Fast food aficionados and practicing Catholics alike are often familiar with the Filet-O-Fish story and how the sandwich was born as a result of Lent. Catholics aren’t the only religious group chain restaurants cater to because of faith and dietary restrictions. Here’s a look at some of the biggest menu options from around the world.
Read MoreUnlike at other rallies for a ceasefire in Gaza, you aren’t likely to hear calls for Palestine to extend “from the river to the sea” at the one in New York’s Union Square. And there will be few or no denunciations of Israel as a “settler-colonial” state. Rather, rallygoers call on both Israel and Hamas to agree to a “bilateral ceasefire,” humanitarian aid for Palestinians and the release of all hostages in Gaza.
Read More(OPINION) According to a quote widely attributed to Winston Churchill, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” This is absolutely true when it comes to reporting about Israel, except even more so. We could say that anti-Israel lies become canonized, even becoming part of sacred religious lore, before the truth even gets out of bed.
Read MoreAfter Benjamin Netanyahu pulled Israeli negotiators out of talks in Egypt, blaming Hamas for refusing to budge on what he called its “ludicrous” demands, Israel’s prime minister pledged to press ahead with the Rafah offensive. However, his war cabinet member Benny Gantz said a deal might still be possible.
Read MoreChristie’s New York auction house is hosting a weeklong exhibition of 70 works of art that trace Israeli culture over the past century. The paintings, sculpture, drawings and video have never been shown outside Israel before. The show takes place in the U.S. at a time of unprecedented anger toward the Jewish state over its military campaign in Gaza.
Read MoreIn a new poll, less than a third of Michigan voters said they supported a continuation in the fighting to eliminate Hamas in the ongoing war with Israel. How that will impact President Joe Biden’s chances in the Great Lake State remains to be seen.
Read MoreIt was quite a week for Javier Milei. Not only did he visit Israel in a show of support; the recently-elected Argentine president then flew to Vatican City, where he made peace with Pope Francis. While Milei is a Catholic, he hasn’t been shy about criticizing the pontiff in the past while also flirting with the idea of converting to Judaism.
Read MoreThe Jewish and Palestinian American pair are the force behind Atidna, a student organization of Jews and Palestinians that began at the university’s Austin campus two years ago. Initially, it focussed on similarities between Jewish and Palestinian culture, Kahlenberg said on a call shared with Hashem, stressing “that Jews and Arabs are cousins in one family and we’re not inherent enemies.”
Read MorePalestinians celebrated the country’s national team after qualifying for the knockout stage at the AFC Asian Cup. The historic win, a 3-0 victory against Hong Kong to close out the group stage, allowed Palestine to reach the round of 16 for the first time in the tournament’s 68-year history. It also brought some comfort amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Read MoreIn the face of the vast human suffering, staggering damage to infrastructure and environmental catastrophe caused by the conflict — which marks its 100th day on Sunday — another controversial post-war scenario is for Israel to rebuild some of the post-1967 Gaza Strip settlements from which it unilaterally withdrew in 2005.
Read MoreThe ongoing war between Israel and Hamas is rooted in decades of mistrust and animosity between Jews and Muslims. To get a better understanding of this war and how we got into the present situation, here are seven books about Israel and the region.
Read MoreA blast went off at a building located on the campus of St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza City, a place where scores of Palestinians had been sheltering from Israeli air strikes. Some 500 Muslims and Christians had been staying on the church grounds following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians.
Read MoreThe heated discourse about the deadly rocket explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza is rooted in the centuries-old religious hatred underlying the current war in Gaza. Immediately after the blast, journalists accepted Hamas’ account blaming the Israel Defense Forces for the deadly attack.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Many in the media continue to get this story wrong. For many, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is treated like a political story. It was a story about land. It was about colonization. It was about human rights. It may be about all those things, depending on whom you ask, but it’s also a story about Jews, Muslims and sacred sites in the Holy Lands. In other words, it’s a religion story.
Read MoreAs Israeli forces mount a ground invasion of Gaza following last week’s Hamas attack on thousands of civilians, Christians across the Holy Land called for both sides to “de-escalate this war” and end this “new cycle of violence.” Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant leaders said the violence following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 8 that killed 1,300 Israelis should come to an end.
Read MoreA week after the attacks and the number of dead Israelis has topped 1,300, making it the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. In response, Israel has been bombing Hamas targets and directed the evacuation of northern Gaza, a region that is home to 1.1 million people, in anticipation of a possible ground assault.
Read MoreLess than a week after Hamas attacked Israel, there is a debate in the Arab world as to whether the war crimes carried out by the terror group — including raping girls and abducting elderly women — should be condemned by practicing Muslims.
Read MoreOver the past few days, the Israeli war against Hamas has dominated conversations. Although this debate is going on practically everywhere in the world, for Kenyans it is a bit more personal since the country has been the target of militant Islamists. In addition, the East African nation was once proposed as a possible settlement for the then-stateless Jews.
Read MoreWhile tensions over Jewish and Muslim holy sites remain a contentious part of the war, Christians who live and work throughout the the Holy Land are also under attack. Amid all the destruction has been some positive news. Contrary to reports, Gaza City’s Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, built in the 12th century, was not destroyed in the bombings.
Read More(EXPLAINER) Two days after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack against Israel, fighting across the country and in Gaza continued. Some 900 Israelis have been killed since Saturday and more than 2,600 others have been wounded. How Israelis and Palestinians got here has been years in the making.
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