Category
December 21, 2010
Jewish Culturomics
Last week, Google, in conjunction with a research team based at Harvard, released a new online tool called the Ngram Viewer that tracks culture through the words of 5.2 million books (4% of all books published).
Palestinians gain ground in PR, diplomatic war
In the long-running Palestinian-Israeli conflict, score some recent victories for the Palestinians.
Shopping, Conspicuous Consumption and Jews – Rabbi Barry Gelman
New survey: U.S. has more Jews than believed
The American Jewish population is larger than suspected, according to new estimates compiled by Brandeis University. The suburban Boston university’s Steinhardt Social Research Institute is estimating that there are some 6.5 million people in the United States who are either Jewish by religion or who self-identify as Jewish. The figure represents a 20 percent increase in the number of Jews since 1990. The numbers were drawn from a synthesis of data from more than 150 nationwide surveys conducted by the U.S. government and other agencies, as well as from national polling organizations.
Leading priest blames Jews for Greece’s problems
A high-level priest on the morning show of the largest television station in Greece blamed world Jewry for Greece\’s financial problems. The Metropolite of Piraeus Seraphim also blamed world Jewry for other ills in the country during his appearance on Mega TV. Mixing Freemasons with Jewish bankers such as Baron Rothschild and world Zionism, the Metropolite said that there is a conspiracy to enslave Greece and Christian Orthodoxy. He also accused international Zionism of trying to destroy the family unit by promoting one-parent families and same-sex marriages.\n
Abolish Jackson-Vanik, Russian Jews urge Congress
Representatives of the Russian Jewish Congress asked the U.S. Congress to repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment. The appeal was addressed to the U.S. ambassador to Russia, John Beyrly, during a meeting Monday in Moscow that took place on the 36th anniversary of the amendment\’s adoption. The amendment restricts Russian trade with the United States. “The viewpoint of the Jewish community on the problem is that the amendment affects the community negatively now, being a stumbling block in the development of U.S.- Russia relations,\” Russian Jewish Congress President Yuri Kanner said in a statement.
Conservative responsa approves selling, renting to non-Jews
Up to 50 Conservative rabbis signed on to a religious responsa that says it is permissible to rent or sell homes to non-Jews in Israel. The statement, issued Monday, counters a rabbinic ruling signed by about 50 Israeli municipal rabbis that prohibits the same. Written by Schechter Institute President Rabbi David Golinkin, it examines the issue from biblical sources to modern opinions.
Erekat: EU countries to upgrade Palestinian missions
Some 10 European Union countries have plans to upgrade the status of their Palestinian diplomatic missions, lead negotiator Saeb Erekat said. The upgrades would bring the missions one step closer to becoming embassies whose officials enjoy full diplomatic immunity, The Jerusalem Post reported. Norway decided last week to upgrade the status of its Palestinian mission, which encouraged the Palestinians to approach several European countries about following suit, Erekat told the Palestinian Ma\’an news service.
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