Juliano Mer-Khamis, a well-known Israeli-Arab actor, was shot dead by Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank city of Jenin. Mer-Khamis, whose mother was an Israeli-Jewish activist for Palestinian rights and father was a Christian Palestinian, was killed Monday after being shot five times while driving in his car, according to reports.
Hidden among the maze of alleyways east of the Onyar River, the Museum of Jewish History stands as testament — if an inadvertent one — to the completeness of Spain\’s destruction of its once-thriving Jewish population. Inside the museum, set in Girona\’s last known synagogue, designers have layered the ancient architecture with all the flourishes of a contemporary museum, complete with glass-lit cases, multimedia displays and an audio tour in several languages.
The United States has frozen weapons shipments to Lebanon\’s military following the collapse of the Arab country\’s government in January. The arms freeze had been approved recently by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, but it was not announced publicly so as not to interfere with the formation of a new government, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
Construction resumed on the new Lincoln Square Synagogue building in New York more than four months after it was halted due to funding problems. The building of the Modern Orthodox synagogue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan began anew Monday following a successful effort to raise $3 million by April 30, mostly from its 650-family membership — the stipulation in order to access a $20 million pledge from an anonymous donor to complete the building .
John Adler, a former New Jersey congressman, has died. Adler, 51, died Monday of complications from a staph infection, the Asbury Park Press reported.
The murder of Israeli actor Juliano Mer-Khamis in Jenin on Monday was most likely a pre-mediated and well-planned assassination, Palestinian former militant Zakarya Zubeidi told Haaretz.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak will approve development plans for four West Bank settlements. The Defense Ministry confirmed to the Israeli media on Monday that Barak will approve the plans for Rotem, Hemdat, Eshkolot and Nofim, and already has approved plans for two other settlements, Kiryat Netafim and Halamish.
The chief of Israel\’s diplomatic-security bureau warned this week that Israel faced an isolation \”no less severe than war\” should the United Nations recognize Palestine as an independent state this September.
Rabbi Stephen Fuchs has been named president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Fuchs has served nearly four decades as a pulpit rabbi, including as senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford, Conn., since 1997. He is a past chair of the Central Conference of American Rabbis committee on interreligious affairs, and is known for his work in Jewish-Christian relations and social justice issues.
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