Jewish woman thrown off plane after Gaza row
The conflict in Gaza continues to dominate global news, with pro- and anti-Israel supporters clashing everywhere from Florida-bound planes to the mountainous region of Kashmir, itself disputed territory. Here, in this week’s round-up of Jewish news from around the world, we try to bring you a flavour of what’s going on – dated 21 July 2o14.
United States
A Jewish woman from New York was thrown off a JetBlue flight last week after accusing a female Palestinian passenger of having a bomb in her luggage. Dr Lisa Rosenberg had earlier claimed that she was the victim of verbal abuse, saying her fellow passenger called her ‘a Zionist pig,’ but reports later confirmed otherwise.
Ukraine
A Jewish mother and daughter in east Ukraine have been killed in fighting between government forces and Russian-backed rebels. Svetlana Sitnikov, 57, and her daughter Anna, 31, were going shopping and had been due to take Anna’s 4-year-old son, but at the last moment his grandfather took the boy.
France
Another Parisian shul was firebombed on Sunday after a riot broke out in Sarcelles, a heavily Jewish suburb. Several cars were also smashed or set alight. It came a day after 14 police officers were injured during violence at a much bigger anti-Israel rally in the city centre, with thousands protesting Israeli action in Gaza.
India
A 14-year old boy was shot dead by Indian police trying to control another anti-Israel demonstration in the mountainous border region of Kashmir. Hundreds of people attended the boy’s funeral after authorities used tear gas and batons to disperse earlier demonstrations. The police said the boy had thrown rocks.
Belgium
Bus drivers in Belgium have been reprimanded after flying Palestinian flags from their vehicles in a show of support for the people of Gaza. A spokeswoman for the Brussels-based Stib bus company said that while staff had the right to their opinions, they could not associate their views with the organisation.
Poland
The Jewish actor and director Szymon Szurmiej has died in Warsaw aged 91. Szurmiej served as head of Poland’s State Jewish Theatre for years, and was a leading Jewish figure during the communist era, after he survived the anti-Semitic purges of 1968. He became a member of parliament in the 1980s.
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.
