(JTA) — A British lawmaker has apologized for insulting a fellow Jewish lawmaker during a debate in the House of Commons. During a debate Wednesday on plans to change the law of universal jurisdiction, Gerald Kaufman, who is Jewish, turned to a lawmaker sitting next to him and said “Here we are, the Jews again,” [ Read More...]

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — Students from the University of California, Irvine met with a Hamas leader during a student trip to Israel. The Institute for Jewish and Community Research said it learned recently that the university’s branch of the Olive Tree Initiative, an Israeli-Palestinian peace organization, arranged for a meeting between the Irvine students and [ Read More...]

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Reform movement said it was “alarmed” by the passage of a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives reviving a program that funds scholarships at religious schools, while the Orthodox Union supported it. The Republican-majority House passed the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program on Wednesday by a vote of 225 to 195. [ Read More...]

(JTA) — A leader of New York’s Syrian Jewish community pleaded guilty to laundering money through a religious charity. Rabbi Saul Kassin, 79, pleaded guilty as part of a plea-bargain Monday in federal court. He faces up to $250,000 in fines and could face up to five years in prison, though prosecutors reportedly will not [ Read More...]

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Anti-Muslim bigotry in the United States is “significant,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. “A significant level of anti-Muslim bigotry has surfaced in a variety of public forums over the past year,” said an ADL statement accompanying a letter and background information the ADL submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose civil rights [ Read More...]

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Dozens were injured and arrested at a demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Some 80 demonstrators claiming Jewish heritage were arrested and about the same number were injured as they protested outside the embassy demanding the right to immigrate to Israel, The Jerusalem Post reported. Local police attempted to [ Read More...]

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Traces of radioactive waste from a damaged nuclear reactor in Japan have been detected in the air in Israel. The Soreq Nuclear Research Center on Tuesday detected traces of Iodine-131 in an air sample. The concentration of 0.00005 becquerel per square meter is very low and presents no danger to humans or [ Read More...]

(JTA) – Argentina’s Foreign Minister said he is committed to continuing the investigation of two bombings of Jewish targets in his country. Hector Timerman made the commitment Wednesday during a meeting in Buenos Aires with Natan Sharansky, the head of the Jewish Agency, according to reports. Timerman’s promise to continue to seek justice in the [ Read More...]

(JTA) — Austria will renovate the site of the Mauthausen concentration camp in a $2.4 million restoration project. The two-year project will include creating a hall of names in memory of the camp’s victims, a new display about the Holocaust and upgrading the permanent exhibition, according to reports. The project was announced Wednesday in a [ Read More...]

DUBLIN (JTA) — An Israeli property company has struck a multi-million dollar deal in Ireland that could herald further Israeli involvement in the country. Ravad is doubling its first major investment in Ireland in a deal worth $18.3 million. The Israeli firm, which is controlled by investor and dealmaker Igal Ahouvi, is paying about $9 [ Read More...]