Hamas rejected an offer to free captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit made by the German mediator, a deal which the Israeli government had accepted.
Mazon said it has awarded more than $3 million in grants for 2011 to agencies dedicated to fighting hunger.
Right-wing radio talk show host Glenn Beck will address a Knesset committee during an upcoming visit to Israel.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) made her first public appearance since being wounded in a tragic shooting in Tucson, Arizona earlier this year in which numerous victims were hurt or had their lives taken, ABC News reports.
Abby came to me via her mother, who e-mailed me after reading a My Single Peeps column. Abby, who is 34 and a stand-up comic, says she asked her mom — a founder of the Malibu Jewish Center & Synagogue — to use her contacts to hook her up with someone like David Letterman. Instead, her mom came back with, “I have someone better. I hooked you up with Seth from My Single Peeps.” I can’t help her stand-up career, but maybe I can help her meet her soul mate.
Spirituality, kabbalah and meditation are buzzwords in today’s religious lexicon. But do they really describe religion?
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Casey Abrams was the one for Jews to watch during the 10th season of “American Idol.” His reddish-brown beard was the constant butt of jokes on the show and the most talked-about “Idol” hair growth since Sanjaya Malakar. (Remember Malakar from the sixth season? His frizzy up-dos put Jew-fros to shame). For a pre-performance sketch about Abrams, fellow finalists donned a fake beard piece and blew into a red melodica while klezmer music played in the background.
Some theater patrons prefer to switch off their brain cells and watch a light-hearted play, while others opt for strenuous mental exercise.
In a dimly lit room overlooking Santa Monica’s bustling Third Street Promenade, prayers set to electronic music float between bodies in motion. Barely audible over the melodies are the deep exhales of students.
“… The sight of the large, modern apartment house on Planty Street was the ultimate in ruthless havoc. … The immense courtyard was still littered with bloodstained iron pipes, stones and clubs, which had been used to crush the skulls of Jewish men and women. Blackening puddles of blood still remained. … Blood-drenched papers were scattered on the ground — sticky with gore, they clung to the earth though a strong wind blew through the yard.”
