http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:59:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26392/dutch-government-to-appoint-commission-on-ritual-animal-slaughter http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26392/dutch-government-to-appoint-commission-on-ritual-animal-slaughter#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:45:53 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=26392 The Dutch government said it will appoint a commission to study new tightened rules for ritual slaughter to satisfy animal rights activists without infringing on  Jewish and Muslim traditions.

Before voting in January, the Senate will review a compromise offer by Henk Bleker, state secretary for agriculture.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/26392/dutch-government-to-appoint-commission-on-ritual-animal-slaughter/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25606/in-rise-of-ultra-orthodox-challenges-for-israel http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25606/in-rise-of-ultra-orthodox-challenges-for-israel#comments Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:52:41 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25606 ultra-Orthodox community, an insular and devout minority that has long been at loggerheads with the rest of the increasingly modern and prosperous country.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25606/in-rise-of-ultra-orthodox-challenges-for-israel/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25182/israel-rabbi-says-its-kosher-to-sleep-with-the-enemy http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25182/israel-rabbi-says-its-kosher-to-sleep-with-the-enemy#comments Tue, 05 Oct 2010 05:51:24 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25182 Jewish law allows women to sleep with the enemy in order to get intelligence vital to Israel's security, a rabbi was quoted as saying in a Israeli newspaper Monday, AFP reports.

The mass-selling Yediot Aharonot quoted an academic article by Ari Shvat, an expert in Jewish law, in which he said it was acceptable to have sex with "terrorists" in order to obtain information leading to their arrest.

The advice appeared to be directed at Israel's Mossad spy agency, and is an exception to the traditional religious prohibition of deception and sex outside of marriage.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25182/israel-rabbi-says-its-kosher-to-sleep-with-the-enemy/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25061/alleged-bomber-of-christian-boy-in-israel-to-stand-trial http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25061/alleged-bomber-of-christian-boy-in-israel-to-stand-trial#comments Sun, 05 Sep 2010 07:18:09 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25061 ISTANBUL, September 3 (Compass Direct News) – An Israeli man accused of planting a homemade bomb that almost killed the son of a Messianic Jewish pastor in Ariel, Israel has been declared competent to stand trial.

Jack Teitel, 37, who in November was indicted on two charges of pre-meditated murder, three charges of attempted murder and numerous weapons charges, is expected to enter a plea on Sunday (Sept. 5).]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25061/alleged-bomber-of-christian-boy-in-israel-to-stand-trial/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24907/rise-of-independent-groups-influencing-judaism http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24907/rise-of-independent-groups-influencing-judaism#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:17:19 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24907 independent minyanim" -- unaffiliated Jewish worship communities -- have sprung up in the past decade, mixing elements of the mainstream denominations while answering to none of them.

Ten years ago, the United States had two independent minyanim, plural of minyan. Today, there at least 70 involving about 20,000 people, said Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, who wrote a book on the independent minyanim, "Empowered Judaism."

The number involved is a small percentage of the estimated 5.2 million Jews in the U.S. But Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University, said the movement is driven by the most devout and educated Jews, and its ideas on worship, prayer and what defines a community will inevitably cross into mainstream practice.

"What happens in American Judaism over and over is that the margins influence the mainstream," Sarna said. "I don't expect many of the independent minyanim themselves will be long lasting. But I think we will look back and say that they had long-lasting influence."]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24907/rise-of-independent-groups-influencing-judaism/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24837/israel-controversial-conversion-bill-shelved http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24837/israel-controversial-conversion-bill-shelved#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:28:58 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24837 shelving a bill on Jewish conversions that drew sharp criticism from American Jews.

The bill would have strengthened the control of Orthodox rabbis in Israel over the sensitive process of Jewish conversions. ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24837/israel-controversial-conversion-bill-shelved/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24800/jews-pressured-into-adopting-french-sounding-surnames-fight-to-change-them-back http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24800/jews-pressured-into-adopting-french-sounding-surnames-fight-to-change-them-back#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:23:57 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24800 integrate and protect Jewish emigres by urging them to change their names to sound more French.

But more than a half-century later, French Jews wishing to reclaim their original names have come up against an administrative brick wall thanks to an obscure law banning people from changing their names to "foreign sounding" ones.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24800/jews-pressured-into-adopting-french-sounding-surnames-fight-to-change-them-back/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24535/blooms-restaurant-symbol-of-jewish-london-and-grumpy-waiters-shuts-down http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24535/blooms-restaurant-symbol-of-jewish-london-and-grumpy-waiters-shuts-down#comments Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:36:34 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24535 Bloom's restaurant, symbol of Jewish London and grumpy waiters, has shut down.

To emphasis its beginnings among the unrefined Jewish poor of London’s East End, it employed a hilarious cadre of the grumpiest waiters whose irascibleness could prick any puffed-up pretensions of the upwardly mobile clientele.

It was so quintessential that for non-Jewish friends it was the place to literally give them a taste of Jewish London. But, calling it "the kosher icon that got marooned in the past," the Jewish Chronicle quotes celebrities who wax nostalgic about Bloom’s but agree that the poor food and bad service had lost its charm.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24535/blooms-restaurant-symbol-of-jewish-london-and-grumpy-waiters-shuts-down/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23912/israel-charges-extremist-with-attempted-murder-of-messianic-family http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23912/israel-charges-extremist-with-attempted-murder-of-messianic-family#comments Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:17:20 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23912 Israel has charged Jack [Yaakov] Teitel, a Jewish-American extremist, with shooting to death two Palestinians and trying to kill others, including a Messianic Jewish family, who received a booby-trapped package in March 2008 that left their son critically injured.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23912/israel-charges-extremist-with-attempted-murder-of-messianic-family/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23852/jewish-terrorist-held-over-hate-crime-spree http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23852/jewish-terrorist-held-over-hate-crime-spree#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:18:21 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23852 A Jewish settler who allegedly confessed to a 12-year spree of murderous hate-crimes has been arrested in the West Bank, Sky News reports.

Yaakov "Jack" Teitel, 37, was branded a Jewish "terrorist" in the Israeli media over attacks against Palestinians, left-wing and minority Israelis and homosexuals.

He is accused of murdering a Palestinian taxi driver and a West Bank shepherd in 1997.

In 2008, he allegedly maimed a 15-year-old boy with a booby-trapped present because he belonged to a community of Jews who believe in Jesus.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23852/jewish-terrorist-held-over-hate-crime-spree/feed 0