By Janis Siegel, JTNews Correspondent One of the single most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian crisis has been the Jewish settlements. These small enclaves, built by the Israeli government in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip — known by many settlers as Judea and Samaria — have been associatedContinue Reading

By Joel Magalnick, JTNews Correspondent The Seattle Association for Jews with Disabilities has had a very tough year. In addition to rising health care costs, the reserves in the supporting foundation fund of the Jewish Family Service department have been depleted by loss of investment income, and its endowment fundContinue Reading

By David Chesanow, JTNews Correspondent On June 23, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down California’s Holocaust Victim Insurance Relief Act as unconstitutional. Since then, Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler and other local advocates of Holocaust-era life insurance claimants expressed dismay at the ruling against the 1999 act. The lawContinue Reading

By Joel Magalnick, JTNews Correspondent Seattle-based Jewish Family Service has recently received a large grant from Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger. Mazon, a private philanthropic organization that gives funding for people going hungry across the United States, granted $15,000 to JFS. This amount is equal to what JFS receivedContinue Reading

By Joel Magalnick, JTNews Correspondent Maybe it was the wrestling. Or perhaps it was the use of birdcalls to recite a poem. Whatever it was that tied the wide range of sketches that made up the Seattle-based Typing Explosion Local 898’s new show, “This is a Test,” together, it worked.Continue Reading

By Kristine Israelson and Thomas F. Klein, Special to JTNews In January, a 40-foot shipping container laden with more than 10 tons of gifts set sail from Seattle to Ashdod for distribution to new immigrants establishing homes in Israel. Arriving in Israel on the first of March, the goods wereContinue Reading

By Joel Magalnick, JTNews Correspondent When the news from Israel is often so depressing, it’s nice to have a visitor to the area who has something good to say about what’s happening in the Jewish state. That was recently the case, when the Seattle chapter of the Women’s American OrganizationContinue Reading

By Joel Magalnick, JTNews Correspondent During his visit to Seattle in late May, the Jewish Transcript had the opportunity to speak with Senator and Presidential candidate Joe Lieberman. The following is an excerpt of that interview: Jewish Transcript: Now that Israel has accepted the road map, do you think thatContinue Reading

By Joel Magalnick, JTNews Correspondent For centuries, families have passed the honor of rabbi through their generations, from father to son. In recent years, daughters have begun to have the rabbinical mantle passed from their fathers, signaling a new way of doing things. Now, however, a new tradition has begun,Continue Reading

By Britten Schear, Special to JTNews In Peru, as in many developing countries, cervical cancer is an unparalleled killer. Although it is a widely feared, despised, and humiliating process, American women are resigned to the fact that their yearly medical checkups will likely include a test for cervical cancer. ThereContinue Reading

By Rita Weinstein, JTNews Correspondent One man’s vision has turned into a major victory for local low-income seniors. On June 4, the senior residential facility Council House and Felippe Jacques, a long-term resident, were awarded a $10,000 technology grant by the City of Seattle. The funds will support a groundbreakingContinue Reading

By Congressman Jim McDermott, Special to JTNews For a short moment, there seemed to be hope for a sincere rapprochement between the Israeli government and a new Palestinian leadership that promised to push forward democratic reform and to end terrorism. But, once again, the enemies of peace tried everything inContinue Reading