Study: One in 10 Israeli Jews intermarried
Around 10 percent of married Israeli Jews have non-Jewish spouses, a study found.
The New Family lobby, which promotes alternatives to Orthodox marriage rites in Israel, released data this week suggesting that 58 percent of Israeli families include a Jewish mother and father.
Approximately 12 percent of Israeli families are entirely non-Jewish — many of them, presumably, Israeli Arabs — while 10 percent of families comprise a Jewish parent and a non-Jewish parent. The remaining population is made up of single-parent families, common-law couples and foreign workers.
The findings are believed to reflect the large number of non-Jews among recent Soviet immigrants. — jta
About-face on controversial Jerusalem walkway project
The on-again, off-again construction near the Temple Mount is on again.
Israel’s Ha’aretz reported Wednesday, Feb. 14 that the Jewish Quarter Development Company would resume work on rebuilding the pedestrian walkway leading from the plaza to the Temple Mount’s Mughrabi Gate. The company, which owns the land under the Western Wall Plaza, had announced the previous day that it would stop the work.
The construction had sparked rioting by Palestinians and other Muslims who charged that the Israeli project aimed to undermine the foundations of two major Muslim shrines on the Temple Mount.
The Housing and Construction Ministry told Ha’aretz that the plan had been canceled due to a misunderstanding with the municipality. However, the company later reversed its decision under pressure from government offices and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. — jta
Olmert aide suspended
An aide to Ehud Olmert was suspended as part of a government graft investigation.
Shula Zaken was placed on six months’ leave by Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander, along with six officials from the Tax Authority. The suspensions are linked to allegations that Zaken, a longtime aide to the Israeli prime minister, exchanged perks for tax breaks.
Olmert has voiced support for Zaken, who was first named in the police investigation last month. — jta
Grieving parents want name for Lebanon war
A group of Israelis who lost sons in Lebanon last year are campaigning for the government to give the war a name.
The Forum of Bereaved Parents said Monday, Feb. 12 that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had refused to meet with it. For now, tombstones of the 119 soldiers who fell in the 34-day conflict read, “Killed during the fighting in southern Lebanon.”
Olmert’s office said he would continue to meet with bereaved parents, one couple at a time, but would not meet with the forum. It further confirmed that official policy is not to call the conflict a war. Analysts speculated that the government wants to avoid having to pay compensation that would be required if the conflict is officially designated a war. — jta
Israeli saved by umbilical cord
For the first time in Israel, the life of a woman suffering from secondary acute leukemia was saved by umbilical cord blood donated by two mothers after they gave birth. The procedure took place recently at Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer.
The 27-year-old patient received stem cells from cord blood from two donors, as one cord does not contain enough. Stem cells from cord blood do not have to be the exact tissue type of the recipient, unlike bone marrow from adults. — jps
Israel competes for World Cup
Israel’s Davis Cup team will face Italy April 6-8 for a place in the World Group playoffs after sweeping Luxembourg Feb. 9-11 at Ramat Hasharon in Jerusalem.
Doubles team Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich defeated Laurent Bram and Mike Scheidweiler 7-6, 6-0, 6-3, on Saturday and gave their team an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match format. Noam Okun and Dudi Sela had given Israel a 2-0 lead on Friday, defeating Gilles Kremer and Gilles Muller, respectively.
Next up in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I are the Italians, who come to Israel in April. — jps n
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California