Jewish Telegraphic Agency back issues from January 2003:
Fed up with New Year's resolutions? Then save them for the High Holidays
Jan 01, 2003; ... Ulman, Jane Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-01-2003 ENCINO, Calif., Dec. 31 (JTA) -- Blame it on the Mesopotamians. Four or five thousand years ago, they came up with the mishugunah idea of New Year's resolutions. And what was their most common pledge? To return ...
In Russia, the land of vodka, kosher brand helps quench thirst
Jan 01, 2003; ... Krichevsky, Lev Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-01-2003 MOSCOW, Dec. 31 (JTA) -- Vodka has long been a cornerstone of Russia's identity. Now a product called Yevreskaya Vodka -- or Jewish Vodka -- is succeeding with Russians by emphasizing Jewish religion and ...
Israel forces winning campus battle, say students attending AIPAC meeting
Jan 01, 2003; ... Pomerance, Rachel Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-01-2003 WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (JTA) -- A conference room filled with suits is nothing unusual in this town -- except when the suits are all filled by college students. As part of an initiative to groom a new generation of ...
Orthodox group breaks barriers with discussion of Palestinian state
Jan 01, 2003; ... Berkofsky, Joe Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-01-2003 NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (JTA) -- The most influential Orthodox group in North America may soon weigh in with the Bush administration on the issue of Palestinian statehood. Executives of the Orthodox Union are being asked to ...
Israeli economy in a tailspin, with all indicators pointing down
Jan 01, 2003; ... Sedan, Gil Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-01-2003 JERUSALEM, Dec. 31 (JTA) -- Israeli motorists got a chance this week to join the rest of the industrialized world and drive on a multi-lane toll road. The four-lane "Trans-Israel" highway, which bypasses the jammed ...
News At A Glance
Jan 01, 2003 ... Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-01-2003 There is "no justification" for an Iraqi attack on Israel, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said. Speaking Tuesday on Israel Radio, Annan also described Iraq's Scud missile attacks on Israel during the 1991 Gulf War as a "big ...
Vote panel bars Arab firebrands, sparking criticism, boycott threats
Jan 03, 2003; ... Segal, Naomi Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-03-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 2 (JTA) -- Several Israeli politicians are warning that partisan politics have overtaken the Central Elections Committee, posing a potential threat to Israeli democracy. The condemnations came after the ...
'Lost Tribe' emigres from India adjust to life after making aliyah
Jan 03, 2003; ... Steinberg, Jessica Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-03-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 2 (JTA) -- Shlomo Gangte is a graphic designer, a documentary filmmaker and a recently ordained rabbi. That wouldn't be so unusual, except that Gangte is one of the recently arrived members of the ...
News At A Glance
Jan 03, 2003 ... Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-03-2003 Israel has suspended defense sales to China under pressure from the United States. Israel is seeking to build its relations with China, but the U.S. State Department is concerned that arm sales to China could threaten Taiwan, a strong ...
$38 million in claims filed against city of L.A. in El Al shooting case
Jan 06, 2003; ... Tugend, Tom Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-06-2003 LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5 (JTA) -- The city of Los Angeles has been hit with legal claims of more than $38 million stemming from last year's July 4 shooting rampage at the L.A. International Airport. Attorney Richard Fine filed ...
Speakers discuss anti-Semitism in Arab world as awareness is raised
Jan 06, 2003; ... Eisenthal, Bram Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-06-2003 MONTREAL, Jan. 5 (JTA) -- When teacher Gabrielle Taoufik was a young girl in Lebanon, she experienced anti- Semitism first-hand. "It was 1948 and the State of Israel was born," she recalled. "My recollections, ...
U.S. calls for Israeli caution following two suicide bombings
Jan 06, 2003; ... Segal, Naomi Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-06-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 5 (JTA) -- A possible U.S. strike against Iraq weighed heavily in the equation as the Israeli government considered its response to a deadly terror attack this week in Tel Aviv. At least 19 people were ...
News At A Glance
Jan 06, 2003 ... Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-06-2003 At least 20 people were killed Sunday after two suicide bombers launched an attack near Tel Aviv's old Central Bus Station. Many of those killed were foreign workers, police said. Dozens were wounded in the attack, which was carried out ...
British envoy after Munich attack: Let's 'put ourselves in their shoes'
Jan 07, 2003; ... Greene, Richard Allen Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-07-2003 LONDON, Jan. 6 (JTA) -- A British diplomat in Jerusalem showed sympathy for the Palestinian terrorists who kidnapped and killed Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, newly declassified documents ...
While Lieberman hasn't declared, he's already in Middle East quagmire
Jan 07, 2003; ... Berger, Matthew E. Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-07-2003 WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (JTA) -- When John F. Kennedy ran for president in 1960, some asked if a Catholic candidate would be beholden to the Catholic Church and the pope. If Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) announces his ...
Israel betting Arrow defense will give it shelter from the storm
Jan 07, 2003; ... Steinberg, Jessica Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-07-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 6 (JTA) -- As the sun began to set Sunday afternoon, Israel's great white hope streaked into the winter sky. The occasion was a dress rehearsal of the Arrow anti-missile system, which will be called ...
List of bombings in 3 Israeli cities since last year's Passover Massacre
Jan 07, 2003 ... Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-07-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 6 (JTA) -- Sunday's double suicide bombing in Tel Aviv was the deadliest attack on Israel since a Palestinian terrorist bombed a Passover seder in Netanya last March. In subsequent months, there have been scores of ...
Israeli decision to ban Palestinians from forum latest flap with Britain
Jan 07, 2003; ... Greene, Richard Allen Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-07-2003 LONDON, Jan. 6 (JTA) -- Israel's refusal to allow Palestinian delegates to attend a conference here on reforming the Palestinian Authority comes at a sensitive time in Israeli-British relations. Israel decided ...
The Jewish money trail leads to Lieberman -- and opponents
Jan 14, 2003; ... Berger, Matthew E. Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-14-2003 STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 13 (JTA) -- If Jewish money accounts for an estimated half of big-time Democratic donations during the presidential primary season, then Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) would seem to be at a ...
Kosher food, Shabbat walks: Campaigning Lieberman style
Jan 14, 2003; ... Berger, Matthew E. Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-14-2003 STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 13 (JTA) -- On the campaign trail in 2000, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) made headlines everywhere he went. Not only was he the Democratic vice presidential nominee, running with ...
Lieberman: A Jewish candidate or just a candidate who is Jewish?
Jan 14, 2003; ... Berger, Matthew E. Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-14-2003 STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 13 (JTA) -- When he ran for class president of Stamford High School in 1960, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) says he faced no bigotry because he was Jewish. Now, as a candidate for president ...
Argentine Jew fights religion law blocking his way to governorship
Jan 15, 2003; ... Arbiser, Florencia Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-15-2003 BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 14 (JTA) -- A Jewish politician in Argentina is challenging a law that requires the governor of an Argentine province to take a Christian oath. "I never thought, in the 21st century, we'd see ...
News At A Glance
Jan 14, 2003 ... Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-14-2003 Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) announced he will run for the U.S. presidency in 2004. Lieberman, the first observant Jew to run for president, quoted President Kennedy in his announcement Monday: "Here on earth, God's work must be our ...
Prague officials cancel march for 'Palestinian Holocaust victims'
Jan 13, 2003; ... Bennett, Magnus Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-13-2003 PRAGUE, Jan. 12 (JTA) -- Czech Jewish leaders are welcoming a last-minute decision by Prague officials to cancel a march by extreme right-wing supporters through the city's Jewish Quarter. City authorities had come ...
Participants in Birthright Israel sip coffee, learn about society
Jan 13, 2003; ... Steinberg, Jessica Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-13-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 12 (JTA) -- The North American Jewish students sat on plastic chairs under the blue-and-white-striped tent, sipping thick black Turkish coffee as they listened to one Israeli Arab family's tale of ...
Israel, Palestinians trade barbs as more from both sides are killed
Jan 13, 2003; ... Segal, Naomi Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-13-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 12 (JTA) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon lashed out at Yasser Arafat this week after the Palestinian Authority president called for a halt to terror attacks until after the Israeli elections. The ...
News At A Glance
Jan 13, 2003 ... Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-13-2003 Two Palestinian terrorists killed one Israeli and seriously wounded another after infiltrating a farming community Sunday in northern Israel. Israeli forces later killed the two infiltrators. An Israeli was killed by terrorists who ...
As Germany agrees to fund Jews, liberal Jews fights for recognition
Jan 10, 2003; ... Axelrod, Toby Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-10-2003 BERLIN, Jan. 9 (JTA) -- A long-simmering internecine Jewish battle in Germany is boiling over. Saying they have been shut out of official Jewish life here, progressive Jews in Germany have intensified efforts to gain ...
Court allows 2 Arab candidates to run in upcoming Knesset elections
Jan 10, 2003; ... Segal, Naomi Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-10-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 9 (JTA) -- With a ruling it issued this week, Israel's Supreme Court has likely turned back a wave of discontent among Israeli Arab voters complaining they were shut out of the democratic process. In ...
News At A Glance
Jan 10, 2003 ... Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-10-2003 The Likud-Labor gap closing in the wake of corruption allegations involving Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, according to opinion polls. A poll published Thursday in Ha'aretz predicted Likud winning only 27 seats in the Knesset, down ...
Jewish landmark reached in Budapest as a new Orthodox rabbi is ordained
Jan 09, 2003; ... Bohm, Agnes Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-09-2003 BUDAPEST, Jan. 8 (JTA) -- An Orthodox rabbi was ordained in Budapest this week in what was described as the first such ceremony since the Holocaust. Former Israeli Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu and one of Russia's two ...
Likud, Labor disagree on need for creating a unity government
Jan 15, 2003; ... Segal, Naomi Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-15-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 14 (JTA) -- With two weeks to go before Israeli elections, the leaders of the two main parties have found a new point of disagreement. This week, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stressed the urgency of forming ...
Accord could lead to new records for deporting war criminals in the U.S.
Jan 09, 2003; ... Ephross, Peter Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-09-2003 NEW YORK, Jan. 8 (JTA) -- An agreement between the U.S. government's Nazi-hunting unit and an unnamed European government could lead to more prosecutions of suspected Nazi-era war criminals living in the ...
Questions abound after wild ride for love of dead Jewish astronaut
Jan 09, 2003; ... Axelrod, Toby Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-09-2003 BERLIN, Jan. 8 (JTA) -- Some Germans may be obsessed with Jews, but few demonstrate their fixations the way Franz Stephan Strambach did. On Sunday, Strambach, a psychology student now under lock and key at the Hadamar ...
Critics, rally force Paris school to back off Israel boycott threat
Jan 09, 2003; ... Carmel, Philip Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-09-2003 PARIS, Jan 8 (JTA) -- Student protests on the Left Bank of the Seine River are almost as much a part of Paris as baguettes and caf' au lait, and have brought down their share of French governments. So the recent ...
Sharon denies any impropriety as bribe allegations cut his support
Jan 09, 2003; ... Segal, Naomi Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-09-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 8 (JTA) -- Israel's election campaign broadcasts began this week, but the real battle for public opinion was dominated by new corruption allegations involving Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Already facing a ...
News At A Glance
Jan 09, 2003 ... Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-09-2003 Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) will announce on Monday his intention to run for president. Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000, will announce his candidacy for president at his high school alma mater in Stamford, ...
Jewish Agency to reconsider budget cuts to liberal streams
Jan 08, 2003; ... Berkofsky, Joe Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-08-2003 NEW YORK, Jan. 7 (JTA) -- Amid protests from Conservative and Reform leaders in the United States, Jewish Agency for Israel officials will reconsider budget cuts to the Israeli branches of the liberal movements. The ...
Group envisions one central archive for trove of Holocaust-era documents
Jan 08, 2003; ... Danow, Mitchell Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-08-2003 NEW YORK, Jan. 7 (JTA) -- The World Jewish Congress has put forward a new initiative to collect millions of pages of Holocaust-era documents into a central repository at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. ...
Tel Aviv bombing saves Arafat from making some tough choices
Jan 08, 2003; ... Sedan, Gil Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-08-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 7 (JTA) -- The bombs that ripped through crowds of Israelis and foreign workers in Tel Aviv this weekend may have saved Yasser Arafat from making some tough decisions. Internal and external pressures have ...
As campaign heats up, parties spar over terror and approach to Arafat
Jan 08, 2003; ... Susser, Leslie Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-08-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 7 (JTA) -- This week's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv has made terror even more of a central issue in Israel's upcoming election -- and highlighted the major parties' different prescriptions for ending ...
Rabbi Steven Dworken dead at 58; Orthodox leader felled by heart attack
Jan 15, 2003; ... Berkofsky, Joe Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-15-2003 NEW YORK, Jan. 14 (JTA) -- Rabbi Herschel Billet was home with the flu Monday and couldn't answer when he received a call from Rabbi Steven Dworken, his longtime friend and colleague. But Billet, president of the ...
Newest Jewish member of the House makes an impact his first day on the job
Jan 08, 2003; ... Kintisch, Eli Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-08-2003 WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (JTA) -- The subject of Monday afternoon's Democratic caucus meeting was crucial: On the eve of President Bush's release of his economic stimulus package, how could House Democrats make the public ...
News At A Glance
Jan 08, 2003 ... Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-08-2003 Israeli troops killed three armed Palestinians in a clash in central Gaza on Monday night. The clash, which took place on the outskirts of a refugee camp, lasted for four hours. Israel restricted Palestinian travel between West Bank ...
Lieberman's mom kvells, predicting her son will be 'best president' ever
Jan 15, 2003; ... Berger, Matthew E. Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-15-2003 STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 14 (JTA) -- Sitting on the stage as her son announces his candidacy for president, Marcia Lieberman grasps her grandson's hand and begins to tear. "It's beyond what any mom would ever dream," ...
French Jewish confidence shaken after rabbi is stabbed, car set ablaze
Jan 07, 2003; ... Carmel, Philip Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-07-2003 PARIS, Jan. 6 (JTA) -- French Jewish leaders' growing confidence that the threat of anti-Semitic attacks had receded has received a severe jolt after two attacks in recent days on a Paris rabbi. Rabbi Gabriel Farhi, ...
News At A Glance
Jan 07, 2003 ... Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-07-2003 Israel barred Palestinian delegates from attending a conference in London as part of its response to a double suicide bombing Sunday in Tel Aviv that killed 22 people and wounded more than 100. The delegates were to meet in London later ...
A little pride and a little fear: Jews react to candidate Lieberman
Jan 15, 2003; ... Ephross, Peter Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-15-2003 NEW YORK, Jan. 14 (JTA) -- The American public appears to be ready for a Jewish president -- but some American Jews may be a little more anxious about the idea. Even though it's the second time around for Sen. Joseph ...
French immigration to Israel up -- especially among the younger set
Jan 15, 2003; ... Carmel, Philip Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-15-2003 PARIS, Jan. 14 (JTA) -- Julie Tahar's return here from Israel was only temporary. "People thought I'd come back to France" to stay, she said, adding that her decision to remain in Israel "was very strange for my ...
Activists press for charges against Russian far-right leader
Jan 15, 2003; ... Krichevsky, Lev Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-15-2003 MOSCOW, Jan. 14 (JTA) -- An extremist Russian political party has disavowed anti-Semitic statements by one of its leaders -- but Jewish activists are unimpressed. Following the Russian authorities' threat of a ban on ...
Israeli parties working hard to get Russian voters to say 'Da'
Jan 15, 2003; ... Gutman, Matthew Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-15-2003 TEL AVIV, Jan. 14 (JTA) -- Natan Sharansky pioneered the concept of a party catering to Russian immigrants, but when he appeared at a campaign event in Tel Aviv this week it was to court a new audience. The number of ...
Jewish law doesn't ban cloning, but experts warn it's still not kosher
Jan 14, 2003; ... Berkofsky, Joe Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-14-2003 NEW YORK, Jan. 13 (JTA) -- When it comes to cloning, Jews across the religious spectrum agree that it defies Jewish and scientific sensibilities -- if not Jewish law. "If cloning was the way we were supposed to be ...
It's the terror, stupid: Latest attacks helping Sharon in election campaign
Jan 14, 2003; ... Sedan, Gil Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-14-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 13 (JTA) -- Contrary to the hopes of the Israeli left, the old adage that terrorism helps the right seems to be holding true in this election. Scandals involving the Likud and its leader, Prime Minister ...
Even if it doesn't hurt him now, Sharon may pay for scandal later
Jan 14, 2003; ... Susser, Leslie Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-14-2003 JERUSALEM, Jan. 13 (JTA) -- Even if he is re-elected, the financial scandal dogging him could spell the end of Ariel Sharon's political career. Sharon is accused of taking an illegal loan from a South African friend ...
Scouts gather in Thailand, but Israelis aren't among them
Jan 17, 2003; ... Sharett, Guy Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-17-2003 SATTAHIP, Thailand, Jan. 16 (JTA) -- Just three years ago, Israeli and Palestinian boy scouts slept side by side in sleeping bags on the ground in Tiberias. But that was before the intifada began. This year, it's another ...
With growing overseas needs, UJC is pushing for greater funds
Jan 17, 2003; ... Pomerance, Rachel Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-17-2003 NEW YORK, Jan. 16 (JTA) -- For every dollar Joe Levine gives to the North American federation system, about 30 cents is sent abroad. That proportion has remained steady the last few years, but marks a sharp decline ...
Report: If 'Jewish' security used, Muslims could bomb 2004 Olympics
Jan 16, 2003; ... Cohen, Jean Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-16-2003 ATHENS, Jan. 15 (JTA) -- Islamic extremist groups reportedly have threatened to bomb the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens if security is assigned to a consortium that includes Israeli companies. In addition, Arab nations are ...
Monthlong project aims to make Israel central to Jewish education
Jan 16, 2003; ... Berkofsky, Joe Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-16-2003 NEW YORK, Jan. 15 (JTA) -- In the poster, a girl wearing a peace sign necklace shouts during a rock concert, a boy in baggy jeans skateboards and a sullen-looking teen with a partly shaven head wears his headphones ...
Alleged Nazi criminal may no longer be cozy in Costa Rica
Jan 16, 2003; ... Harris, Brian Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-16-2003 SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Jan. 15 (JTA) -- An accused Nazi war criminal who has been living here for nearly two decades may soon be extradited to Poland. Officials of the Polish Embassy here say that in the coming days they ...
Bank head's wife loses support following latest anti-Israel diatribe
Jan 16, 2003; ... Friedmann, Elise Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-16-2003 AMSTERDAM, Jan. 15 (JTA) -- Anti-Semitic, pro-Palestinian comments from the European Central Bank president's wife are nothing new -- but some say Gretta Duisenberg went too far this time. With her latest comment -- ...
After Meretz vote, groups calling for reform of Presidents Conference
Jan 16, 2003; ... Pomerance, Rachel Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-16-2003 NEW YORK, Jan. 15 (JTA) -- Several disgruntled members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations are discussing ways to reform the 52-member umbrella group. The impetus for a Jan. 3 ...
Lieberman faces tough questions from across the Jewish spectrum
Jan 16, 2003; ... Berger, Matthew E. Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-16-2003 NEW YORK, Jan. 15 (JTA) -- Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) is already facing tough questions from the organized American Jewish community on both the domestic and foreign policy fronts. In his first appearance ...
News At A Glance
Jan 16, 2003 ... Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-16-2003 Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) told American Jewish leaders Wednesday that he sees the Palestinians making only about a 10 percent effort to halt violence against Israel. Just two days after announcing that he will run in the Democratic ...
For U.S. Jews, fewer chances to get involved in Israel's elections
Jan 15, 2003; ... Pomerance, Rachel Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-15-2003 NEW YORK, Jan. 14 (JTA) -- Political consultant James Carville once remarked that campaigning in Israel wasn't unlike campaigning in America: It's still about Jewish money, he joked. But the American consultants who ...
News At A Glance
Jan 15, 2003 ... Jewish Telegraphic Agency 01-15-2003 A conference on reforming the Palestinian Authority opened in London. At the start of the conference, Britain's foreign secretary, Jack Straw, said Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat must step up democratic reforms to get the ...