The man hoping to become the first Orthodox rabbi to hold a Congressional seat is being backed by one of the Republican Party's most powerful financial supporters.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the former chaplain of Oxford University, is hoping to win a typically Democrat-held seat in New Jersey at November's elections.

A fire in a New Jersey synagogue is being investigated by the FBI as an attempted murder and hate crime arson.

On his death at the age of 70, the JC eulogised Ginsberg as "a lay cantor-rabbi for the worldwide "make love not war" movement". Fourteen years later, his name and straggly-bearded image remain as iconic as they were at the height of the hippie era.

It was a mixed result for Jewish politicians as America voted in the 2010 mid-terms.

In what appears to have been the worst results in decades for the Democrats, President Barack Obama’s party has lost its majority in the House of Representatives and suffered defeats in key senate seats.

Richard Blumenthal, despite a tough challenge from the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, and a scandal over his claimed Vietnam record, was elected as the new junior Senator for Connecticut.