World news-roundup: Der Spiegel reveals Germany spied on Israeli PM for years
Country: Canada
The only Jewish radio station in Canada has closed due to lack of listeners and advertisers. Radio Shalom, an AM and internet-based station in Montreal, broadcast 24/6 and was staffed almost entirely by volunteers. It was criticised for broadcasting ‘religious, Sephardi beliefs’ and having no female voices.
Country: Germany
Weekly magazine Der Spiegel has revealed that the German intelligence service spied on the Israeli prime minister for several years. The report, which also showed that the BND kept tabs on the UK’s Ministry of Defence, is at odds with recent German declarations about not spying on friendly governments.
Country: Belgium
Military officials in Brussels have hit back at reports that the soldiers guarding synagogues in the Belgian capital had no bullets in their rifles. The country’s defense ministry was reacting to a claim by a senior Charedi rabbi following the terror attacks last month, but declined to be precise for ‘security reasons’.
Country: Netherlands
The bank account of a fake Jewish doctor is the subject of a Dutch court battle after a scammed investor sought to force a bank to reveal the man’s identity. The impostor, who called himself Robby Dias de Oliveir, took more than £200,000 before disappearing. The ‘deal’ was done on a handshake.
Country: United States
The congregants of a Lower East Side synagogue in New York City are suing a rabbi for trying to sell their shul for $13 million. Chasidic Rabbi Samuel Aschkenazi, who does not worship there, attracted the attention of the FBI after trying to sell the 26,000 sq ft building to developers to convert it into flats.
Country: Ukraine
Holland’s chief rabbi has defended ‘misleading’ Dutch Christian Zionists who were caught pressuring Ukrainian Jews into making Aliyah. Rabbi Ya’akov Dov Bleich defended Christians for Israel after a Belgian Christian was secretly filmed telling an elderly Ukrainian lady: ‘You have to go to Israel.’
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
