Shavua Tov: This Week’s Jewish News

candyShavua Tov. Hope you all had a good week.

In honor of Halloween, this week’s Shavua Tov is going to look at the “scariest stories” in the Jewish world – from J Street to hate crimes in California to a nuclear Iran (note that what’s scary to some is not always scary to all). Have a spooky weekend!

Analysis: America making plans for a nuclear-armed Iran” and “Iranian lawmaker reject nuclear plan” – Jerusalem Post – few things are scarier than Iran with the bomb.

New Lobby Pushes Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Mission” – NPR – J Street’s policy conference was in Washington, DC this week (definitely scary for many who fear the new organization is a sham, or threaten’s America’s relationship with Israel, or who worry why J Street’s campus organization has decided to drop the words “pro Israel” from its slogan so it just says “pro peace”). For great J Street conference coverage, check out the JTA’s Capital J blog.

“‘New Jews’ stake claim to faith, culture” – CNN (scary, maybe, to some establishment Jews. That certain Jews (I’d say the TC Jewfolk kind of Jews) are going to shake things up and reinvent Judaism, perhaps in a way that clashes a bit with some old school traditions, put perhaps in other ways that reenergize the entire religion from within)

Two men shot at California Synagogue” – CNN – definitely scary. And reminds us that American Anti-Semitism is still alive and well. Oh yeah, and they haven’t caught the shooter yet.

U.S. Slams Rocket attack from Lebanon” – Jerusalem Post – terrorist firing a rocket from Lebanon into Israel definitely is scary, even when no one dies in the attack.

“80% of wait-listed birthright applicants never reapply” – Jerusalem Post – scary to think what that means. Do the Jews really not care enough about Israel to try again? Is this generation’s passion for Israel a one-shot deal?

Do you think these stories are scary? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.

(Photo: rochelle, et. al.)