French film 'Anti-Semite' banned from Cannes

A controversial film on the subject of antisemitism produced by an Iranian company was removed from the Cannes Film Festival schedule because it breached the event's guidelines.

The film, called "The Anti-Semite" was due to be screened at the annual cinema festival, but organisers pulled it from the programme.

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EU to look into antisemitism on continent

The European Union has commissioned a major investigation into antisemitism by the London-based Institute for Jewish Research (JPR).

An online survey, which will be carried out by Ipsos MORI, will gather evidence on the experience of antisemitism in nine EU countries.

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Kosher chocolate chip change causes controversy

Jewish cooks across the US have been left distraught after a popular brand of chocolate chips was stripped of its "parev" label.

The Trader Joe's semisweet chocolate chips have long been a staple of the kosher kitchen, with people using them to whip up all manner of milk-free desserts.

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Fears over commercial plans for Serbia death camp

Historians and Jewish leaders who met this week in Serbia to discuss the future of the country’s largest death camp are concerned that the site could be subsumed in a commercial development.

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Australian school guard faces rape trial

A Jewish man who worked as a security guard at an Orthodox Jewish boys’ school in Melbourne has been committed to stand trial on charges of sexually abusing children.

David Samuel Cyprys, 44, will face 40 charges of child molestation — including multiple counts of rape — against 12 students at Yeshivah College in the 1980s, magistrate Luisa Bazzani ordered this week.

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Brooklyn prosecutor under fire over Charedi sex abuse

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes has come under fire for his handling of accusations of child sex abuse in the strictly Orthodox community.

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Lithuanian youth head backs Nazi leader

The head of Lithuania’s national youth association (ULNY) has denied that the country’s wartime puppet leader authorised the transportation of thousands of Jews to the Kaunas ghetto — and maintained that Jews cannot join his movement.

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Limmud goes to Jerusalem

When it comes to Jewish learning, the Diaspora normally looks to Jerusalem for inspiration. But, Jerusalem residents have taken their lead from Britain, and run their own Limmud conference.

Speakers spanned the religious spectrum from the Charedi politician Rabbi Haim Amsalem to Reform activist Rabbi Uri Regev, head of the Hiddush movement that critiques the Charedi community.

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South Africa and Denmark in settlement labels move

The recent decisions by the governments of South Africa and Denmark to identify the origins of products made in West Bank settlements on their labels did not surprise the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem.

Diplomats monitoring the efforts of pro-Palestinian organisations to promote boycotts of Israel have been expecting them to focus on settlement products for some time.

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Sorry Baroness Ashton, Iran won't concede in Baghdad

When, over a year ago, tensions began to publicly surface between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, the Western press concluded that Ahmadinejad was the more moderate element — at least in terms of relations with the West and nuclear diplomacy.

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Minister offended after Orthodox Israeli refuses to shake her hand

A Belgian minister has complained that a Charedi counterpart refused to shake hands at an official meeting with her because she is a woman.

Laurette Onkelinx was in Geneva at the World Health Assembly conference with Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman when she offered her hand as a greeting.

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Orthodox lingerie company owner sued for sacking 'hot' employee

A woman has taken legal action against a lingerie company claiming that her Orthodox Jewish employers dismissed her for being "too hot" and too well-endowed.

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Banker: Germany supports euro out of Holocaust guilt

The former central banker of Germany has claimed that the country has allowed itself to be held hostage to the rest of Europe out of guilt for the Holocaust.

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Iran withdraws Azerbaijan envoy over Eurovision dispute

The Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan has been recalled to Tehran following a row over the Eurovision Song Contest, which is taking place this week in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital.

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Israeli envoy talk cancelled by South African university

A South African university pulled the plug on a scheduled talk by an Israeli envoy at the last minute following a campaign by pro-Palestinian activists.

Yaakov Finkelstein was due to give a non-political lecture on Monday at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, which is in the east of the country.

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Israeli climber aids Turk stranded on Everest

An Israeli climber who was said to be 300 yards away from reaching the Everest summit abandoned his climb in order to assist an injured Turkish climber.

The Times of Israel reported that upon being rescued by a helicopter, Nadav Ben Yehuda was found to be suffering from severe frostbite which could have caused him to lose fingers. Eight people died climbing to the Everest summit this week.

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Irish Israel boycott proposal 'cynical and hypocritical'

Jewish leaders have criticised the Irish foreign minister for a "cynical" call to boycott some Israeli goods.

Eamon Gilmore said that he might push the European Union to block goods produced in the West Bank, in order to pressure the Israeli government into making policy changes.

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Mabhouh family unhappy about Mossad Dubai assassination film

Relatives of the Hamas terrorist, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, have declared that they will attempt to block the release of an Israeli film which is based on his assassination in Dubai.

Ahmed al-Mabhouh, a cousin of al-Mabhouh, said that the family would consider legal action if necessary in order to prevent the film from being released.

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