JERUSALEM (AP) — In one of the most contentious tracts of real estate on the planet, serenity is not that easy to find. The Old City of Jerusalem is a tourism paradise for history buffs or religious pilgrims, featuring the epicenters of all major monotheistic faiths. But calm it is not. The major landmarks in the Jewish, Muslim and Christian … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The arrest of a well-known Jewish extremist marks Israel’s first concrete step in its new “zero tolerance” approach toward what the government describes as Jewish terrorism. A recent pair of attacks brought into the open long-standing fears about a radicalized and ultraconservative fringe that had been operating below the radar but now appears to be intensifying its … Read More
NETANYA, Israel (AP) — The coastal city of Netanya markets itself as the “Israeli Riviera” and walking along its main pedestrian boulevard, one would be hard-pressed to tell it apart from its twin city of Nice. Barely a word of Hebrew is spoken, and real estate ads, restaurant menus and cafe conversations are mostly in French. An increase in anti-Semitic … Read More
PETAH TIKVA, Israel (AP) — On the mound, Dean Kremer looks just like any other top-rated baseball prospect, whipping 90 mph fastballs and snapping nasty curves. When the 19-year-old pitcher greets his teammates in the dugout after striking out the side, however, he sounds different. Kremer is speaking Hebrew, not English. The 6-foot-2 Kremer is the golden boy of Israeli … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — When Benjamin Netanyahu called early elections last year, he said his unwieldy coalition was untenable and that Israel needed a more stable government to carry out vital reforms. But two months into his new term in office, Netanyahu finds himself depending on an even narrower majority, susceptible to the extortion of practically any lawmaker. His political footing … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — It was perhaps the most daring Israeli military exploit ever — a rescue raid in Africa that inspired Hollywood films and became etched in Israeli history. Nearly four decades later, a first-of-its-kind exhibit showcases the story behind the July 1976 freeing of hostages from a hijacked plane at Entebbe, Uganda. The display includes a copy … Read More
NIRIM, Israel (AP) — On the last day of last summer’s Israel-Hamas war, Gadi Yarkoni and two of his closest friends were fixing an electricity line next to the cowshed in their kibbutz in southern Israel that had been damaged by rocket fire from neighboring Gaza. On that Aug. 26, a final cease-fire was about to go into effect and … Read More
DALIYAT AL-KARMEL, Israel (AP) — Members of Israel’s Druze minority, long among the Jewish state’s most loyal citizens, have become increasingly concerned about the plight of their beleaguered brethren in neighboring Syria. Now, they are asking the state of Israel to help their fellow Druze next door — and some are even offering to go fight in Syria if needed. … Read More
RAANANA, Israel (AP) — In 1933, the promising young Jewish-German violinist Ernest Drucker left the stage midway through a Brahms concerto in Cologne at the behest of Nazi officials, in one of the first anti-Semitic acts of the new regime. Now, more than 80 years later, his son, Grammy Award-winning American violinist Eugene Drucker, has completed his father’s interrupted work. … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — As a proud patriot, Brooklyn-born Dan Nadel enlisted in the U.S. army right after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But there was another force driving him to battle — his Jewish faith. “What Hitler was doing to the Jews, I knew he had to be killed and stopped,” the 95-year-old decorated veteran said from his home … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — As the new Israeli government prepares to take office, the West Bank settler movement appears poised to wield influence perhaps like never before. After squeezing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in coalition negotiations, the pro-settler Jewish Home party has gained control over several powerful government ministries — putting it in position to push forward with an agenda that … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The formation of Benjamin Netanyahu’s new coalition government has cleared the way for Israel’s ultra-Orthodox parties to return to power after two years in the opposition. This religious resurgence could have deep implications as the ultra-Orthodox seek to reinstate a system of subsidies and preferential treatment that have long angered Israel’s secular majority, potentially setting the stage … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — When Israel secretly airlifted waves of Ethiopian Jews in the 1980s and 1990s, saving them from war and famine in the Horn of Africa, it was celebrated as a triumphant show of unity for the Jewish people. Thirty years after the first large groups of Ethiopians arrived, few in the community are celebrating. Israel’s black Jewish minority … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Nazi genocide of European Jews is widely commemorated in Israel and etched deeply into the psyche of a country founded in the Holocaust’s aftermath. But when it comes to the 1915 Armenian genocide, Israel has largely stayed silent. Fearing repercussions from its former ally Turkey and wary of breaking ranks with American policy, Israel has refrained … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — He was Tevye the milkman of “Fiddler on the Roof” fame, James Bond’s wingman in “For Your Eyes Only” and a nutty professor in the 1980’s cult classic “Flash Gordon.” Long before Israelis like supermodel Bar Refaeli and Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot made their names internationally, Chaim Topol was winning Golden Globe awards as … Read More