Jews in the News, a Weekly Roundup

Fri, Dec 05, 2008

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	Jews in the News, a Weekly Roundup
	by Tamar Fox, March 28, 2008 1 comments

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Schmeltzer: put on muteThere was bad news for the Ultra-Orthodox this week: A huge charity concert in Madison Square Garden was cancelled when 33 rabbis condemned Lipa Schmeltzer, the Chassidic singer scheduled to perform, and declared that public musical performances were a no-no. Schmeltzer has vowed to never sing another song composed by a non-Jew, and the charity, which benefits "Simchat Tzion, an organization that covers the cost of catering weddings for poor Israeli orphans," is out more than $100,000. Nobody wins, nicely done.

More than a few tongues are wagging over the previous story, but not at the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on Long Island, which is pushing one hour of gossip-free time every day.

Anyone want to declare a daily, freak-out-free hour for the Jewish people? A U.S. Jewish security network is warning us all of an increased risk of threats and attacks, though it’s not clear what that means or what we’re supposed to do about it.

In more uplifting, inspired news, a Jewish woman with a simple idea—give solar cookers to women in Darfur so they don’t have to go out looking for wood and risk being raped by militiamen—was awarded a $100,000 prize from the Bronfmans.

While we're on the subject of bright ideas: A holistic wellness facility for religious women opening in Jerusalem targets women who are the primary caregivers for their families, and don’t often seek medical attention for themselves.