Aliyah up 20 per cent over year

They are surprising statistics given that Israel is facing growing antagonism internationally.

The last year has been a remarkable one for aliyah, with the immigration rate rocketing by a fifth, according to figures just released by the Jewish Agency.

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Israelis flock to Germany

Israelis are moving to Germany in unprecedented numbers - and finding a receptive atmosphere.

Over the past ten years, thousands of Israelis have settled in the German capital. The German-Israel Society estimates there are 8,000, but the figure could be as high as 15,000.

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Watch the burial - live on the web

A Jewish burial society in Australia has begun trialling live web streaming of funerals over the Internet.

Melbourne Chevra Kadisha installed a camera at the prayer houses of the two main cemeteries in Melbourne, according to a report in Friday's Australian Jewish News.

The web streaming costs about $AU250, according to Chevra Kadisha director Fred Grossman.

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Fear for Yemen Jews as conflict continues

Groups of Yemeni Jews are reportedly fleeing their homes as the conflict between the government and rebels, including those backed by Al-Qaida, shows no sign of subsiding.

According to an article in the Yemen Post, seven Jews from the Amran province have already left and another eight are planning to go as soon as possible. It is unclear where they plan to go.

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Yachad launches campaign

One of Israel's leading literary figures and a former army head of intelligence have backed a new campaign to rally Anglo-Jewish support behind a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The new advocacy group Yachad is asking members to sign an open letter, urging Israel to heed "calls to return to the negotiating table," which it intends to present to new Israel ambassador Danie

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Israelis head into diaspora in search of roots

As Diaspora Jews flock to Israel to explore their Jewish identity this summer, thousands of Israelis will embark on a culture trail of their own - in the diaspora.

A new poll has found that 69 per cent of Jewish Israelis consider it important to visit Jewish sites when on holiday or travelling for business.

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Job losses as the Jewish Agency shrinks in Israel

The Jewish Agency for Israel is to close for a fortnight in the summer as a money-saving measure, docking pay from employees.

With a budget gap of more than £2 million, the charity was going to lay off 50 employees, but the workers' union agreed to the furlough as an alternative, its spokesman Michael Jankelowitz said. It will begin on August 21.

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Israelis shocked at life in Britain

A group of Israeli parliamentary advisers say a visit to Britain to learn about pluralism in the Jewish community has revealed a stark contrast to their lives at home.

The fourteen, among them political advisers, Knesset spokespeople and parliamentary journalists, met representatives from all sections of British Jewry during the five-day trip.

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Fears in diaspora as Israel rejects convert

The Israeli Chief Rabbinate is trying to impose its stringent conversion rules on Orthodox organisations outside Israel.

Interior Minister Eli Yishai recently denied citizenship to a Canadian convert on the grounds that the Chief Rabbi, Sholmo Amar, does not recognise the authority of the rabbi who converted him in Canada.

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Yemen religious murder appeal denied

A Yemen court has upheld the death sentence of a Muslim man who murdered a Jew for refusing to convert to Islam.

Father-of-nine Masha Yaish Nahari was killed in December 2008 by a man called Abdel Aziz Yahia al-Abdi.

Mr Nahari’s bloodied body was found riddled with bullets after he was shot repeatedly with an AK-47 assault rifle.

Before the murder al-Abdi reportedly said to the 39-year-old teacher: “Jew, accept Islam’s message”.

Al-Abdi, a former pilot in the Yemeni air force, was found guilty and in 2009 was sentenced to death by firing quad.

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UK Jews more tied to Israel than American Jews

Jews in the UK feel more attached to Israel than those in the United States, according to one of the leading academic experts on diaspora Jewry.

"UK Jewry is far more connected to Israel than American Jewry," said Professor Steven Cohen, research professor of Jewish social policy at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York.

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Diaspora critics rallying to challenge Israel

Signs of growing diaspora discontent with Israeli policy have emerged with the launch of a petition by American Jewish figures calling for a settlement freeze and a compromise over Jerusalem's sovereignty.

For the Sake of Zion was inspired by a European initiative, JCall, headed by French Peace Now earlier this month.

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