San Francisco – When Arturo Balbino, a Texas construction worker, walked into his visa interview at the American consulate in the northern Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez in March, he wasn’t nervous. He felt good. Balbino, a 33-year-old Mexican national who had entered the United States illegally 14 years ago, thought he had a [...]

New York – A New York City Council member has proposed opening a dual-language Yiddish-English program in a city public school. Councilman Mark Levine, who represents parts of upper Manhattan and is the chair of the City Council’s Jewish Caucus, is working to open the program in a kindergarten classroom in the fall of 2020, [...]

Jerusalem – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his brother, Dr. Ido Netanyahu, on Monday received personal items belonging to their late brother Yoni, who was killed in the hostage rescue operation in Entebbe in 1976, which he heroically commanded. Yosef Shemesh served with the late Netanyahu in the 71st Batallion of the Armored Corps [...]

Hartsdale, NY – A 100-year-old yoga instructor has no plans to stop practicing and teaching. On a spring day in Hartsdale, a northern suburb of New York City where she leads her classes, Tao Porchon-Lynch said she first encountered the ancient practice at age 7 in her native India. Strolling along a beach, she was [...]

Paris – U.S. President Donald Trump has tweeted about the fire engulfing Paris’ iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. Trump wrote on Twitter after the fire broke out Monday: “So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris” and made suggestions for how first responders should tackle it. He said: “Perhaps flying water [...]

Paris – A major fire broke out at Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on Monday, a roaring blaze at one of France’s most visited landmarks that threw a huge plume of smoke across the capital. Flames burst through the roof of the cathedral, which had scaffolding around it. The fire quickly engulfed the spire, live [...]

Pittsburgh – A Pittsburgh synagogue where 11 people were killed in a mass shooting last year is inviting young people worldwide to submit artwork to cover the fencing surrounding the still-shuttered building. The art project is called “#HeartsTogether: The Art of Rebuilding.” Organizers said that Tree of Life synagogue is looking for “original, uplifting images [...]

Columbia, SC – On the cusp of an expected White House run, Joe Biden is returning to a familiar role this week as the one of the nation’s top eulogists. The former vice president will speak Tuesday at the funeral of Fritz Hollings, the longtime South Carolina Democratic senator who was Biden’s Capitol Hill deskmate [...]

Washington – The U.S. terrorism label for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard formally took effect on Monday, amid a battle between the Trump administration and some in Congress over waivers on oil and nuclear sanctions that are due to expire or be extended early next month. The Guard’s formal designation as a “foreign terrorist organization” — the [...]

Jerusalem – Tel Aviv University on Monday (April 15) presented a prototype of a miniature heart, which scientists say is the world’s first heart created with a 3D printer using human tissue. “This is the first time anyone, anywhere, has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart replete with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers,” [...]