavs to the NBA Finals a year ago and to the top of the Eastern Conference this season, was taken personally by many fans in Israel, where the … Read More

Western Europe Jewish migration to Israel hits all-time high

JERUSALEM (AP) — Jewish immigration to Israel from western Europe has reached an all-time high as a result of a rise in anti-Semitic attacks, a leading nonprofit group said Thursday, as France’s beleaguered Jewish community grapples with whether to refrain from donning Jewish skull caps for their own safety. The Jewish Agency, which works closely with the Israeli government and … Read More

Palestinian wave of violence marked by increased female role

NABLUS, West Bank (AP) — When Palestinian youths began a wave of grassroots and often suicidal stabbing attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians several months ago, it wasn’t his three sons that Ramiz Hassoneh was worried about — it was his daughter. Ignoring her father’s warnings, 20-year-old Maram took a kitchen knife to an Israeli military checkpoint on Dec. 1 … Read More

Unusual shooting attack sets off panic in Israeli heartland

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — For all its years of strife, Israel has rarely seen anything quite like this: an armed, wanted Arab killer on the loose, spreading fear across the land. Even the most stoic are keeping their children home from school following the deadly daytime shooting at a popular bar on a busy Tel Aviv street that has … Read More

American football prepares Israeli teens for military combat

KFAR SABA, Israel (AP) — Under the bright lights, a call of “set, hike” echoes out, followed by the clatter of helmets smashing against pads at a high school football game. But these aren’t American teenagers hoping to play college ball — they are Israelis with an eye on joining elite military combat units. A growing number of native-born Israelis … Read More

Late WWII US veteran is 1st soldier honored for saving Jews

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Nazi soldiers made their orders very clear: Jewish American prisoners of war were to be separated from their fellow brothers in arms and sent to an uncertain fate. But Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds would have none of that. As the highest-ranking noncommissioned officer held in the German POW camp, he ordered more than 1,000 Americans captives … Read More

Likud lawmaker’s antics make him bad boy of Israeli politics

JERUSALEM (AP) — Over the years, the Israeli parliament has seen its fair share of questionable characters. But it’s unlikely anyone has ever been so perpetually engulfed in scandal in so short a time as freshman Likud lawmaker Oren Hazan. In less than eight months in office, Hazan has already faced accusations of physically assaulting a public official, sexually harassing … Read More

Israeli artist last link to legendary Holocaust victim

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — With World War II underway and the Nazis closing in, 16-year-old Itzchak Belfer decided to flee his native Poland and head east to Soviet Russia. The man who had raised the Jewish boy like a son tearfully gave him his blessing, slipped the teen some money and said, “the chicks are leaving the nest.” It … Read More

Neighborhoods: Tel Aviv’s Florentin a bustling bohemian hub

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Your typical Tel Aviv tourist will naturally navigate toward its famous beaches, boulevards and Bauhaus buildings. But if it’s people- (and dog-) watching that you fancy, nothing tops an afternoon or evening stroll in the neighborhood of Florentin. Nestled between the ancient biblical port of Jaffa and Tel Aviv’s first Jewish neighborhood — the better-known … Read More

Conflict hard to ignore as stabbings reach Israeli heartland

RISHON LEZION, Israel (AP) — Twenty-four-year-old shopkeeper Darya Zelenkov was working her shift in a downtown clothing shop in this central Israeli city when she was startled by a knife-wielding Palestinian trying to burst in. The quick-thinking saleswoman quickly slammed the glass door in his face. “I looked him straight in the eye. He had this lost look about him,” … Read More

AP Interview: Peres says Israel could face an eternal war

JERUSALEM (AP) — Over a seven-decade career in politics, Shimon Peres has helped guide Israel through wars and existential threats. But now, with the country embroiled in a new wave of violence, the 92-year-old elder statesman worries that if its leaders do not get serious about pursuing peace with the Palestinians, it will be in an eternal state of war … Read More