Holocaust survivor, female rabbi remembered with Anne Frank anecdote [Tablet]
Following the passing last week of Rabbi Helga Newmark, famed for being the first female survivor of the Shoah to be ordained, Tablet Magazine shares this anecdote about Newmark’s experience with Anne Frank (who she knew growing up). Newmark leaves behind a legacy of Jewish passion and hard work, but Tablet’s piece explores the humanity of this memorable leader.
“In the late 1930s—when Newmark was not much younger than I was upon hearing her tell the story many years later—she was living in a German-Jewish refugee neighborhood in Amsterdam, a few houses down from the Frank family. Their parents were friendly. Helga was three years younger than Anne, who had invited all the other girls from their block to her birthday party. ‘Everyone except me,’ Newmark explained bitterly to my class.
Last week, when Rabbi Newmark passed away at the age of 79, I vividly remembered the resentment in her voice that night, and that I had recognized in her wavering tone how deeply troubling it can be to begin growing up, no matter when and where.”
Kicked out of India: Chabad rabbi accused of conversion attempts [Haaretz]
After over two years of serving the Jews of Cochin, India, a local Chabad rabbi and his wife have been removed from India after accusations that the rabbi attempted to proselytize potential converts. But the rabbi has his own suspicions:
“For his part, Bernstein speculated that the expulsion order was issued because the owners of numerous boutique hotels and restaurants in the area wished to rid themselves of competition from Chabad House, where Shabbat dinner is offered at no charge. The Chabad rabbi said he had also been accused of attempting to expand the Jewish community in Cochin by attracting foreigners who would then be converted to Judaism. He denied that he was engaged in such an effort. Over the past month, he and his wife tried to persuade the local Indian court to allow them to remain, but to no avail.”
Majority of Americans OK with potential U.S., Israeli strikes on Iran, says poll [Jerusalem Post]
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 62% of Americans would support an Israeli strike on Iran, provided that proof nuclear weapons were being designed could be offered. The Jerusalem Post reports:
“The Reuters/Ipsos poll showed 56 percent of Americans would support US military action against Iran if there were evidence of a nuclear weapon program. Thirty-nine percent of Americans opposed military strikes.
Asked whether they would back US military action if it led to higher gasoline prices, 53 percent of Americans said they would, while 42 percent said they would not.
For the first time since early July, more Americans approve of the job Obama is doing than disapprove, according to an additional Reuters/Ipsos poll that shows his approval rating now at 50 percent.”
Does a banking trend signal Israeli attack on Iran? [+972 Magazine]
Despite an unclear future to the potential conflict between Israel and Iran, do attempts to raise Israel’s foreign currency level signal that an attack is more likely? +972 explores recent news that the level has risen, including specifics about how much and what this might mean soon:
“In fact, Stanley Fischer, the governor of the Bank of Israel, has been stocking up so much in the past few years, that Israel is now one of the top five countries in the world when it comes to the ratio between GDP and foreign currency reserves. Well over 30 percent.
In March 20098, the Bank of Israel had $29.5 billion in its foreign currency reserves. By January 2012, that number rose $77.1 billion.”
