In the News

About 125 women, men and children sang songs and prayed in front of the Israeli Embassy in D.C. on Monday to show their support for their Israeli sisters who are not allowed to wear ritual clothing while davening at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. At the start of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the women proudly raised both arms to hold their tallitot high, not letting them touch their shoulders, in solidarity with their Israeli counterparts who have their tallitot taken away, and are sometimes …

The struggle over the right of women to pray at the Western Wall has reached the U.S. as American Jews on Monday kicked a nationwide series of protests over the emotive issue. More than 100 protesters gathered Monday evening outside the Israeli embassy in Washington to show solidarity with the Women of the Wall, which holds monthly civil disobedience protests at the kotel over restrictions on women’s prayer. It is not every day that Jewish activists openly protest the Israeli embassy and …

This article by Doug Chandler first appeared in The Jewish Week. Like other veterans of this country’s pro-Israel and Zionist left, Kenneth Bob has seen prospects for a two-state solution rise and fall several times in the past four decades. Many of Bob’s counterparts have grown weary over that time, especially with the second intifada and, later, the election of Benjamin Netanyahu, a prime minister whose commitment to peace talks is viewed by those on the Zionist left with suspicion at …

This article written by Rabbi John Rosove first appeared in his blog at JewishJournal.com   When I was in Israel several weeks ago I had the opportunity to accompany one of Shalom Achshav’s Settlement Watch staffers on a 4 hour trek into the West Bank around Jerusalem to investigate building activity in both the “legal” settlements and the “illegal outposts.” The Israeli government has made a commitment to dismantle the dozens of “illegal outposts,” but to date has not done …

This Article first appeared in the Lilith online blog Usually operating modestly behind the scenes, Vivian Silver is making headlines this year. A native of Winnipeg, she moved to Israel in 1974 as a member of the newly reestablished Kibbutz Gezer, where she became one of the few women who had ever served as kibbutz secretary. As an activist in the Jewish “student revolution” of the late 1960s and early 70s, she confronted head-on the glaring women’s issues in Israel and the ever-widening …

WASHINGTON (JTA) – At least three liberal U.S. Jewish groups have expressed support for burgeoning social justice protests in Israel. The protests, bringing together housing shortage protesters, strikers in various professions and those seeking food subsidies, as well as myriad other groups, saw 150,000 people demonstrating across the country Saturday night. The New Israel Fund is helping to fund tent camp protests in major cities. “What began as a local protest has grown as the …

This letter to the editor was co-authored by Kenneth Bob, Ameinu President, and Dan Fleshler, member of the Ameinu Board of Directors,  and  appeared in July 19,2011 edition of The New York Jewish Week.   If the Israeli Knesset wants to win the important, global battle against those who want to delegitimize the Jewish state, the last thing it should do is provide rhetorical weapons to Israel’s most vicious critics. (“Boycott Bill Generates Controversy,” July 15) Yet, in voting to …

This article written by Tom Tugend originally appeared in Jewish Journal.com Though Labor Zionism, at one time Israel’s dominant political force under David Ben-Gurion and a major voice in the American Jewish community, no longer wields its once-muscular power, it is not dead and is even showing signs of revival and rejuvenation. So says Kenneth Bob, national president of Ameinu (Hebrew for “our people”), the American successor organization for the Labor Zionist Alliance, who will lead an …

By Pauline Dubkin Yearwood Reprinted from The Chicago Jewish News Summer camp: You go, you complain, you toast marshmallows, you sing songs (maybe even in Hebrew), mosquitoes bite you, you go home, that’s it. Things are different for kids at Habonim camps. In fact, Habonim, which this year celebrates its 75th anniversary, is about much more than camping, although its summer camps have always been its glory. It’s a youth movement that for generations has stamped its followers with the …

Dear Mr. Kenneth Bob President, Ameinu We wish to thank you and the organization you head for your expression of support. The encouragement we draw from the solidarity of those who truly care about the future of Israel is crucial for regenerating the strength required for carrying on the daily struggle for a democratic Israel. Needless to say, we will be glad to meet with members of Ameinu if and when they happen to visit here and will be honored to have them visit our weekly vigils in Sheikh …