Ben Sales

3 weeks ago | forward.com | Ben Sales

( JTA) - Israel's government may fall soon as one of its haredi Orthodox factions threatens to leave because of a dispute over the military draft. Israel requires all of its Jewish citizens to enlist in the military but has carved out an exception for haredi Orthodox men in a deal dating back to the states early days.

3 weeks ago | jlifenj.com | Ben Sales

An effort to reflect the experiences of California’s minority communities in its educational curriculum has faced criticism from a range of groups over concerns about whose stories are being told. How and where do Jews fit into America’s minority communities? That’s the question at the center of a debate that has raged for more than a year over new school curriculum guides that are being adopted in California.

3 weeks ago | jlifenj.com | Ben Sales

The statement was signed by groups representing the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform movements as well as other major organizations. By Ben Sales, The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, JTAAfter a gunman murdered two Israeli embassy staffers, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky outside a Jewish museum, a wide range of major Jewish groups has asked the federal government to sharply increase its funding for religious institutions’ security to $1 billion.

3 weeks ago | sun-sentinel.com | Ben Sales

(New York Jewish Week) — It isn’t hard to find members of Neturei Karta, the anti-Zionist activist Orthodox group, in New York City. They show up, habitually, at both anti- and pro-Israel rallies, either as protesters or counter-protesters. And they reliably wear the same outfits — traditional haredi Orthodox dress combined with pro-Palestinian symbols and signs declaring that authentic Judaism rejects Zionism.

3 weeks ago | sun-sentinel.com | Ben Sales

Israel is embarking on the largest expansion of West Bank settlements in decades, its finance minister announced on May 29, a step meant to reinforce Israeli control of the territory. Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right minister who holds authority over civilian affairs in Israel’s settlements, announced the establishment of 22 settlements in the West Bank. Some are existing outposts that the Israeli government considered illegal but will now authorize. Others will be new towns.